Often called the River City, Richmond owes its very existence to the James River, which served as a waterway bringing English settlers, commercial vessels, and later millions of enslaved Africans to these shores. By sharing stories about the river from a cultural perspective, we seek to explain how the river affects both the city of Richmond and its people. We have given a voice to people who not only enjoy the resource, but also those who draw inspiration from it, those who cherish it, and those who make it a priority to protect it.
By Jasmine Fernandez Fresh, beautiful, bright green grass, overlooking a river lined with groups of families and friends fishing, may not seem like anything more than a park when you first stumble upon it. That is, until the moment you notice the small rectangular bronze plaques reading, “Richmond Slave Trail,” scattered along the three-mile walking Read more about River of Souls: Remembering Richmond’s Painful Past […]
By Abby Seaberg It’s a cloudy April day on the James River, and the kayaks are out on Belle Isle. In them, paddling as hard as they can, are fourth and fifth graders from the Patrick Henry School of Science and Art. They are among a group of school kids participating in River Romp, an Read more about Home River[…]
By Gabi Williams and Frances Gichner As the weather warmed this spring and Richmonders took to the James River, we designed a walking tour of Belle Isle, a historically significant island in midstream, tracking graffiti and modern human influence on the river. Why did we do this? Belle Isle has a long and detailed history Read more about Artistry on the Isle[…]
Written and produced by Brier Clough Interviews and photos by Frances Gichner, Elizabeth Halasz, Caroline Robelen, and Abby Seaberg Modeled after the New York Times’ “Sunday in the Park” supplement, this piece is about the big picture and the small stories that give us a glimpse into moments of people’s lives. Our reporting team Read more about A Sunday at Brown’s Island[…]
By Jacob Taylor A new way to view the James River Close your eyes. Now Imagine an elevated, modern park that spans a bridge and two distinct sides of a city with sweeping views overlooking an immensely beautiful river. Ted Elmore, president of the Richmond BridgePark Foundation, is working to turn that imaginary vision into Read more about River Vision[…]
By Gabi Williams It was “golden” hour—late on a spring day—and every detail of the James River suddenly seemed radiant and magical in the light of late afternoon. I was walking the riverbank with a young woman named Sally Watanabe, who was telling me why this place, Pony Pasture Rapids, is one of her favorite Read more about Golden Hour at Pony Pasture[…]
By Abby Seaberg Vincent Bruno is a high-energy guy. After moving to Richmond from Atlanta last August, 26-year-old Bruno immediately set out to learn everything about Richmond’s history, Richmond’s people and Richmond’s soul. Within two months he was working as a tour guide with RVA on Wheels, spinning visitors around downtown Richmond on Segways while Read more about Love at First Sight[…]
By Brier Clough Every evening, Jenny Beth Friar and Chris Milk, who live on a leafy side street on Oregon Hill, gather their two young kids and go for a walk. Following a well-worn path, they climb down a short flight of railroad tie stairs to the banks of the James River. There they watch the Read more about “Goodnight, James”[…]
By Jacob Taylor How ordinary citizens are impacting the health and preservation of the James River Park System The James River will always be partially defined by its rich, winding history, but it is the people that care about preserving and improving Richmond’s unique feature who are taking action to make sure America’s founding river Read more about River Angels[…]
By Frances Gichner It’s a warm Wednesday in April, late afternoon, and roughly two dozen people stand on a soggy patch of land at the base of a 60-foot-high stack of granite and cement. The James River, in flood stage, surges past, just a few feet away. To get to the base of this wall, Read more about Climbing RVA’s Riverfront Ruins[…]