One hundred years after Richmond’s founding, two Virginia doctors organized the first medical school here. They selected Richmond because of its large population of African Americans, both enslaved and free. At a time when there was no legal way to acquire…
by Tom O’Donnell Seven-year-old Jake sleeps on his aunt’s couch one week and on his grandfather’s floor flanked by two of his cousins the next. Jake and his mom are in between stable housing, although his mother is on several…
What a fun year it has been! 2019 was filled with milestone birthday celebrations, both for me and for RFM, the launch of a new RFM annual Education Expo, plus a new addition to the Thompson family, in the form…
In 1842, a year before the publication of his book, A Christmas Carol, the world-famous British author Charles Dickens came to Richmond during an American tour. For his 3-day visit, he stayed at the new and luxurious Exchange Hotel at 14th…
Use promo code RVAJBR to save $5 on your registration for the 19th Annual Richmond Jingle Bell Run. The summer before she turned two, Reagan took her first steps. They were small and shuffled, and she resembled her grandmother…
If I wasn’t in the holiday spirit before diving into this issue (and I really, really wasn’t!), I sure am now. Just reading Catherine Brown’s history of Thanksgiving and all of the foods and traditions that go with it has…
In the thirty-seven years that “Buffalo” Bill Cody ran his world-famous Wild West Show, he brought it to Richmond nine times from 1888 through 1913. These visits from the former Pony Express rider created weeks of anticipation. Cody’s romanticized dramatizations of…
At the Bellemeade Community Center in South Richmond, a fifth grade student had a message to share with the world. “That’s my birthday twin!” Niq-Niq called out across the room. On the receiving end of the greeting was Julia Warren,…
We don’t toot our own horn too often, but ten years in business is a big deal, so we’re celebrating! I have greeted you from this space 117 times, for ten straight years, and each time, it’s been a thrill…
By the late 1960s, Shockoe Slip had become a rundown, little-known part of town. The decline of the nearby canal and tobacco warehouses had left the once-bustling commercial center mostly vacant in a changing economic landscape. At a time when…
