Monday, February 1, 2016

A Stop In Richmond

You just never know what you will see, if you take a new road. I was on the train and had decided to be dropped off at a different train station than normal this time.

In Richmond (Virginia) instead of going south to Petersburg where I usually would be picked up, this train took a southeasterly route toward Newport News. And, guess what.... I saw things I had never ever seen before. It was exciting so I wanted to share.



Richmond had many cigarette factories at one time. This one was built in 1910 and closed in 1987. It stood vacant for many years and now houses loft apartments and offices. Do any of you remember Lucky Strike cigarettes? 


These two pictures were taken as the train passed through Shockoe Bottom. It is one of Richmond's oldest neighborhoods having started in the late 18th century. It sits on the James River and was once the center of Richmond commerce. Now it is a major entertainment and arts district. 


I've been trying to figure out the mural. I think I see a dog's head on the left, maybe a fish on the right. What do you see? click on the picture for a larger view if you need to.


The Holocaust Museum was founded in 1997 and opened in 2003. The first year they were open there were over 10,000 visitors. 


This is an old abandoned building. I have no idea what it once was. But, I liked the look.


As we passed this "pile of rocks" sitting in a field, I was really curious but had to wait until I got to my computer to find out what it was

This is The Confederate Pyramid
It's 23 feet tall, weighs 17 tons and is made of granite stones.
It was commissioned in 1898 by the Confederate Memorial Literary Society.

Now, here I am going to tell some of it's history so if you are not into history, you can skip this part. (grin)
The Society contacted a Virginia Railroad executive asking for markers to be put at historically significant sites along their rail lines. But, the president of Richmond, Fredricksburg and Potomac Railway constructed the pyramid. It's modeled after the memorial to the unknown Confederate dead buried in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery.

The Pyramid marks the point where General George G. Mead's Union division penetrated "Stonewall" Jackson's confederate lines on Dec. 13, 1862. 

It is known as the Meade Pyramid.

Now we know what that 'Pile of Rocks' is!!!

5 comments:

  1. I especially love the Richmond Museum of Art and their beautiful Fabergé Egg - and many other Russian pieces - collection!
    Nice pix from your train trip.
    Mary -

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  2. This is a wonderful post! I hadn't seen any of these sites in Richmond before, and loved seeing them! I loved reading about the Confederate Pyramid and seeing it and the mural and those Shockoe Bottom storefronts. I see a dog but also a person and a bird's head. It's a little weird, as murals go. :-) Not sure why the few comments. This would have been a great Tuesday Treaures post!

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  3. The old building is very sad. Here they aren't allowed to keep something like that because of the danger of a collapse.

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  4. Lucky Strikes are familiar, but I can't remember if those were my grandfather's choice of cigarette, or one of my brothers. I'm boggled on the mural, too. You got to see a lot of different things on the train. Thanks for sharing the history of the pyramid.

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