Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-03-29
OLD-TIME RICHMOND.
Interesting Matter Regarding The Early
Days Of This Historic City.
now OUR STREETS WERE NAMED.
Rsgged OLD Roadways Converted
Int Paved Thoroushfares, or
Macadnmixed Boulevards-Observ
lions Of Truthful Jeems, Jr."

When the celebrated poet. Thomas
Moore. took trip through Virginia, about
the year 1903, he wrote among his poems.
commencing thus;
Dear George.-Though every bens is
aching
| After the shaking
I've had this week, over ruts and ridges.
And bridges.
Made Of few uneasy planka
In open ranks,
Over rivers OF mud, whose names alone
Would make the knees OF stoutest men
knock.
Moore could not be blamed for the above
lines. written at a time when not
stone had been broken; turnpikes bore
the highest rank in furnishing the tracks
for travel or trade, but not turnpike
road entered Richmond. and the natural
| highways were almost impossible in wet
seasons. and in winter, when the farm
ers were most at leisure to send their
| crops to market.
WONDERFUL CHANGES
| I DO not know whether Mr.. Moore's
| lines applied TO roads in the immediate
| vicinity Of Richmond or not, but / can
| say that there has been wonderful
| change in the facilities and the mode or
transportation from the interior, and the
! entire State IN general Is well equipped
/ with railways, good country roads, ana
turnpikes. The Richmond of to-day Is
/ not the Richmond Of the early date
referred to- and could the poet Visit US
now he would not amuse himself court
ing in sweet odes all the Caras and
/ Coras, Meas and Noras, he met with.
| Carressing and caressed, Moore spent
some days In Richmond. singing sweety
his own songs, and psnning some lovely
lines to eyes and lips and hair. Now,
| instead. he would drive over our pretty
streets and beautiful boulevards and sing
their praises all.
| NAMING THD STREETS.
Turnpkes leading into Richmond were
| established at an early date, and from
| these some few streets have been named
while others derived their names from
persons who resided thereon. The Brook
| turnpike. towards the north, was the
first turnpike constructed; then, north
westvardly, the Richmond turnpike; In
the line of Broad street the Westham.
in the direction It's name indicates. and
lastly. the Mechanlcsville. northeast
wardly: but neither OF these extended
more than eight or ten miles out, and
some OF them soon acquired the name
| of mud-pikes, the demand OF toll being
the only distinction by which TO know
them from county roads
The street OF Richmond were. when
first mapped out. lettered east TO west,
and cross streets were numbered. ana
| IL was some time before they assumed
| such names as they bear in these days
| An act OF the General Assembly, Janu-
arv q 1905 authorized the City Coun-
eli TO extend ali cross streets to James
river, and to join all streets west OF
| Shockoe creek to those east OF IL. An
act OF the Assembly, January s, 1907,
authorized the same body TO lay Off
streets and ways in the addition south or
Main street To stand at Eleventh and
| Main streets to-day and look across the
valley TO the foot OF Libby Hill Park.
one would scarcely think that this was
ALI that constituted Main street. and l
might say Richmond, at one time. for II
was the main street, and practically the
only one which could boast OF stores and
| residences OF any consequences at this
! early date.
BORNE ITS NAA4 A LONG TIME.
Main street has borne It's present name
from the EARLIEST date. and its taverns
| and music halls, so alluring. enticed all
the countrymen TO bring their produce to
the warehouses and stores in the neigh
borhood. and as the street. or rather
roadway was not paved, and the side
walks were paved only here and there,
and with ups and downs, II was not a
smooth road to travel, either on horse
back or on foot. The dust in summer
was insufferable. and in winter the mud
would be ankle deep, and in some places
I'D TO the hub BY way or making cross
ings, a narrow mound Of ashes and Gin
ders would be raised across the street.
and woe to him or her who, on a dark
night. deviated from the right path. The
store keepers who wished TO entice the
ladies' to their stores would present a
paved entrance; those who sought
rorgher customers offered a rough re-
ception, over gravel or cobble-stones. In
the valley flowed a creek crossing Main
street. at Seventeenth, and emptying into
the river. Here was situated the market
shed. supported on wooden posts, but
this was "A great many years ago. On
the grassy banks. soping from the
market house down TO the creek. laun-
dresses use to dry their clothes
which they washed in The stream, and
cattle and chickens reigned supreme. The
creek was crossed by foot passengers on
narrow bridge. raised few feet above
the surface of the stream. but horses
cooled their feet by fording Il.
WHEN FRESHETs AROSE.
When freshets occurred the planks were
removed from the bridge. and a ferry
boat was substituted, which conveyed We
hlces, as we'll as man and horse, across
ba MT M CT IN
Eleventh street marked the western ex-
tremity OF Main street, where stood the
Harris house, the only four-story brick
house in the town, and this grew up,
or, rather, down, to be five stories, when
its elevation caused its downfall Little
progress could be made beyond this point.
because gullies and swamps crossed It's
path. A path Of tan-bark or boards
enabled pedestrians to reach the nearly
uninhabited region beyond. but carriages
and other vehicles rarely ventured
through the swamp, or up the
ascent beyond II. Thus we see that our
now wel-paved and splendidly-built main
thoroughfare has retained its name OF
Main street from the earliest dats to the
present time. and why not sim let IL be
known as Main street, for the sake Of its
dear old memories?
RIcHMOND'S EARLY DAYS
In the early days Of the house last
described (Harriss), and. as already
stated, Main street was not in reality a
street west OF Eleventh, nor was Ninth
street highway, or, rather. II was a
highway" not 10 be assembled to Broad
street by wheels. At this time Broad
street, or rather. Broad road, contained
few houses, except at its two extremitIes
which were First and Twelfth. streets.