Spring 2024

Table of Contents:

• A Letter from Our History Team
• Leslie Garland Bolling
• From the Archives: Home Run for Henrico
• Taylor Farm Park
• Varina Farm
• Longdale Subdivision
• Henrico County & the 250th Commemoration
• Down on the Farm
• Rec & Parks App

Hello and Happy Spring to you all! 

This issue of Henrico History Progress is chocked full of intriguing history and fun facts. The staff has been working hard on researching people whose stories have been buried and some way too deep! As with Leslie Garland Bolling, whose grave and headstone have been lost for generations under the soil at Woodland Cemetery. Mr. Bolling was not however lost to the art world as evidenced in the article by Mark Shubert. If your passions lean more toward sports, then the article by Lisa Denton on baseball in Richmond should pique your interest. Other contributors to this issue are Mary Ann Soldano, Julian Charity, and of course a member of our four-legged farm family!

In our staff spotlight is the longest-serving history specialist Sandy Satterwhite. Sandy has been an invaluable member of the team at Meadow Farm and has witnessed many changes in her 16-year tenure with the County. Thank you, Sandy, for all your wisdom and dedication. 

We continue to have support for history from county leadership with the recent purchase of Varina Farm. Staff is eager to begin research and interpretation at this local, state, and nationally significant historic property. Not only does this location allow us to explore life in the second English settlement, but of equal significance, is the story of the Native Americans who were the original occupants and caretakers of this land.

Coming soon to the main office, the staff is excited to share artifacts from the collection in the first of many exhibits on Henrico's history. Stay tuned for details about the opening and community event celebrating this new venture. We are also looking forward to the opening of our latest park in Sandston. Taylor Park will feature something for everyone, but no spoiler alerts here! You will have to come this summer to discover it for yourself!

In the meantime, keep coming to our programs and events and thanks to our marketing team you can stay up to date on all history adventures through our new events calendar. If you are not yet receiving it, click the link below to sign up! We wish you all a safe and sun-soaked summer until we reconnect in the fall. 

Sincerely,

Kim Sicola

Recreation Manager, History

Henrico Recreation and Parks

Email us at REC-HistoryGroup@henrico.us

By Mark Shubert

Just over a year ago, a major mystery was solved over at Henrico’s historic Woodland Cemetery. Founded by John Mitchell, Jr in 1917, Woodland is one of the area’s post-emancipation uplift cemeteries. This space came about as a privately owned cemetery where African Americans could be buried in a society where segregation followed even in death. Much like fellow regional African American cemeteries East End and Evergreen, the condition of Woodland degenerated into an overgrown dumping ground as the 20th century ended. This sacred resting place for a large number of Richmond’s black doctors, lawyers, suffragettes, playwrights, athletes, authors, clergy, tailors, architects, and many others fell victim to the same fate that similar tracts of land throughout the south had, becoming seemingly forgotten due to neglect. Even in the desperate times, there were always family and friends of those interred in these places fighting the litter and overgrowth and thankfully, the numbers of the resistance grew over the years. I was fortunate enough to join the cleanup efforts at Woodland in the summer of 2020 and can confirm that few things compare to witnessing the progress there. As we reclaimed these sacred grounds, thus came the work of telling the stories of those who rest there. One name in particular that stood out to me: Leslie Garland Bolling, the Harlem Renaissance-aligned wood carver who spent the bulk of his years in the Richmond area. While there had been mention of his interment at Woodland via a handful of primary sources, we still hadn’t found evidence of this in the form of a headstone in a definite location. After all, Woodland is the home to an estimated 30,000 burials and only about a fifth of that has been discovered thus far.

Leslie Garland Bolling was born on September 16, 1898 in Dendron, Virginia, Surry County to parents Clinton C. Bolling and Mary Brown. The first of ten children that Clinton and Mary would have together, he would attend county schools before enrolling at the Hampton Institute, now Hampton University. The year was 1916, and Leslie worked at the school during the day and attended classes in the evening. It’s noted on a World War I draft registration card that Bolling was employed at the “USA Army Supply Base in Norfolk, VA.” By 1918, Leslie would relocate to Richmond where he would enroll at Virginia Union University. He would take classes at the higher grammar school and the preparatory department, eventually graduating in 1924. After graduation, Bolling would go on to teach in Richmond public schools but ultimately left the educational field, being noted as a porter at the Everett Waddey Company per the 1930 census.  

The Everett Waddey Company was a large local printing firm, specializing in stationary among many other printed items, and employing hundreds throughout the Richmond area. In addition to this, Bolling was a mail carrier with the USPS and a utility tradesman alongside his long career with Everett Waddey. In May of 1927, Leslie married a seamstress by the name of Julia V. Lightner and the two lived together on 4th Street in the vibrant Jackson Ward neighborhood. By all accounts, Bolling had a pretty normal life but it was sometime between his graduating from college and his beginning with Everett Waddey that he started a hobby that would go on to make him well-known in the art world. 

The skill that made Leslie known to the art world did not really take off until 1926. Having grown up in a lumbering center, he had always loved trees and the wood they produced which led to him as a boy to playing and building with found wood pieces. He was particularly interested in building houses and railroad engines with corresponding cars. It wasn’t until he was inspired by the graceful appearance of a woman at his church which led him to attempt to carve a sculpture of her that night; the first of many to come! In a 1933 letter, regarding that first sculpture, he would say “This was an awful looking sight, but that something bid me try again!” The carvings continued over the next few years until some friends urged him to submit four sculptures to an exhibition at the Phyllis Wheatley YMCA sometime in the late 1920s. Little did Bolling know that this exhibition would open a series of doors for him getting the attention of individuals in the art community. People like local art shop owner William E. Young, artist Berkeley Williams, Jr., and most importantly local writer Hunter T. Stagg, who took Bolling’s work to New York and showed the sculptures to Carl Van Vechten, a writer and photographer who had very strong connections with the Harlem Renaissance. 



It is noted that his basic tool kit consisted of some pocket knives, a scroll saw, and a vise. Female poplar was his preferred wood type due to its softness. Upon completion, Bolling would generally apply a light coat of wax to the sculptures though some were painted. Being self-trained and never having taken classes in his particular artistic focus, would either gain him a great deal of admiration or lead to some art critics raising an eyebrow to Bolling and his carved works. After a series of letters to modernist sculptor Gaston Lachaise regarding whether or not Leslie should be trained, the aforementioned Carl Van Vechten who was an integral part of the spread of Bolling’s works remarked to Richmond writer Hunter Stagg, “I am almost certain now that he should be left alone—not prompted or ‘taught’ or brought to New York.” Lachaise regarded it as “genuinely original work” - a high compliment from someone of such standing in that world. There was an appreciation for his unique style and approach to the art form from those close to him. 

Photo Credit: Library of Virginia

The sculptures themselves were typically 1-2 feet high and mostly depicted the day-to-day lives of ordinary African Americans in the South at work or leisure, effectively confronting black stereotypes of the day. They mainly fell into one of three categories: workers in their element, portraits of specific people (everyone from celebrities to the President and First Lady to local religious figures), or pieces focusing on the female form. Throughout his career, despite garnering a large amount of acclaim in his discipline, the sales of these sculptures would usually bring in anywhere from $25 to $50. With that in mind, carving remained a hobby with his previously mentioned professions paying the bills. While he made around 80 carvings, only a bit over half of them are accounted for, residing in prestigious art institutions and private collections all over the world.

With the urging and support from newly acquired allies like Carl Van Vechten and Hunter T. Stagg, in the summer of 1928, Bolling would submit two works (Enchanted Grace and Mother’s Happiness) to the Harmon Foundation, which was a New York philanthropic organization established in 1922 by William E. Harmon. Beginning that year, the Harmon Foundation held annual juried exhibitions to display a wide array of art being created by African Americans throughout the country. Selections from said exhibitions would then travel the country hitting most of the major cities which is how Leslie’s works gained even more exposure. 

In addition to the extensive coverage of Bolling’s work by the Harmon Foundation, he made it a point to participate in various local exhibitions between the years of 1932 and 1943, namely at the Richmond Academy of Arts and the recently established Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. But he would make history in January of 1935 when he was the first African American artist to have a one-man exhibition at the Richmond Academy of Arts that featured 25 works, netting around 2,500 visitors that came to see his work. The positive response led to director Thomas C. Parker extending the exhibition an extra week. A Richmond Times Dispatch review of the exhibition noted the following:

“His work is strong and sensitive... His gift lies in motion, rather than emotion; in rhythm rather than pattern. There is no symbolism in his work, nothing of the dramatic or even the sentimental. It is strongly racial, yet not grotesque; modern rather than primitive. It has no link to the examples of African art that are so extensively copied. It is to art what the Negro spiritual songs are to music, something that has come to the race in later years.”

The most well-known works by Bolling were a collection known as the “Days of the Week” series, depicting figures acting out various activities over the course of a week. They are Parson on Sunday, Aunt Monday, Sister Tuesday, Mama on Wednesday, On Thursday—Gossip, Cousin on Friday, and Cooking on Saturday. The initial pieces were completed between 1932 and 1936, giving a glimpse into the labor behind laundry on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, sewing on Wednesday, scrubbing floors on Friday, or cooking on Saturday. On Thursday—Gossip depicts two women talking over a fence, perhaps illustrating how Thursday was a common day off for those working as domestics in Richmond's white households. The final piece was Parson on Sunday, depicting a preacher in mid sermon, leaning over his pulpit possibly delivering his teachings to the women featured in this series. Unfortunately, the collection was separated in 1940 when unidentified persons acquired a few of the pieces. 

The pieces we see here are Cousin on Friday (1935) and Aunt Monday (1930), both of which thankfully reside at the VMFA. If you fancy a road trip, you can go see Sister Tuesday (1934) at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Cooking on Saturday (1937) resides over at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Unfortunately, some of the other pieces were not widely photographed and, as a result, readily available photos do not exist. 

Cousin on Friday & Aunt Monday

Photo Credit: Mark Shubert

In 1940, Bolling created President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, a duo of FDR and his wife. This is one of the rare instances where Leslie would paint the sculptures. These pieces were presented to the Roosevelts that same year and still reside in the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. It’s worth noting that he also gifted carvings to other well-known people ranging from the singer Marian Anderson when she performed at The Mosque to prominent religious leaders of the time. 

Photo Credit: FDR Presidential Library and Museum

Leslie's national recognition in the art world aided him in working with local leaders to establish the Craig House Art Center in Richmond. A part of the Works Progress Administration, the Craig House aimed to offer instruction in art and art appreciation to African Americans and other minorities in the community. Bolling taught wood carving classes there for the few years it was open, even exhibiting there in 1939 and 1940.

His last exhibit piece was Save America (1941) at an exhibition in 1943. It was noted as being his only overtly political carving, depicting an American soldier defending two children from a coiled snake. One would imagine this carving came from the United States' entrance into WWII after Pearl Harbor.

It’s not clear why, but sometime in the early 1940s, Bolling ceased carving wood altogether. Come October of 1948, Leslie had remarried to Ethelyn M. Bailey, a maid ten years his junior. The previous marriage with Julia had ended in the early 1940s but the divorce decree came to fruition due to her untimely passing on June 14, 1943.

Leslie spent the rest of his years residing with Ethelyn in Jackson Ward until his untimely death while visiting New York City on September 27, 1955. Due to New York death certificates only being available to family members, his cause of death is unknown. Neither of his marriages produced any children, making his wife his only direct survivor. His body was transported back to Richmond for interment in Henrico’s historic Woodland Cemetery per a Richmond Times-Dispatch obituary notice.

For years no one could find exactly where Bolling rested at Woodland Cemetery due to a wide array of circumstances. Years of the aforementioned untamed overgrowth, dumping, vandalism, and other unfortunate occurrences claimed Woodland until volunteer efforts ramped up in recent years. This brings us back to the beginning; the debacle of the unfound burial plot, seemingly lost to the sands of time due to the missing headstone and burial records being irreparably damaged some years prior. And despite the obituary stating he was buried there, sometimes things changed at the last minute, not to mention disinterment was also fairly common at these African American cemeteries that had fallen into disarray. While we had some pieces to the puzzle that had aided us in locating the stones in previous situations, we were definitely missing rather vital aids as well.

However, our collective doubts were put to rest back in February of 2023. Thanks to some research, advice from Mr. John Shuck, and probing of the Bailey lot that belonged to the family of his second wife Ethelyn Bailey, Leslie’s headstone was found nearly a foot and a half underground. These headstones can sink due to years and years of leaves and sediment gathering on top of them due to a lack of upkeep along with gravity. I must say, in all my years out there that was the deepest I’d ever found a stone personally. In addition to Mr. Bolling’s headstone discovery, volunteers also located a marker for Leslie’s father-in-law Thomas H. Bailey.

Let’s take a look at some of his carvings – here we have Woman Cooking (1942), At Work (1937, which some believe to be a self-portrait of Bolling's working at Everett Waddey), and lastly, Fishman (1935), which features a fish monger attempting to sell his goods. At the base, “here yo Spott” is inscribed into the poplar wood. This piece in particular is noted as being one of Leslie’s most complex structures, demonstrating his ability to capture motion. These are just three examples of the many depictions of African American life that Bolling would document throughout his career.

Photo Credit: Library of Virginia

By Lisa Denton

Henrico County archives are home to hundreds of photographs ranging in size, material, location, and time period. Amongst the many smaller photographs, one seemed more unusual. At first glance, it featured two young men posing in front of what appeared to be a professional photographer’s backdrop. They were both dressed the same and held sticks. They looked like they were almost dressed as cricket or baseball players. So many questions arose. Could they really be baseball players? What team and where did they play? Was it possible to zero in on the date it was taken? It was time to tap into some history detective skills.

Who’s on first?

Let’s look at our first clue. On the back of the paper photograph in ink, someone wrote a few lines. It appeared to include names and a location. Luckily, the ink hadn’t faded, and the cursive handwriting is decently legible Can you read it?

The first name was easy to decipher. Wm was a common abbreviation during the 1700s-1800s for William. While the last name's second letter is slightly faded and from perhaps the pen stroke, the surname became clear. The name was William A. Walsh. The second name was a bit more challenging. Fortunately, there were other images of this man in our photograph collection. With some comparison of other labeled images, it was determined the name was A. M. Tomlinson.

This photograph was accessioned and so our database provided who donated it which helped shed light on the connection. The Sheppard-Crump collection came from Meadow Farm and was donated in 1975 by the last property owner, Elizabeth Adam Crump. Her family tree shows William Archibald Walsh was Elizabeth’s maternal uncle. William was born in 1849 and died in 1876 (only age 27), so this greatly helps to narrow down the photograph’s time frame. The 1860 census showed 10-year-old Walsh residing with his parents in Richmond. His father was a gunsmith and the city’s business directory for the same year listed his shop at 60 Main Street.

And what about Walsh’s buddy in the photo - A. M. Tomlinson? His full name was Alexander M. Tomlinson, Jr. In 1860, the Tomlinson family resided in eastern Henrico. Born in the autumn of 1849, Alexander was born only 2 months after William. Both boys also shared a more tragic life event. In 1866, when they were only 17 years old, both boys’ fathers died.

Say Cheese!

The second clue also appeared on the back of the photograph with the men’s names.

A census search revealed the full name of the photographer – Peter Edward Gibbs. In 1850, the 34-year-old Gibbs lived in Lynchburg and listed his occupation as a daguerreotypist. (Daguerreotypes were the first publicly available photographic process and were widely used in the 1840s-1850s.) About 1853, Gibbs took the only known photograph (still in existence) of an enslaved person before Emancipation in the City of Lynchburg. Mary Brice/Bryce was an enslaved woman who worked at Point of Honor (now, a historic house museum operated by the City of Lynchburg).

Gibbs, P. E, photographer. Mary Brice or Bryce of Point of Honor, Lynchburg, Virginia, half-length portrait, seated, of middle-aged African American enslaved woman. Photograph.

Retrieved from the Library of Congress

Five years later, Gibbs decided to move to Richmond. The Lynchburg Virginian newspaper announced his pending departure in the fall of 1855: “We publish elsewhere the farewell card of Mr. P. E. Gibbs… We can but express regret at the departure from us of so accomplished an artist and worthy citizen as Mr. G. and congratulate the people of Richmond on his accession to that city. As a Daguerrean artist we regard Mr. Gibbs as without a superior anywhere.” 

Once in Richmond, Gibbs participated in the Mechanics’ Institute fair of November 1856, receiving a silver medal for his ambrotypes. (Ambrotypes were less expensive to make and by 1860 had succeeded the daguerreotype.) Gibbs listed his occupation in the 1860 census as an agent for a sewing machine company. Why the dramatic change? An 1867 newspaper article revealed that his failing health forced him to take a break. Photographers were exposed to a lot of toxic chemicals while preparing and developing the various types of early photographs. However, the Civil War also would have made continuing his trade difficult as supplies became scarce. At some point between 1860-1870, Gibbs captured the image of General R. E. Lee in uniform (see LoC photo), showing he was a popular choice of photographer by the Virginia elite. The Richmond Daily Dispatch published a brief welcome-back article on 16 February 1867. The Boyd’s Directory of Richmond City & Business Directory noted in 1869 his studio was at 1427 East Main Street.

Clipping from RDD 2.16.1867 welcome back ad

Gibbs filed for bankruptcy in 1869. He had discharged his case by 1871, which coincides with the business directory noting he had switched occupations to a sewing machine agent. Gibbs switched occupations quite often in the 1870s, but finally settled in as a pattern maker by 1882 and held that job until at least a couple of years before he died in 1899. The business directories greatly helped establish a timeline of when Gibbs worked as a photographer which further narrows the time frame when Walsh and Tomlinson walked into Gibbs's studio for a photograph. We also know that Walsh was a returning customer since there the collection has at least one other photograph of Walsh taken by Gibbs.

Go, Team!

Handwritten on the back of the photograph, is what appeared to be a team name: Pastime BB Club. Our staff reference library provided some quick answers. Baseball and Richmond: A History of the Professional Game, 1884-2000 by W. Harrison Daniel and Scott P. Mayer contained several references to Pastime Baseball Club. It was one of several that started in 1866 and it was among the most prominent. The Civil War provided an opportunity for men to meet others from many different states in large numbers and for extended periods of time. Before the war, baseball was a sport played in northern states, primarily in New York and New England. The mixing of soldiers from all parts of the United States introduced them to many regional and cultural traditions. Baseball spread quickly amongst the soldiers of both armies and was probably the most popular competitive sport during the war. Upon the war’s conclusion, formal teams were organized including in Richmond. It wasn’t just popular, in fact, the Richmond Daily Dispatch reported on September 12, 1866, that “…base-ball fever spreads through our community much more rapidly than cholera.” (As a side note, there was a cholera outbreak in Richmond at the time.) By the end of that autumn, at least fifteen adult teams and about a dozen teams for teenage boys played in and near the city. According to the book, the Pastime Baseball Club disbanded in 1870.

Now, look at the front of the card and look at the men’s shirts. Initially, it appears that there’s decoration on it, but the two aren’t quite the same. Further inspection reveals that using ink, someone drew it on the photograph. The person attempted to draw a fancy letter P for Pastime.

Walsh and Tomlinson rushed out to join the baseball teams being formed in the autumn of 1866. By October of that year, Tomlinson and Walsh were playing with Stonewall Baseball Club. Both men were listed in an article at that time, with a chart of how many runs and outs each player on the team accumulated during the game that past weekend. A February 1867 baseball notice in the Richmond Daily Dispatch does list both men, but it still listed them as members of the Stonewall Baseball Club, not the Pastimes. In fact, Walsh was elected vice president and captain first nine. Tomlinson also was elected along with three others as directors. Exactly when they switched teams to the Pastimes hasn’t been determined.



Sizing up the Past

Yet another clue when it comes to dating photographs is size which can help determine a date range. This photograph was mounted on sturdy cardboard backing. The photograph measured approximately 2.5 inches wide by nearly 3.5 inches tall. This size photograph matches a very common type of photograph called a carte-de-visite, or CDV. Carte-de-visites debuted in France in 1854. By 1859, CDVs became hugely popular because photographers could print many copies each day at a low price and decent quality. They were most popular between 1859 until the early 1870s, when the larger cabinet cards debuted. CDVs disappeared once the personal camera, such as Brownie, became more affordable for everyday amateur home photographers. 

Photo Fun

While the photograph is black and white, there are a few more intriguing details.

There is a bit more information about William Walsh’s appearance taken from his 1872 passport application. He stood 5 feet 8 ½ inches tall. During the Civil War, that was the average height of soldiers. So, Walsh is of average height for that era. He described himself as having brown eyes, dark hair, a low forehead, a short chin, a small nose and mouth, and a fair complexion.

Thanks to a Richmond Daily Dispatch article from October 29, 1866, we also know some more details about the uniforms. “The Pastimes were dressed in blue caps, gray pants with black belts, and white shirts.”



One final piece of trivia to highlight. Do you see near the men’s shoes in between them there are objects behind Walsh’s left foot and even more noticeable behind Tomlinson’s right foot? Those are photographer’s posing stands or head and body rests. They are usually metal stands that sit on the floor and are adjustable in height. The top often forks into a prong that is used to keep the sitter from moving. Photographers try to make them as inconspicuous as possible, so most are not obvious unless you know to look!

Photographer’s Studio c.1893 Library of Congress

Henrico Hits a Home Run!

Combining all the clues from a variety of sources has helped to narrow it down considerably. They each support the other type of evidence as well. Given the variable years of Peter Gibbs entering and leaving the world of photography, William Walsh and his friend and teammate, Alexander Tomlinson visited the studio between 1867-1870.



So, the date is enough for most people with a passion for either history and/or baseball to think it’s neat. Yet, how many of us have seen early photographs of baseball players? Probably not many of us. In fact, neither book on baseball history in Richmond has photographs quite this early. This may be a very rare and very early example of Richmond baseball history!

By Mary Ann Soldano

Henrico Recreation and Parks plans to open Taylor Farm Park this summer at 200 Whiteside Road in Sandston. The Taylor descendants sold the property to Henrico County in 2016. The Anderson-Taylor family can trace their ancestry back to the 19th century on this property. In 1858, Charles E. Anderson M. D. and William E. Anderson M. D. purchased 329 acres of woodland property south of Williamsburg Road. Charles E. Anderson M. D. was a contract surgeon at Winder Hospital in the city, around May & June 1864, when the city was overwhelmed with wounded. His brother William E. Anderson M. D. was a commissioned assistant surgeon with the 1st Virginia State Reserves of the 2nd Class Militia.

The soon-to-be park property falls on the fringe of several Civil War battlefields. It is believed there were troop movements and the possibility of campsites in the area in 1862. Civil War artifacts have been recovered on the property. The Andersons operated the Anderson Sawmill which existed before and after the Civil War. The exact location of the Sawmill is unknown.

In 1884, a portion of the property was divided among Dr. William E. Anderson's children. One of the children, Sallie Cole Anderson, who had previously married Joseph William Taylor, inherited the original home and established the Taylor name associated with the property. In the 1900s, the land that would become the park was consolidated among Taylor family members. Samuel Gatewood Taylor Sr. inherited the 99 acres from his brother.

Samuel Gatewood Sr. served in France in WWI, worked at the Acca railroad yards in Richmond, and retired from the RF&P railroad. Samuel Gatewood Jr. attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute for two years until the start of WWII. He enlisted, trained as a pilot, and served as a flying instructor until his retirement in 1974 from a distinguished Air Force career. His son, William Gatewood Taylor, Colonel USAF, retired from Bolling AFB in Washington, D. C. as Assistant Surgeon General for Dental Services.

The Anderson-Taylor family farm was designated a Century Farm by the Virginia Department of Agriculture in 2005. The Virginia Century Farm Program recognizes and honors those farms that have been in operation for at least 100 consecutive years. As recently as 2006, produce from the farm was sold at Kroger in Sandston.

As a registered tree farm, several acres were planted in pine, oak, and other hardwoods.  

The Taylor descendants made the final transfer of property to the County in 2016.  

At the request of the Taylor family and the community, much of the natural beauty of the park will be kept intact with forest and wetland protections, nature trails through native species, and special plantings. 

The county plans to have a memorial area that shares the Anderson-Taylor family’s generations of military service from the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. Pictured above is Samuel G Taylor Sr.

By Julian Charity

In January, the County of Henrico embarked on a new endeavor, over 400 years in the making! The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the purchase of over 2,000 acres of riverfront property known as Varina-on-the-James, Varina Farm, or Varina Plantation. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity represents Henrico County’s commitment to preserving its history but also telling the entire story of Henrico County’s history.

Varina Farm had its earliest impact on Henrico’s history before the lands were known as Henrico. Situated on Powhatan’s River, today called the James River, the lands were under the stewardship of the nation of Arrohattoc Indians, members of the Powhatan Confederacy. If this tribal name sounds familiar, it was also the Arrohattoc at Wilton, and members of the Arrohattoc who encountered Captains John Smith and Christopher Newport in 1607 as they were exploring the river.

By 1611, the Arrohattoc’s lands were abandoned as European explorations continued farther into the Virginia interior. Sir Thomas Dale selected the peninsula of land where the river would bend only 120 yards from the point of the beginning. Like Jamestown, a palisaded, or staked fence city was built, complete with wooden houses, a church, storehouses, and streets. This city, named “Henricus” after Prince Henry Frederick would become the second permanent English settlement in the new world.

A series of very important events would occur at and around Henricus, which all involved the same young woman, Amonute, or Matoaka. The world would better know her by a nickname, “Pocahontas” the daughter of paramount Chief Powhatan, of the mighty Powhatan Confederacy. In March 1613, Pocahontas was captured by the English and held captive at Henricus. During her captivity, she would be educated in English and Christianity, which resulted in her conversion and baptism under the name “Rebecca.” It was at Henricus where Rebecca met Englishman John Rolfe and after their marriage on April 5, 1614, they would live outside the city walls at Varina Farm. 

John Rolfe named the property Varina after the Spanish strain of tobacco, Verinas, which Rolfe planted and would soon become the fortune of the English empire. The Rolfe’s son Thomas was born at Varina, where he and his parents would reside until Rebecca’s fatal trip to England in 1617. In 1622, Henricus and Varina were sites of Opechancanough’s Uprising in which the town of Henricus was destroyed and John Rolfe was killed.

The County seat of Henrico would reside at Varina as a new courthouse, church, and village was built as the Village of Varina. The courthouse would remain until 1752 when the County seat was moved to the City of Richmond.

The present house at Varina was built from 1853-1855 by Albert Aiken, whose father Pleasant Aiken had purchased the property from the Randolph family in 1825. By 1861, the property was being called “Aiken’s Landing.” The American Civil War brought much attention to Varina as the Confederate Capital of Richmond only lay miles away along the James River. The house and lands were affected deeply as cannonballs and bullets pierced the house, a barn used for prisoners of war, a pontoon bridge built across the river for the military, and a canal dug at Dutch Gap.

It is very clear to see why Henrico County was very interested in purchasing Varina Farm for its continued preservation. Since 1910, the Stoneman family had been in ownership of the 2,000+ acres along the James River. The Stoneman’s stewardship of the house and lands ushered Varina into the 20th century through the electrification of the 1853 house and modernization of farming operations. Their sale of Varina Farm to Henrico County will take the property to an era of preservation, conservation, rediscovery, education, historical interpretation, and recreation.

Even as the ink on the sale agreement was drying, the conservation and stabilization of the house and artifacts of Varina had begun. Furnishings from the house have been placed in the Historical Collection for cleaning, stabilization, and cataloging. The Aiken House at Varina is being assessed by preservation experts to determine best practices. There is masonry, plaster, painting, electrical, and plumbing work to perform. For the land, the first step is archaeology. Since the 1930s, different types of archaeological studies have been performed, but more information is needed. The site of the original county courthouse, glebe, and even the home of the Rolfes is unknown. An archaeological field school is a possibility to yield many answers to centuries of questions!

By Mary Ann Soldano

As part of the development of the Trolley Line Trail from Ashland to Petersburg, the history staff is researching the Henrico neighborhoods on the former Trolley line. By following the proposed pedestrian and bike trail the stories of people, places, and events of the past will become part of this outdoor recreation experience.

One of the neighborhoods along the former trolley path is Longdale. It is located near what was then known as the Greenwood trolley stop, eight miles from the trolley's starting point in Richmond. Longdale is bordered to the north by I-295, and on the west by Longdale Avenue in northern Henrico.

Eugene Thomas Long Sr. (1874-1942) envisioned the Longdale development. Long’s Henrico Home Development Corporation began with the purchase of 50 acres in 1920. E. T. Long was born in Emporia, Greensville County, Virginia in 1874. He spent his early years in Northhampton County, North Carolina where he met and married Annie Darden Harris (Fennie) in 1901. They moved to the Richmond area and started a family. He began his business as a wood and coal dealer, founded in 1897, and was referred to in the business as the “wood man” first delivering wood in a wheelbarrow. It later became the fuel oil, coal, and heating equipment firm of E. T. Long, Inc. At his death, his son, C. Odell Long took over as president of the business until he died in 1979, which then passed to his grandchildren.

The land that Long purchased bordered the Richmond & Ashland Electric Railway having been charted in 1905. Due to financial difficulties, the service was stopped in 1917 with the operation in debt. During that time, one of the attractions promoted by land developers was the access to the trolley lines. These early lines helped further development and made the city more accessible for those who wanted to work in or near the city or had business there. With that incentive, E. T. Long Sr., (along with Oliver Sands and others) became one of the investors that raised the money to buy and equip the new Richmond-Ashland Trolley Line. A charter for the Richmond-Ashland Railway was granted in 1919 which allowed the service to resume under the new ownership. The rail line service ended in 1938. Residents say the tracks were removed for scrap iron during WWII.

E. T. Long purchased property and built a modest home for his family in the new development. Unfortunately, the home has since been demolished. Where the former tracks once laid beneath the existing power line, is a greenway lined with mature trees. The area homes were constructed between 1922 and later, but primarily date to the 1930s. They were built in the popular styles of the early 20th century such as: American Four Square, Bungalows, and Cottages. The proposed new trail will follow the former trolley line along the greenway north toward the Chickahominy River.

Further contributing to the community, E. T. Long, his wife Fennie and the School Board of Brookland District No. 1 of Henrico signed a deed for a tract of land fronting on Greenwood Road containing just over two acres for use as a school. This first school, to be known as Longdale School, built in 1922, was a two-room wood frame building that was later destroyed by a fire. A second school on the same site, built in 1925, also succumbed to fire during the Easter holiday in April 1933. The former school site and surrounding land is now the site of Greenwood Methodist Church originating from land purchased by E. T. Long and deeded to the trustees of the church ca. 1926. E. T. Longs's final resting place is in Forest Lawn Cemetery. He was a pioneering spirit in land development, a business entrepreneur, and a community leader.

Photos and oral history courtesy of E. T. Long's grandchildren: Ronald Long, Eileen Long, Helen Schermerhorn Wood

Virginia 250 Website

Hello everyone! My name is Gertrude, but I go by Gertie. I came to Meadow Farm in November to be a companion to Mildred. Apparently, my farm was having an adopt one pig get piglets free event. Shortly after my arrival, I gave birth!

Like many first-time pig moms, I did not get milk, so the animal staff were quickly thrown into the world of hand-rearing piglets. They did a really fantastic job, and everyone is doing really well. Our animal staff has found good homes at zoos and historic sites for some of my piglets. Archibald “Archie”, Ignatius “Iggy”, Ducky, and Otis will stay here at Meadow Farm with Mildred and me.

We recently had Farm Field Day. It sounded like a lot of fun. Guests were talking about some of the cool stuff they got to see, like a blacksmith, cooper, weavers, spinners, and even a lacemaker. I tried to talk Jen Burghoffer, one of our animal care specialists, into letting me get my face painted, but she wasn’t sure if the paint was good for my sensitive skin. Ah well, I’m not sure you could improve much on my natural beauty anyway.

I heard that we will be getting chickens at the farm again soon. I think all farms need pigs and chickens. Besides, I think Todd the Turkey was feeling outnumbered by us quadrupeds. I didn’t notice him when I first got here. I was introduced to him shortly after what Emilee Orndorff, senior animal care specialist, called Thanksgiving. He said something about being on vacation in Mexico. He was looking tan, though that could just be because he’s a bronze turkey.

Speaking of Todd, don’t tell him, but I heard a rumor that a pig puppet was going to be joining the Pearl the sheep puppet shows, at least sometimes. I heard Kim Schmidtmann, history facility coordinator, and Sandy Satterwhite, history recreation specialist, talking about summer puppet shows including, “Can Pigs Pirouette?”, “Awesome Pigs to the Rescue!”, and “A ‘Pig-nic’ with Pearl.”

I’m looking forward to my first Red, White, and Lights 4^th of July celebration. Word around the wallow is that there are some really cool new features coming to this year’s festivities. I won’t spoil anything for you, you’ll just have to come out and see what happens.

The history staff are planning some really cool-sounding programs. Katie Nowak is presenting on the Call of the Cicadas. Apparently, this year is unique because all seven kinds of periodical cicadas will emerge for the first time in over 200 years! As long as they don’t interrupt my beauty sleep, that is fine with me. Mark Shubert has a program at the Springs called, “Days of a Quiet Sun: Garage Rock and Soul in Henrico County.” At the Farm, Mark is presenting on “Mother Maybelle Carter” of Carter Family Act fame. Did you know they lived in Henrico for a time? You may not know this, but I would love to be a backup singer for a band. Let me know if you know anyone who is looking for someone. Katie Lee is doing a series called “Mapping the World”. She has one on propaganda and one on redlining, which will be at the Henrico Theatre. Do you know who Ethel Bailey Furman is? She was the first female African American architect to practice in Virginia. She is the focus of a presentation that Tanesha High is doing. In addition to puppet shows, Sandy Satterwhite has programs on “If Walls Could Talk: New History During the Great Depression” and is reprising her popular program, “Gabriel, and a Man Named Nat”.

I do have a hoof to pick with Kim Schmidtmann though. She is planning something called "Dog Days of Summer" here at Meadow Farm. There are going to be a lot of dog-themed vendors and activities. Where is the love for us pigs? Don’t we deserve an entire program dedicated to us?

I hope to see you soon at one of the fantastic history programs going on at the farm or one of the animal care chats the team has on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 through the end of May.

Gertie