Henrico Rec & Parks | (804) 501-PARK
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Table of Contents:
- A Letter from Our History Manager
- Snowstorm for the Record Books
- McGeorge Field
- "Happiness is a warm puppy."
- Meet the Staff: Lisa Denton
- Rec & Parks App
- Down on the Farm
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A Letter from Our History Manager |
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Dear History Friends,
Today in History is a phrase that might recall events from long ago. Many media outlets, both digital and print, often include a feature that lists events from decades or centuries before our own. Very often contemporary events remind us of historical moments that impacted the community in ways we cannot imagine, or in ways we can. So, what is history to contemporary society?
For some, history is a series of random dates that commemorate places, people, and incidents from long ago. For others, history is a collection of stories that engage our minds in much the same way a good novel or movie transports us to a different time and space. Educators, historians, and journalists are just a few vocations or avocations where you find people who see and process the past almost daily. These individuals view and appreciate history in the present.
The history staff with Henrico Recreation and Parks is often inspired by current news stories that resemble moments in history. Earlier this year, Interstate 95 became a parking lot for commuters and tourists trying to reach their destination. For twenty-four hours a winter storm stranded people in their cars leaving them with concerns about running out of gas, not having food or water, and some even abandoning their vehicles. Families returning from vacations down south worried about not having heat in their cars and no warm clothing for comfort but also safety. Senator Tim Kaine, who was on his way to the US Capitol, shared on social media that the situation was “nerve-wracking and frustrating” but that one family returning from Florida walked up and down the line of cars sharing oranges.
Like other current events, this got staff digging through the historical record. In this instance, Encyclopedia Virginia and Richmond newspapers provided the story of the Cox’s Snowstorm of 1857. The blizzard and aftermath were front-page news in Richmond for nearly a month. The weather catastrophe became a benchmark for measuring time for many who lived it. Liza Brown of Petersburg told an interviewer from the 1930s Works Progress Administration (WPA) oral history program: “I was born second year after Cox’s Snow.” This occasion also brought out the best in people. Like the family that shared their Florida oranges on January 4, 2022, the 1857 community rallied to help those stranded in the blizzard by opening their homes or providing much-needed provisions.
Although both incidents illustrate how transportation is impacted by weather, there are stark differences in the severity. For those who look for historical comparisons in current events, we can see and take pride in our progress as a society. As students of history, we can also recognize important elements of human nature that contribute to our survival. Adapting to the unexpected and the compassion to help those in need is pervasive throughout history.
Let us always be open to the life lessons of the past as we face the challenges of the future.
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Sincerely,
Kim Sicola
Recreation Manager, History Programs
Henrico Recreation and Parks
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Snowstorm for the Record Books |
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By Lisa Denton, Recreation Coordinator II, History Programs |
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This year marks the 165th anniversary of the 1857 snowstorm. Despite the lack of modern in-depth articles about this weather event, newspaper accounts from that time revealed multiple dramatic stories of life and death during this storm. From January 16-19, 1857, a storm pummeled Florida to Maine, with every state reporting record-breaking weather. Once communication was re-established between cities, people realized this was no ordinary storm. New England and the upper mid-Atlantic states dubbed it the Cold Storm or the Great Freeze. In central Virginia, it earned a local nickname.
Cox’s Snow
On the afternoon of Sunday, January 19, Dr. Joseph E. Cox and his nephew, Robert Traylor ventured into the storm - perhaps to visit a patient. After pausing at the home of his son-in-law, Dr. Robert Grymes, Dr. Cox decided to continue his journey. After proceeding about 100 yards, the buggy was stuck. Dr. Cox left the buggy probably to open a gate, prod the horse along, clear the snow, or return to the house for assistance. He never returned. The next morning, relatives discovered the buggy, with Mr. Traylor unconscious and frostbitten, and Dr. Cox lying in the snow. Both men were taken to the house where Dr. Cox died within a couple of hours. Traylor fought to stay alive for several days. Some news articles hint Traylor endured amputation of extremities. However, after nine days, Traylor died.
Arctic Blast Arrives
“Never in the memory of the oldest citizens, was there such as storm as that which raged here on Saturday night and Sunday and Sunday night. ‘The wind blew as ‘twould blow its last,’ and the snow fell incessantly,” noted the Richmond Daily Dispatch on Wednesday, January 21.
When the storm blew into the Richmond area about 8 or 9 p.m. on January 17, residents quickly realized the storm’s severity. For those caught in the storm unprepared, the situation literally became one of life and death for humans and animals. January 18 brought no relief, with violent winds and temperatures hovering between 3 to 7° F which caused rivers to freeze enough to allow walking across them. Several sources noted difficulty in measuring the total snowfall but guessed the averages hovered between 8-12 inches. The Richmond Daily Dispatch described the snow as so deep along some city streets as to reach store signs. The paper reported: “How deep the snow is, there is no estimating, as it has drifted so much. In some places in the country, the fences are hidden by it, and for miles, it stands five feet deep in the roads.”
Daily Life Freezes to a Halt
Everyone caught in the path of the storm – and that was millions of people encompassing the entire eastern half of the U.S. – felt the impact in nearly all aspects of their daily lives. Multiple days of harsh weather exacerbated minor impacts into more serious problems. The suspension of trade and other aspects of daily life grew increasingly more serious, such as procuring food and wood or coal for warmth.
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Auctions of real and personal estate sales,
including the sale of enslaved peoples, and
other goods were postponed.
Richmond Daily Dispatch 20 January 1857, page 3
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Most shops closed during the initial storm and many struggled to resume business for days. Even three days after the storm ended (January 22), the Richmond Daily Dispatch reported “a general suspension of business. No shipments…except the hauling of a few half loads of wood and coal to persons without fuel, each of which requires a double team…The mills are all suspended, and not a wheel is turning anywhere. No wheat is offered, nor bought…no sales of tobacco…Such a state of affairs is indeed strange in the ‘sunny South.’” The Richmond Whig observed that even the following day the snow prevented the milk and bread wagons from making their daily deliveries. Although Friday the 23rd dawned bright and sunny, the high temperature for the day hovered between -11 to -13°F. A reporter for the Richmond Daily Dispatch visited the market stalls, noting the “[m]eats were frozen so hard that they looked like so many pieces of painted wood, and had to be chopped at with the axe or cleaver. Many butchers’ stalls were vacant, and the vegetable market presented indeed a beggarly account of empty boxes. A few frozen cabbages and turnips, and a few bushels of repulsive potatoes, with a scant supply of beans, dried apples and hominy.”
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At least one enterprising business tried to capitalize on the weather, hoping to offer customers some reassurance that their product would aid residents in the resumption of their daily travel.
Richmond Daily Dispatch 23 January 1857, page 4
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“We hope we are not much longer cut off from the world.”
The storm’s fierce winds knocked down telegraph lines and blew snow into drifts that challenged all modes of transportation. Days of below zero temperatures froze rivers, preventing boats and canals to transport people, mail, goods, and news. “How long we are to be without mails, we cannot now tell. The snowdrifts exceed anything in this State since railroads were introduced,” reported the Richmond Daily Dispatch three days after the snow ended. In fact, communication even amongst neighbors was mostly cut off until some intrepid person braved the elements to walk even short distances. Few people in central Virginia owned sleighs and even if they had one, the uneven snow made it difficult to travel.
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Doctor's House Call
One story reported in the local news seemed at first glance to be an amazing story of the survival of two men out in the storm. Yet, what medical event would motivate the 36-year-old James Snell, a husband, and father of three young children, to venture out into the storm? Snell made the journey from his farm off Creighton Road, riding about 3 miles to fetch Dr. Beale from his home near Capitol Square.
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Richmond Daily Dispatch 20 January 1857, page 1 |
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Locating the Snell family in the 1860 census provided a potential clue – a 3-year-old girl named Margarete. County vital records revealed Margaret was born on January 17 to James and Nancy Snell. So, it would seem the reason for the house call was connected to the birth of Margaret – either to help mother, baby, or both.
Close Calls & Casualties
During the evening of the storm, the city Night Watch answered cries for help from Philip Yarborough. They discovered him embedded in a huge snowdrift and so overcome by the cold that he couldn’t extricate himself. After being taken to a friend’s house, Dr. Jackson reported Mr. Yarborough’s feet were badly frostbitten. Newspapers didn’t report his death, so it is assumed he recovered. The nightwatchmen continued to patrol the streets, pulling several intoxicated men from the streets, and taking them to the city’s police station. Newspapers also printed notices of people who went missing in the storm.
The number of people who died due to the storm is difficult to calculate. Newspapers didn’t report all deaths even in fair weather. Virginia did require localities to capture vital statistics, but whether Henrico’s death register for 1857 still exists is unclear. Richmond’s nightwatchmen discovered Lewis Ross, a man enslaved by city grocer, C. P. Word, lying helpless on the street. They tried to revive him, but Mr. Ross died early the next morning from exposure. Another article reported a coroner’s inquest into the death of a free Black man, James Harris, which determined that exposure and possibly alcohol contributed to his death.
Snow removal from roads and cemetery plots presented obstacles, delaying many funerals and burials for about four days. In one instance, friends of the deceased offered money to the undertaking firm for use of the hearse and horses. The undertakers agreed only if the friends cleared the road for the hearse to travel to the cemetery. With the ground frozen hard for weeks, digging graves most likely presented the longer-term challenge. Sarah Mills died the day before the storm began (January 17), with her initial obituary announcing the funeral for January 20. It wasn’t until January 26 that she was buried at Shockoe Hill Cemetery. While the delayed burial of Mrs. Mills might have been the extreme example, by January 22 only two or three of the fifteen funerals planned, happened.
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Richmond Daily Dispatch 24 January 1857, page 2 |
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Landmark Event
For those already struggling to survive, the storm became permanently frozen in people’s minds. With literacy illegal for enslaved individuals, tracking time was marked by remembering certain notable events that were a universal experience. Cox’s Snow fit that criterion for Virginia residents. During the 1930s, the Federal Writers Project interviewed hundreds of formerly enslaved men and women about their memories. Liza Brown of Petersburg told her interviewer: “I was born second year after Cox’s Snow.” Jennie Patterson, of Clover Hill, Chesterfield County was about 11 years old in 1857. Her interviewer recorded Mrs. Patterson’s comments: “Do I ‘member Cox’s snow? Oh, yes when dat man frez to death. I was up yonder in the de big house, settin’ knittin’ socks fer my marster.”
Diarists from other parts of Virginia noted that snow covered the floors and beds of slaves’ houses. One farmer wrote that he brought the enslaved children into his own house for two nights. He mentioned running out of firewood and having to eat black-eyed peas for days.
Plight of Poor & More
“Reader, do you not know of some destitute family in your section, to whom a loaf of bread and a basket of fuel would be acceptable? If you do, rest not until you have relieved their immediate wants…Do not wait to be called upon for aid…and give liberally of what you have,” pleaded the Richmond Daily Dispatch on January 21. Several local organizations, such as the YMCA and Free Masons, helped organize relief efforts. The poor not only needed food and fuel but also blankets and children’s shoes. Businessmen raised money or offered coal or other supplies. The Virginia Central Railroad sent out a train to bring wood back to the city to distribute to the poor. The Richmond Whig reported on January 27 that “[w]ood is not to be had in town for love or money.” Richmond’s mayor ordered the city carts to deliver fuel and requested private citizens volunteer their wagons and teams to help transport fuel between the railroad depots to those in need. Citizens organized a musical concert at Monumental Church to raise additional money.
While newspapers primarily focused on the human impact, the Richmond Whig reported on a couple of accounts involving animals, including one from Louisa County with the headline “Extraordinary Porkers.” It noted the discovery of five missing hogs under a local church where they lived twenty-five days without being fed. One Virginia farmer noted that he lost chickens “…some even had plates of ice on there [sic] heads…and [he had to] dig it from their mouth.” One week later he noted seven pigs and two lambs had died. Clearly, each farmer had unique experiences depending on the type of shelter, the quantity of food stored, and the ability to obtain more food.
Ride of a Lifetime
Perhaps one of the most dramatic events of the snowstorm occurred in Henrico County and Richmond newspapers published several articles about it. On Sunday morning, January 18, a train chugged away from Alexandria heading southwest. With two powerful engines, the train’s crew and approximately forty passengers were not initially concerned about reaching Richmond by that evening. Traveling along the Virginia Central Railroad, the snow began to accumulate in drifts on the tracks, ultimately bringing the cars to a stop about 7 p.m. The train had just crossed Meadow Bridge over the Chickahominy River into Henrico, halting just five miles away from the city’s depot. Passengers soon realized they were trapped with minimal food, water, and wood or coal for warmth. A few passengers had purchased a couple of hard biscuits or apple pie during their stop in Gordonsville, but most had eaten neither breakfast nor lunch. They sent an African American man to find assistance, but he returned a few minutes later with his eyes nearly frozen shut. An African American crew member was familiar with this area and knew of a house nearby. The passengers collected money and sent the man to obtain help. Amazingly, the man located the house during the blizzard.
One passenger recounted that “[t]he wind blew dreadfully, and at each blast would dash the snow through every crevice in the car, and the car would rock to and fro like a vessel at sea. We were all alarmed.” The section master for the railroad, Mr. Mainard, and one of the engine drivers walked to Richmond for aid and miraculously arrived in the city about 10 p.m. Virginia Central Railroad employees at the city’s depot immediately sent out three engines to help tow the stuck trains but found it impossible and returned.
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The stuck train halted near the farm known as Strawberry Hill, owned by merchants, Robert Edmund and Isaac Davenport, who lived in the city. The farm’s overseer, R. T. Adams was present. At daybreak (January 19), several passengers trudged through waist-deep snow to find the house. Mr. Adams offered the passengers the option to remain at his house or try to use a wagon to transport them to Richmond. A few intrepid passengers attempted the wagon trip, but the mules nearly disappeared in the deep snow and struggled to move even a few feet, so they returned to Adams’ house. At the same early morning hours, Superintendent of Virginia Central Railroad, Thomas Dodamead hitched up three or four wagon teams to attempt a rescue of the passengers by road only to be halted by enormous snowdrifts. The superintendent sent several men on foot with provisions, and they successfully made it to the stuck train. In addition, Dodamead ordered three engines out again. However, the attempt met with partial success when the snowplow clearing the tracks stopped working about half a mile from the trapped train that evening. |
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The next morning, workers removed more snow off the tracks, allowing the passenger to walk to a waiting train sent from the city. Nearly forty hours after becoming stuck, passengers arrived at the Virginia Central Railroad station in Richmond. Grateful passengers wished to thank Mr. Adams for his hospitality, donating funds for the purchase of silver pitcher and salver. They also drafted a letter of thanks, which the Richmond Whig printed on January 23. Evidently, Mr. Adams received the gift by January 28, acknowledging in one of the city’s papers that “your present will be preserved by me to the latest hour of my life, and that I will treasure it as a memento, above all price.”
Unfortunately, the letter of thanks reprinted by the Richmond Daily Dispatch only listed the names of sixteen passengers. The identity of several passengers and their reasons for travel to Richmond was revealed to be rather different. Three of the passengers included in the letter of thanks to Mr. Adams included an H. L. Bateman of St. Louis, J. E. Owens, and Mrs. Melinda Jones.
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Hezekiah Bateman (left) and John Owens (right) |
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Hezekiah Bateman headed up a traveling theatre show. Though his wife, Sidney, wasn’t included in the passenger list, most likely she was on the train as well. Mrs. Bateman had written a comedic play, Self. The theatre troupe had just wrapped up several performances of Self in Baltimore and traveled to Richmond for its debut scheduled on Monday, January 19. Obviously, with the entire troupe trapped on the train, opening night switched to the following night. |
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Richmond Enquirer 27 January 1857, page 2 |
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“Heavy Job”
With multiple days of frigid temperature continuing well after the snow stopped, residents realized that they couldn’t wait for melting to help with digging out of their homes and businesses and clearing the roads.
Residents discovered snow had been blown between cracks under the roofing and into attics. As temperatures warmed enough to begin melting towards the end of January, ceilings began to drip as if it were raining inside the buildings. The wind blew off the roof of five tenements in Linden Row, at the corner of 2nd and Franklin streets. The Richmond Daily Dispatch noted that “[t]hese buildings were covered with tin, which the wind rolled up as if it had been paper. Signs were torn down, blinds blown off and fences prostrated by the wind last Sunday night.”
The Richmond Daily Dispatch described the “heavy job” residents faced. Merchants immediately began clearing walkways in front of their storefronts, shoveling the snow into the streets. Residents spent much of the day riding through the streets to compact it for carts and wagons. Newspapers noted some snowdrifts as tall as horses and at times the animals could scarcely force through it. Snow falling off roofs knocked down several people, a few received minor injuries. These reports prompted the local press to call for “[e]very flat roof should be relieved of its heavyweight at once.”
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New Bedford, Massachusetts, 21 February 1857, The Illustrated London News, Library of Congress
The city utilized its laborers and debuted the use of convict labor, composed of white men who wore chains and balls of iron, to shovel snow from the gutters, roof, and walkways at the city market. Local newspapers expressed concern regarding the use of chain gangs for those who committed minor crimes, such as drunkenness in public.
The Great Thaw
Snow lingered for weeks with the continued below-average temperatures. Ice 12 to 18 inches thick blocked the Kanawha Canal, its basin, and the docks, preventing packet boats from Lynchburg from traveling to Richmond. Blocks of ice continued to float down the James River. Once the weather shifted in early February, snow and ice melt contributed to flooding in western Virginia and Northern states.
Despite the bitterly cold weather, the storm did produce some recreational opportunities. Some brave residents of central Virginia enjoyed sleigh rides as the snow compacted enough to create more even surfaces. Of course, throwing snowballs could not be resisted despite an ordinance against it in the city. At least one young man riding in a sleigh near Broad and 8th streets received a painful blow to his eye. Two sons of Lewis L. Barnes, threw snowballs at a funeral procession, prompting a police officer to report them to the mayor. Mr. Barnes took charge of disciplining his sons and the mayor dismissed the summons to court.
There were glimmers of hope. While farmers across Virginia initially despaired about the damage to their wheat crop, reports in the early spring revealed the amount of damage was less than feared. The Richmond Whig hinted to its readers to think to the future: “What a glorious prospect for cheap ice next summer.” Most likely residents who owned ice houses took advantage of harvesting thicker ice blocks than typically available during a local winter.
Even though Cox’s Snow does not rate inclusion in history books or coverage in local history interpretations, the storm froze into the memories of those who experienced it and remained one for comparison to other storms in the decades that followed. Residents across the eastern United States recognized it as a weather emergency of grand scale –and that survival and recovery required neighbors helping neighbors.
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By Mary Ann Soldano, County Planner I |
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The spring season brings warmer weather, budding trees, new flowers, and the kickoff of spring training for baseball. One of the places seeing regular athletic practice and games is McGeorge Field, a sports field in Varina, located at 8093 Recreation Road.
Before 1930 in the Varina community, youth participation in sports was unstructured. The ministry of the local churches encouraged the youth to participate in sporting activities, intending to build healthy bodies as well as character. As the interest in community sports grew, the Varina Recreation Club was formed in 1930, with about 20 members. Bradley Finnigan (1900-1984) was elected to lead the new club. Born in Smithville, N.Y., he came to Henrico County in 1908 and graduated from Varina High School. Under Finnigan’s leadership, the local membership increased, and the Varina Recreation Club became champions in amateur sports in the Richmond area. The club backed basketball and baseball teams and even a bowling league. The Varina Agricultural High School nearby provided the club with practice space for its sports teams.
A fire in 1932 destroyed the Varina school gymnasium and the recreational building where practices were held. This loss led to the building of a recreation field baseball complex, established in 1934 when trustees of Varina Episcopal Church deeded 5.38 acres to Henrico County. During these early years, the baseball teams (as well as their other sports teams) were finding success in area competitions. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 1935, “In the spring of 1932, two teams in the Richmond Baseball Commission won the city championship in their respective leagues. In the spring of 1933, the class AA team won a title, and the class A team won the city championship. The class A baseball team repeated a championship win again in 1934. It was during the season of 1934 that a new playing field, rated one of the best in the state, was built with government aid. The grandstand seats 500 spectators.” The Richmond Times-Dispatch went on to note in reference to the recreation field, “Few amateur organizations anywhere have a more modern and up-to-date place for baseball”.
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The recreation complex became known as the Varina Recreation Association and later the Varina Athletic Association Recreation Facility. The field was named Ellett R. McGeorge, Jr. Field in honor of the first Henrico County Recreation Director and dedicated on April 17, 1982. |
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Ellett R. McGeorge Jr. (1928-2015) was born in King William County. He enrolled at the University of Richmond (UR) in 1943, intending a future as a doctor through the V-12 Navy College Training Program. He studied pre-med and played college football and baseball for two years. He served as a naval hospital corpsman during WW II and returned to UR, where he changed his career to education. Henrico hired him in 1949 as a health and physical education teacher and he served as a baseball coach and assistant football coach at Varina High School. By 1951, McGeorge was the head football coach. He then undertook a part-time job as director of the Henrico County summer recreation program in 1956.
When Henrico created the Division of Recreation (there were no parks yet) in 1969, he became the division’s founding director. Under his leadership, the Division of Recreation and Parks grew to add the parks system in 1980, with the help of a bond referendum in 1977. McGeorge served as the Recreation and Parks director from 1969-1988.
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A multipurpose field, adjacent to the baseball field, is used in the fall (and sometimes in the spring) by the football arm of the Varina Athletics Association. The recreation area offers a small playground, picnic shelter, a multipurpose field, and two baseball diamonds for the community’s use.
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"Happiness is a warm puppy." |
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By Mary Sands Satterwhite, History Programs Specialist
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"Happiness is a warm puppy." Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000) |
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There is an adorable photo in the Henrico County Archives dating from over one hundred years ago, showing a little girl and her sister happily laughing with their two pet dogs. Even after all these years, the fading photograph still conveys the bliss of a child having a dog as a best friend.
The little girl in the photo holding the collar of the two dogs is Elizabeth Adam Crump (1891-1993) and this photo truly personifies Elizabeth A. Crump’s lifelong love of dogs.
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In 1975, in accordance with her husband, Maj. Gen. Sheppard Crump’s final wishes, Elizabeth A. Crump donated the property on Mountain Road, known as “Meadow Farm” to Henrico County for visitors to enjoy. The property had been in the Sheppard family for nearly 200 years.
Along with the property gift were included numerous items of furniture, photographs, and papers from early Henrico history. All of which are now currently preserved in the house museum at Meadow Farm and in the Henrico County Archives.
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When Elizabeth A. Crump married Sheppard Crump in 1922, they began their marriage in the historic home of the Sheppard family that had been built during the Madison era, in 1810. For nearly 110 years, Meadow Farm had sat quietly upon the brow of the highest land elevation in Glen Allen and by 1922 was in desperate need of modern amenities- such as indoor plumbing and electricity. |
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On setting up her first home, Mrs. Crump brought with her numerous pieces of furniture from her stately family home on Grove Avenue in Richmond. And somewhere amongst the boxes and furniture had to be a dog. I can almost guarantee that as a new wife setting up a home out in the country, Mrs. Crump brought along a canine friend. The evidence seems to prove this theory might be correct, for there are many canine related items in the Crump collection. |
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It’s been a total joy to study the Crump collection and discover details of Mr. and Mrs. Crump’s life together at Meadow Farm and their interest in their dogs and all the farm animals that called Meadow Farm home over the years. |
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Another Crump photograph (circa 1930) taken on the front steps of Meadow Farm shows a bounty of ten squirming Collie puppies held by a group of five neighborhood children- the cuteness factor of this photo is hard to measure. Accounts from local children when they were in their older years recollect the fondness of their visits to Meadow Farm to adopt a puppy, if they promised to give it a loving home. |
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Currently tucked in an upstairs alcove in the house museum at Meadow Farm is a unique piece of furniture. It’s a lovely miniature sofa; perfectly sized for a doll, or a puppy. This well-crafted item never fails to draw comments from visitors. Little is known of the provenance of the small sofa, but it’s a delight to see the numerous photos in the Crump collection that show the sofa not being used by an antique doll, but by a plump dog relaxing in comfort.
The grounds of Meadow Farm are open from dawn to dust year-round and house tours are by appointment only. Guests are always encouraged to walk their leashed dogs around the grounds and enjoy the lovely setting. Visitors might want to think a moment as they visit about all the canines and other animals that had a sanctuary and called Meadow Farm home. Over the years even their history and time here will not be forgotten.
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An interesting side note:
Richmond and Henrico County have a long history of efforts towards improving animal welfare. The original Richmond SPCA was founded in 1891 by Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Palmer, Joseph Bryan, Dr. Jud Wood, and Capt. Alex B. Guigon (a close cousin of Sheppard Crump). In its early beginnings, the welfare that was of most concern for the organization was for the workhorses in Richmond City that pulled the passenger trolley cars and performed heavy draft work. The heavy pulling by these horses in all kinds of weather conditions was extremely hard and their physical care was often far from adequate. The first Richmond SPCA focused on the need for better care for working animals.
As motorized vehicles and electric trolleys began to replace workhorses in Richmond the care of smaller companion animals came to the forefront of the humane society.
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Ellen Glasgow
In the city of Richmond, this shift in animal welfare was spearheaded largely by the efforts of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ellen Glasgow (1873-1945). An ardent dog lover, she became a board officer in 1924 of the Richmond SPCA, it being one of the first such animal shelters in the country. Miss Glasgow was deeply devoted to all animals and concerned about the ways in which they were being cruelly treated.
The Ellen Glasgow Shelter of the Richmond SPCA is still in operation on Chamberlayne Avenue in Richmond, saving the lives of numerous animals each year.
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
- Anatole France (1844-1924)
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Staff Profile: Lisa Denton |
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Lisa Denton has been on the Henrico Recreation & Parks’ history team since June 2011. Her focus is to develop programs across the county interpreting its 400 plus years of history. She enjoys diving into her research rabbit holes, conducting short and long-term research projects about a variety of topics. Lisa also collaborates on projects and programs with other county agencies such as schools and libraries and with external partners such as National Park Service. Lisa has supervised the internship program for college students since 2013 and loves teaching and learning from the next generation of public historians.
Lisa originally focused on providing programs and interpretation at the Dabbs House and Clarke Palmore House museums. She was very involved in the county’s 150th commemoration of the Civil War from 2011 to 2015. Since then, she has crossed the 1865 threshold into learning about the county’s role during other time periods, particularly the Revolutionary and Great Depression eras as well as World War I and II. Lisa loves learning about the history of foods and reproducing recipes from the past.
Lisa grew up in Midlothian and attended Virginia Tech. Before joining Henrico Recreation & Parks, Lisa worked as a tour guide and education specialist at the Museum and White House of the Confederacy (now known as the American Civil War Museum). While her husband served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed in Beaufort, S.C., she worked as a tour guide, sharing the city’s history with tourists.
In her spare time – which is limited with two young children and a dog – Lisa enjoys reading, watching historical dramas and documentaries, and cooking.
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From parks and facilities to events and programs, this is your on-the-go guide to fun. The app also includes our historic sites, markers, and programs!
Features:
- Discover parks and facilities across Henrico County
- View amenities by map overlay or list
- Find playgrounds, shelters, trails, and more
- Filter and search by what’s important to you
- Learn about (and even register for) programs and events
- Earn badges as you take on exciting challenges
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Oink, Oink! Sometimes I don’t think y’all hear us, so we have to say it twice! OINK, OINK! My name is Mabel, and my name is Mildred. First, we always like to start with a joke and since we’re sisters, we like to tell them together. What happens when you play Tug-of-War with a pig…wait for it…PULLED PORK!! Oh, OINK, OINK, OINK! We’re such hams!! We’re so excited to meet you and tell you what’s been going on, we really can’t contain ourselves.
Well, we’d probably better start from the beginning. We’re Ossabaw Pigs. Meaning our ancestors were wild pigs from Ossabaw Island, Georgia, who were first introduced to North America by Spanish explorers in the 16th century! That’s right, our Oinkcestors came to America before the English arrived at Jamestowne! We’re older than Henrico! Wait a minute, slow down, WEE are not that old! Our breed is that old…Anyway, we must tell you what’s been happening on the farm since Marigold’s last update.
The biggest news…we got a new house! Well, not just a new house, we got a new yard too. We kind of outgrew our old pig hut and wallow, so the kind folks over at Park Services built us a home in a new yard and we moved in a few weeks ago. It’s been so much fun exploring our new yard and getting to know the new neighbors. We used to share a fence with the cows, now we’re sharing a fence with the sheep! It was an interesting moooove, and it really wasn’t that baaaad. You see what I did there? Oh, sister, that was awful.
Whatever!! Back to the news…there’s been a lot of activity over by the farmhouse lately. I’m not exactly sure what you heard, but I’ve been told about a new, old kitchen. What do you mean a “new, old” kitchen? Well, I mean, a long time ago, there was a separate building here at Meadow Farm which was used as a kitchen. It was pretty common to have the kitchen separate from the house for a few reasons. Preparing meals was a noisy and messy business, so the kitchen was kept separate from the house to keep all of that outside. Also cooking over an open fire was hot and dangerous! Could you imagine having an open fire in the house in the heat of the summer? What if the fire got out of control? The kitchen at Meadow Farm was separate until the 1900s when it was moved inside the farmhouse. After that, the original kitchen was no longer needed, and faded into memory. OOOHHHH, so that’s what you mean? A “new, old” kitchen! They’re rebuilding the old kitchen? Exactly! Pretty soon they’ll be using that new building to show everybody how they used to cook meals here. I just hope we aren’t on the menu! Silly piggy, they would never do that to us. We’re a big deal around here.
Oh yeah, with the warmer weather, we’ve been seeing a lot more people on the farm. Especially the little people who love to try and talk to us in our own language. It’s funny too. They always think if they speak loudly and slowly enough, we’ll understand them…We’ve had so many of them come on those big, yellow vehicles every week! It’s so exciting to hear the Meadow Farm staff tell the little ones about us, the other animals, and all the history about the farm. Every weekend, the Meadow Farm staff has programs. There was one about Pocahontas, a man named Gabriel, Women’s History, Elvis the Duck, even the troll living under the bridge! There’s a movie night coming and even the 4th of July! The biggest birthday party in the country (don’t forget, us Ossabaw Pigs arrived first)!
I guess what we’re really trying to tell you is…it’s an exciting time at Meadow Farm and you have to come see us! We’ll roll out the red carpet for you and everything!
In Memory of Bossie, Molly, Murray (Mur-Man), Annie and Ilsa.
-Mabel & Mildred, the Ossabaw Pigs
Translated by Julian Charity, Meadow Farm Site Coordinator
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Henrico Rec & Parks | (804) 501-PARK
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