29 photos from the RTD archives
lightning
In September 1953, lightning flashed over South Richmond during a storm that brought heavy rain and strong wind to the city.
Pop Rocks
This April 1978 photo shows packages of Pop Rocks, a carbonated candy that had soared in popularity, even if availability was limited. The gravel-like treat offered the sensation of bursting inside the mouth — a reaction created from carbon dioxide trapped inside the sugar. Test-marketing in California proved successful, and the candy from General Foods soon became a national rage.
Jenkins Books
In March 1953, L. Howard Jenkins, head of a Richmond book manufacturer that bore his name, supervised workers at his plant on West Broad Street. The company dated to the 1880s.
fire
In October 1982, student firefighters from central Virginia and Tidewater departments extinguished a blaze at Byrd Airport in Henrico County as part of a weeklong training program by the Virginia Department of Fire Programs.
boat
In July 1958, George Richardson of Richmond cruised along the Rappahannock River in his yacht, Hummingbird. The vessel, which he used for cruises on the Rappahannock and Chesapeake Bay and for fishing trips, was part of the Richmond-based Flotilla 51, a Coast Guard auxiliary unit.
UR student
In September 1975, University of Richmond student Marshall Bank posed outside Boatwright Memorial Library. A year earlier, he checked out — and refused to return — some volumes that were signed by their authors, saying the works (including by Robert Frost) deserved better protection than the open shelves. But he did return them and, with funding from an anonymous donor, participated in a project to get contemporary poets to sign copies of their work for inclusion in the library’s collection.
Ham radio
In October 1961, Hester Motley (left) and Jenny Akers tested their new ham radio equipment. They were among an estimated 10 female ham radio operators in Richmond, and most were wives and mothers who wanted to keep up with their husbands’ radio hobby. The accompanying story noted that the women said they can “talk to friends, both near and far, without leaving home or neglecting household duties.”
French chef
In October 1983, French chef Christian Renault strummed a guitar, one of his favorite relaxation activities after long workdays at his Fredericksburg restaurant. Renault owned and cooked at La Petite Auberge, where he favored local ingredients and simple preparation. (The restaurant is still in operation today, and Renault’s son Raymond is now head chef.)
John Marshall Hotel
In March 1967, Hotel John Marshall bell captain Percy Simons operated the courtesy cart on the 11th floor, delivering coffee and newspapers to guests. “Captain Percy,” as he was known by the staff, had worked at the downtown Richmond hotel since its 1929 opening. (He was still there nearly 60 years later, in 1988, when the hotel closed.)
Raillroad
In May 1953, Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad conductor H.C. Rollins (right) and flagman C.H. Smith did pre-trip paperwork in a train caboose before a ride to Washington.
railroad
In March 1962, a shipment of new trucks from Alabama arrived in Richmond via the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. The delivery represented the “piggyback” form of transportation, in which one mode of transport arrived on another. Railroads increasingly were delivering cars and small trucks at the time.
film in Richmond
In July 1983, TV cameras rolled during a scene from “Kennedy,” a NBC miniseries filmed in Richmond that chronicled the presidential family’s experience. Martin Sheen and Blair Brown starred as John and Jackie. The series aired that November, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination.
Ringling Bros. Circus
In March 1990, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus took its traditional animal walk through downtown Richmond en route to the Coliseum. The opening-night performance, which featured a rare white rhinoceros as well as Italian circus star Flavio Togni, drew 10,000 spectators. That year marked the 120th edition of “The Greatest Show on Earth,” as the circus billed itself.
Andy Warhol
In January 1978, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts hosted pop artist Andy Warhol (second from left), who was exhibiting his “Athletes by Warhol” collection at the museum. The public opening featured a performance by rock band Single Bullet Theory and refreshments that could be found at sporting events, such as popcorn and cotton candy. The portraits on exhibit included those of tennis star Chris Evert and basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Ham radio
In April 1953, 15-year-old Doris Ann Williams operated her ham radio; she was the youngest female amateur shortwave operator in Richmond. The John Marshall High School freshman began learning shortwave code the year before. Her father, Roland, was a former radio operator for the city Police Department, which sparked his daughter’s interest in the hobby.
Richmond's Rocket Society
In October 1962, members of the Richmond Rocket Society participated in the amateur rocket shoot at Camp Pickett near Blackstone in Nottoway County. The group, founded in 1956 by students at George Wythe High School, had units focusing on chemistry, engineering and electronics. The members built rockets of all shapes and sizes and aimed for new heights with each launch.
Carter's store
This May 1976 photo shows Carter’s Dry Goods and Notions store in Richmond’s Oregon Hill neighborhood. At the time, the store, which dated to 1926, was feeling the strain of competition from larger stores downtown and because longtime residents were moving away. The store closed in 1993.
4-H Club
In July 1963, Louis Brooking Jr. of Highland Springs High School in Henrico County won the statewide 4-H Club competition for field crops achievement. The 4-H Club featured summertime hands-on learning for youths and instruction in agriculture, personal development and other subjects. Brooking and two other statewide winners from Henrico earned trips to the 4-H national convention in Chicago that fall.
Mosque
In April 1966, exterior stonework on the Mosque (now known as Altria Theater) was getting cleaned, apparently for the first time since the building’s 1927 opening. The cleaning, which didn’t involve the higher-level brickwork, was performed by a New Jersey company at a bid price of $2,310.
Tree Hill Farm
In August 1955, Mrs. Burlee stood on her front lawn at Tree Hill Farm in Henrico County’s Varina area and admired the view of Richmond. The farm dated to the 1700s, and a large oak on the property, which was felled by a storm in 2012, was known as the “Surrender Tree” — legend says it is where Richmond Mayor Joseph Mayo surrendered the city to Union forces in April 1865 near the end of the Civil War. More recently, the farm served as a set for the 2015 film “Ithaca,” starring and directed by Meg Ryan.
motel
In April 1959, the Town Motel had just opened at Belvidere and Rowe streets near the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. The motel had 26 units, and nightly rates began at $5.
John Marshall House
This January 1966 photo shows the home (foreground) of former U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall on East Grace Street in downtown Richmond. Completed in 1790, the house remained in the Marshall family until 1911, when it was sold to the city. Preservationists saved the building, which became a museum in 1913. It holds one of the largest collections of items associated with Marshall.
Nasa experiment
In August 1970, student volunteers Peter Bassett (left) and Paul Parker were sealed in a room at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond for one week. The NASA experiment was testing breathing environments as part of the Skylab program, which later featured an orbiting space station that was visited by astronauts.
toy
In July 1963, Maury Romer, sales promotion manager for the A.C. Gilbert Co. toy manufacturer of Connecticut, was in Richmond for a preview of holiday season toys. The motorized Wing Thing he displayed capitalized on the fascination with space.
post office
This January 1946 photo shows the Central Station Post Office on Second Street in downtown Richmond. The size of the building increased by a third after a remodeling several months earlier.
Gone with the Wind
In April 1989, fans of “Gone with the Wind” celebrated the film’s 50th anniversary year at a gala at what is now the Dominion Arts Center in downtown Richmond. The film made its Richmond premiere there in 1940 when the facility was Loew’s Theatre. The gala began with a fife-and-drum performance by men dressed in Civil War uniforms, and some women dressed as Southern belles in hoop skirts.
glass blowing
In April 1969, National Park Service glassblowers at Jamestown had recently started producing their own mixture of raw materials for producing glass. They had been using a premixed substance from a factory, but officials said the homemade approach was a better representation of a 17th-century craftsman’s skill.
17th st. market
In August 1983, E.L. Allen weighed a sack of kale for a customer at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market in Richmond during the Historic Farmers Market Festival. The event, sponsored by the Shockoe Bottom Farmers & Merchants Association, celebrated one of the nation’s oldest markets.
Tree house
In June 1970, the Worsham family of Richmond enjoyed their two-level treehouse, built high in a deodar cedar tree in their backyard.
