Newspaper Article

Richmond Theatre Fire - December 26, 1811 - 1937

Everybody said the place was a fire trap and what would ever happen if a fire would break out while it was full of people. But nobody stayed away from it if the play and company were good.

That Christmas season of 1811 at the Richmond Theatre the company was good. Elizabeth Arnold Poe had been one of the stars and Mr. Placide who headed the company was well enough liked in Richmond to pack the house when he announced a benefit performance for himself on December 26, 1811. He had intended to have it two days before Christmas, but he was sick. Mrs. Poe had died two weeks before. Besides, the weather was bad, and so it was on December 26 that the benefit finally took place

Edgar Allan Poe - January 13, 1937

Edgar Allan Poe was born 128 years ago. He first opened his wistful eyes upon the bewildering complexities of life in the ancient city of Boston. It was January 19, 1809, nearly 30 years after the victories of the Revolution and about a half-century before the interfratricidal struggle between the States.

Medicine and Shockhoe Hill - The Medical College of Virginia's Record of Service - March 4, 1937

Richmond, like Rome, is built on seven hills. Although this fact is known by all of us there are many native Richmonders who do not realize the important role that one of these hills has played in the medical life and history of Richmond.

John Pelham, The Cannoneer - March 28, 1937

Seventy-four years ago this past month, a boy died violently at Culpeper Courthouse. Had he lived three weeks longer, he would have been a lieutenant-colonel in the Confederate Army; he was 24 years old.

[A more detailed account than the following article]

Elizabeth Poe - May 16, 1937

Dressed in the best of her paste jewels, she lay in state in the attic of the millinery shop. A few kinds ladies of Richmond had helped her, and the members of her company, the Virginia Players, had given their pitiful earnings to keep her and her two children warm through the winter.

Uncle Lud Brown fought in '65 - May 16, 1937

We often hear of the rapidly diminishing number of men who wore the blue and gray, and with the passing of each one, we face the fact anew that only a few more years and the line will have passed out entirely. All of the white men of Brookneal who fought in the War Between the States have gone on. The only Confederate veteran who lives there is a well-respected Negro, and each day it would seem that his steps become a little slower and his gray beard and hair little more grayer. But, with all the infirmities of his 90 or more years, "Uncle Lud Brown" is daily seen meeting the Norfolk and Western train; getting his share of the mail, then going to the post office for more mail, and on to the Virginian Railway station to deliver the mail in time for the train. He has never "taken to" an automobile, but drives a horse and buggy which, like their owner, have seen better days. The old man and his horse, however, continue to plod along in an effort to do the job in a creditable manner. The mail is gotten from the Virginian train and taken to the post office, a distance of about three-fourths of a mile. This work has continued for a period of about 20 years.

Richmond Female Institute - June 20, 1937

It may seem a far cry from the sedate and hoop-skirted ladies of the sixties attendant upon a "female institute," or the Mid-Victorian gay nineties, to this year's crop of co-eds, but in reality they are even closer than sisters under the skin. A few days ago we had the pleasure of being personally conducted through the Woman's building at Westhampton by a delegation of the "Old College," headed by Mrs. Jack Epps.

Evangeline - June 20, 1937

That Richmond was an unwilling host to several hundred Acadians is one of the many half-forgotten bits of history being brought to light as a result of researches done under the direction of the Virginia Capital Bicentennial Commission.

Contrary to popular belief, the unhappy Acadians, whose melancholy history has been immortalized by Longfellow in "Evangeline," were not directly exiled to Louisiana. Instead they were scattered among the American colonies. Five ship loads of the unfortunate exiles were landed in Hampton Roads from whence one boat full of miserable passengers were sent to Richmond.

Brook Road - The Oldest Highway Into Richmond - September 19, 1937

With so many modern highways coming into Richmond from every direction, some inquisitive soul is likely to raise the question as to which is the oldest of these improved roads? Fortunately, the answer is easy. The Brook Road, extending from the southern end of what is now Brook Avenue, was the first "made" road entering this city.