Walter S. Griggs Knihy

Richmond has had its share of man-made and natural calamities throughout its illustrious history. In 1811, fire destroyed the Richmond Theatre on Broad Street, tragically claiming seventy-two lives in one of the worst urban disasters in American history. As Union forces approached Richmond in the final months of the Civil War, Confederate troops ignited the city in flames, leaving scars still visible today. The international Spanish flu epidemic did not spare the city in the early twentieth century. The worst airplane crash in Virginia history occurred near Byrd Airport in 1961. Local author Walter S. Griggs tells these stories and more as he traces the harrowing history of Richmond's most famous disasters.

Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, was in shambles after the Civil War. The bulk of Reconstruction became dependent on the railways, and one of the most important links in the system was the Church Hill Tunnel. The tunnel was eventually rendered obsolete by an alternative path over a viaduct, and it was closed for regular operation in 1902. However, the city still used it infrequently to transport supplies, and it was maintained with regular safety inspections. The city decided to reopen the tunnel in 1925 due to overcrowding on the viaduct, but the tunnel needed to be strengthened and enlarged. On October 2, 1925, 190 ft of the tunnel unexpectedly caved in, trapping construction workers and an entire locomotive inside. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the tunnel and the mystery surrounding its collapse. There were cave-ins and sink holes above the surface for decades after the tunnel was sealed up, and in 1998, a reporter from the Richmond Times-Dispatch did an investigation, trying to determine the current condition of the tunnel. In 2006, the Virginia Historical Society announced its efforts to try and excavate the locomotive and remaining bodies.

Richmond's historic houses of worship cannot be separated from the city's storied past. A young Patrick Henry sparked a revolution with his "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech inside St. John's Episcopal Church on Church Hill. Congregation Beth Ahabah, with its awe-inspiring windows and adjoining museum, is one of the oldest and most revered synagogues in the country. An interstate highway was moved to save the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, where John Jasper asserted, "De Sun do move," in the most famous sermon ever preached in the city. Beloved local author Walter Griggs Jr. tells the compelling history of Richmond's most holy places.

The course of Richmond's history as it emerged from the Civil War as a bustling economic powerhouse is well recorded. Yet there are some stories that have all but vanished from recollection. These lesser-known tales of the personalities who shaped the capital's past are unearthed from the archives by Richmond Guide writer Walter S. Griggs Jr. From the hushed whispers of an entire congregation as Robert E. Lee prayed with a slave at communion to the donation of over two hundred pigeons by fellow Richmonders to serve the war effort, these are lost vignettes of Richmond. Travel with Griggs to the bygone days of the twentieth century to test-drive the first successful automobile manufactured in Richmond, the Kline Kar, or witness the first airplane to fly over Richmond, the Gold Bug soaring over the Diamond. Hidden History of Richmond is a fascinating collection that reveals the city's forgotten but most remarkable histories.

Explore the facts and mysteries surrounding the history and collapse of Richmond, Virginia's Church Hill Tunnel. A must for fans of railroad and Richmond history.Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, was in shambles after the Civil War. The bulk of Reconstructionbecame dependent on the railways, and one of the most important links in the system was the Church Hill Tunnel.The tunnel was eventually rendered obsolete by an alternative path over a viaduct, and it was closed for regular operation in 1902. However, the city still used it infrequently to transport supplies, and it was maintained with regular safety inspections. The city decided to reopen the tunnel in 1925 due to overcrowding on the viaduct, but the tunnel needed to be strengthened and enlarged. On October 2, 1925, 190 ft. of the tunnel unexpectedly caved in, trapping construction workers and an entire locomotive inside.In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the tunnel and the mystery surrounding its collapse. There were cave-ins and sink holes above the surface for decades after the tunnel was sealed up, and in 1998, a reporter from the Richmond Times-Dispatchdid an investigation, trying to determine the current condition of the tunnel. In 2006, the Virginia Historical Societyannounced its efforts to try and excavate the locomotive and remaining bodies.