Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-04-20
THE WEST-ENDBABEL
Great Confusion in the Nomenclature
Of the Cross-Slreets.
a Number az Prominent Citizens Discuss
Plans That wiu Adapt Themselves
20 tho Growth OF the City.

fendou rom what II now S@sSHFctA'SH -
on the west 10 Twenty 9th street on the
east. and between Cary (present nano) on
the south and Broad on the north
The streets OF the old town are spoken
Of as "thc First street." meaning Eigh-
teen.b .the Second" Nineteenth, and
"the last meaning Twenty-fifth.
Streets running east and west did not
have names except 1.-The main street."
which was always Main street. Cary was
called "the river street, Franklin THE
street back OF Main" The town lots icon
sisfing OF one fourth of n square) wore
numbered from west TO east-ko. being
st the corner % Eighteenth and Cary ana
Ii2 at the corner OF Twenty-hfth and
Broad streets.
mopd rose from town to city
and grew 10 its present limits. Aadl-
ton A" after addition was made too OFTEN
without regard 10 harmony with eash
other. and the consequence IS tnat !ne
street, west Of First and north OF ielgh
are laid off very irregularly and the same
il true as 20 many OF our thoroughtareS
east of Libby Hill.
LFTfEaTD STREETS.
The streets running parallel with the
river were first lettcred a, IS. =, ". r..
r, G., n, &C., &C.. but TINS arrangement
proved unsatisfactory and names were
substituted.
Running from the river names we're gwen
IN place of letters. az follows Arch from
the nrchway upon which the Richmond
and Petersburg railroad crosses 1T; BYRD,
named after the founder of Richmond :;
Canal. so called from its proximity TO the
old James-Riser and Kanswha canal; Cary,
after Colonel Archibald Cary, of Ampthli,
a 4 tot n a
prominent in the enterprise of furnace
build;ng. known rs odd IRON; Nam,
becausa it was the main street OF the
place Franklin, after DR.. BENJAMIN Frank.
lin: Grace from the number OF houses OF
worship upon it Broad. because 1T was
and is the broad street OF the town; Mar
shall. after Chief-Justice Marshall whose
residence was at tho northwest corner OF
Ninth aud that street: Clav, after hairy
~ the yyestn. LEIGH. after United States
Senator BENJAMIN Watkins Leigh: Jack
son, after NI. Joseph Jackson. VINO was
for moro than fifty years clerk IN the
Capitol and who owned much properly IN
that vicinity; Duval. after MAJOR william
Duval. Revolutionary soldier VINO maze
one OF the numerous additions" TO the
CITY: Baker. after Martin Baker. once pro-
prietor of Goddin's Tavern; Preston, eIeet
the Governor of that name &c. DC. y street
became Grace. + Franklin. Il Man, ID
Cary. G Canal, Byrd, A Arch.
Broad was II, Mar hall !, &c.
rnF Towc BOOMING UP SEVENTEENTH STREET.
When IL came 20 numbering the cross
streets our forcfatheTs commenced nj what
was at that time the western corporation
line and named the first street First, the
second Second, third Third, and so on,
They thought they had pitched Their
line 50 far to the westward that the future
growth never could make o different ar
rangement desirable or necessary.
Indeed. at that date there was Just rs
much reason to suppose that Richmond
would GROW out Seventeenth street ~
there now ~ 10 believe IL will continue 10
grow out Main and Broad streets.
Shockoe creek, then An unbridged stream
flowing in o rocky bed at the foot OF
steep hill, presented q great obstacle 10
westward growth. and the level ground on
the south side Of ShocEoe creek, over
which passed an important country road,
seemed to be the natural site for beauti-
ful portion o. the city. -.
SOFT was that handsome dwellings. stores,
and warehouses were erected ON Seven
teenth and Eighteenth streets,
Some Of these remain to this day, and
uniformed people wonder why IN tine
world our fathers committed the folly OF
investing IN that direction. The truth IS
and generation IA we arc in ours.
When Shockoe creek was bridged at
Main and, MANY years later, ut Dock, Cary,
Franklin. and Broad, the westward growth
of tho city became rapid. 1t began to
gather about the Capitol and Governors
house. and well-tO-GO residents bought
three or four-acre lots on the principal
western tboroughfares, and in the midst of
ample grounds and abundant fruit and
shade-trees and flowers erected handsome
mansions.
From that day to this the city has grown
westwardly.
II has crown east and northward. too;
but not so greatly as il has gone west.
csoss-srREErs OF THE WET END.
After the boundary-line of First street
was passed names of individuals were gwen
10 the cross-streets. Mr.. Foushee, who was
FIRST mayor of the city and who had served
long as mayor and postmaster, was first
honored.
II is a question whether Adams street
was named after President Adams or after
DIR. Adams, prominent citizen and some
time Mayor. Being alongside Foushee
street, one would suppose that It was
named after DIR. Adams but considering
that Adams, Jefferson. Madison. and Mon
roe streets come in regular order, II might
be supposed that Adams street was named
after President Adams.
Somehow Richmond managed badly
about "the Father of his Country" for,
while there is o Washington street down
by the grain-elevator and another crossing
west Cary street beyond the corporate
limits, a great thoroughfare like Main or
Broad street should have borne his name.
In this respect Boston has done better than
the capital Of the Old Dominion.
Belyidere got its name from the town
scot Of that name Of Mr.. Byrd, which was
near where now the penitentiary il.
After Belvidere. in the Sidney addition,
come Pine, Laurel, Cherry, Linden, and
Beech streets.
Most of these extend from the river to
Nam street, and IL never seems to have
been thought that they could or should be
laid of with reference 10 connection with
future streets to be located north of Main
and Broad streets aud this. want OF con-
sideratiou by those who made the plans nas
forced into irregularity oil the streets west
of them.
In like manner Prices. Judah's. and Du-
walls additions in what ia now Jacksc1
Ward demoralized the smoothness ana
harmony of the arrangement OF the city az
originally laid off. 49,,
The founders of the town and city did
well enough. but those who came after
them were unwisely permiiteu 70 nlshe Az,
generally the way they thought best caicu-
lated TO insure thesale OF their lots.
Church Hill, Union Hill. and Fulton, too
have suffered, but not so much as Shockoe
hin. from these ill-adyised additions.
Now. while il il not too late, Richmond
ought 10 secure legislation to enable her &c
project her streets miles to the westward
and mark them by maps and monuments
aud when those sections are admitted into
the corporation such street lines should bt
binding.
II something like this is not done we will
70 from bad to worse.
THE cRy For RELrEr.
Atprcsent the cry is for relief from the
unsystematic system OF naming the streets
vest OF First. That section is not only q
lsbrynthic puzzle 70 strangers. but con.
fuses the old resident who il he cannot
say how many squares he resides east, west
south. or north of Monroe Park (the great
landmark Of the West End) viii hope
lessly endeavor to explain to any one where
he lives.
To get expressions on this subject the
Dispoica recently addressed letters 10 Q
number of engineers, architects, real estate
agents, and others supposed 10 have Q
IL L.. ~. IL.