Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-20
DAYS OF LONG AGO.
vIRGISrA's CAPITAL AS 1T WAS IN
ANrE-BELLUM TIMES.
ANCIENT LANDMARKS DESCRIBED.
Facts About Our First City Direc-
tory-The Capitol Square and the
Barbcr-shops-Churc and Their
Congregations.
For the Dlspatch.)

Of Richmond. which shows a wonderful
| progress from the city as I remember II
more than fifty years ago. have before
me one Of its first directories, issued FOL
the city in 1s45-4s. by II. K. Elyson.
Mr.. Sam. Mordecai, in his amusing ''Rich.
mond In By-Gone Days" goes back much
further than my infantile recollection;
but he fails to mention many names and
interesting facts contained In the little
directory. at which time I can begin,
therefore, I will venture, at the risk of
being though pedantic as regards the past,
to give few of my early Impressions, as
well as extracts from the old directory
in question.
| A MODEST LITTLE DIRECTORY.
This modest little directory OF IA pages,
with its quaint advertisements and list
OF old residents, opens with quite an in
teresting sketch OF the very early
history Of Richmond. from its establish
ment, during the reign OF George IL,
l742 giving the names of many of its
first settlers. whose descendants are still
to be found and can claim to be the
proud possessors OF the original home
steads under grant from the Crown. How
4
which we still have with us-Wiliam
Foushee. Jacquiline Amber. Robert
Mitchell, Robert Boyd, and Richard
Adams, of the first Council, and then the
| Duvals, the Andersons the Kents the
Fleasants, the Blairs. the Frys and hun
I dreds of others of the early residentsi A
| few statistics Of the city may be inter-
estlng:
The number OF inhabitants in 1852 was,
563 whites, 425 slaves, and 43 free persons
| Of color. Total. only 1,o31
| January g. 1857. is recorded 'the worst
fire that ever occurred in the city, con-
Stunning fifty stores and dwellings, with
a loss of 100000"
| In 1875 the basin was completed and
| the canal opened for several miles beyond
the city.
In 1900. the population was 5,737, and in
| 1910 had reached 97S5 The burning of the
theatre. December 26. 1871, is most wildly
described.
The first bank-the Farmers Bank Of
Virginia-was established In 1872. On July
%. 1914, a great freshet in the river swept
away Mayo's bridge.
On March 2. 1916. the city was illumi-
mated in honor OF peace between the
United States and Great Britain. 1t is
described as having been a brilliant
spectacle
The Shockoe Hill Market (Old Market
was opened I'm 1877
The first directory Of the city-and only
one until lS44-was issued by John Mad
dox, a Quaker, in 1919.
In 1929 the population was J2,067. and in
1880 1900. The water-works were COM
pleted in 1881. The population in 1919 had
reached 20,143, and I'm 1916 was estimated
at 10000. The city at that time embraced
length of seven and a half miles,
stretching from Rockets to Bloody Run,
and was three and a half miles wide,
from the river TO Cave street on the
north but these outlying streets were
only in name, being innocent Of any
buildings, and were merely roads rum
mig across "old fields" where the boys
would wage their rock-battles or play
games.
THE BUSINESS or THE CITY.
Briefly stated, the business of the city
then QSf5) was divided as follows:
Two cotton manufactures, with about
1900 spindles; four-mills, one of which
is stated TO be "the largest lin the world;
nail-factory. l woolen-factory. paper
mill, 3 saw-mills, grist-mills. 4 soap end
candle-factories. The Tredegar-W orks
then called the Virginia Foundry" had
$50 hands; 4 locomotive, fire-engine, ano
tobacco-screw works; 30 tobacco manu-
factories, with from 1000 TO 1000 hands.
The mercantile department was d.
vided into 50 importing-houses, 81 dry
goods merchants. 81 commission mer-
chants. Q auction-houses, Us wholesale
and retail groceries, Il wholesale and re-
tail dealers in boots and shoes IL manu-
features Of hats and caps. II wholesale
and retail dealers in hardware, china
and glass-stores, Is of drugs and medi-
cines, OF books and stationery. Sc of
clothing and tailoring. q Of fruits ana
confectoneres, u of watches and Jewell
ry, in leather, in lumber, in snuffs
and cigars, IL in copper and sheet-iron, 3
in guns and pistols, granaries. and
good many other smaller establishments
There were 243 master mechanics, ST
physicians 20 lawyers, 8 dentists. 16 edI-
tors. 10 insurance companies, s banks, 2
savings banks, q churches. 3 colleges, "a
schools, and ii hotels. From these sta
tistics one can judge how, even as little
Richmond, the city was well equipped
for a fiourishing business, which it con-
tinued to receive up to 1850. which year
was considered the most prosperous on |
record.
THE CAPITOL SQUARE.
The spot which impressed itself most |
vlvidly on my youthful mind was the |
Capitol Square, though it could hardly |
be called square, oblong. or any other |
shape 1t had not then been enclosed by |
its present high iron pickets, but was
simply a rough, steep hill, checkered over |
with footpaths from every direction. Du-
ring the winter, especially on It's south
side. this muddy, slippery hill was very
difficult to climb which / can remember
to my sorrow; the Capitol then doomed
up in immense proportions. as II was
seated all by itself on the summit OF the
hill, with but few buildings near-by-the
City Hall, Powhatan House. and Wash
ington tavern being the principal ones.
At the corner Of Ninth an0 Capitol |
streets, where the Valentine house row |
stands, was a little wooden barber-shop.
kept by George Gray, where 1 was wont
to have my hair clipped. But the more
imposing tonsorial establishment was
kept by James Furgussen, at No. 16S
Main street. His red-strlped and
streaked pole gave notice that he, also.
did "cupping and leeching" business,
the barber-shop being then the usual
place for such "blood-letting."
Another barber-shop was kept by a
white man, on Fourteenth street, leading
TO Mayo's bridge, who was quite poeti-
CAL as his sign reads:
Look at this card, II you please.
You'll find at the bottom III. A. Reeves;
With soap so sweet,
In shop so neat,
To shave you every day, sir"
make this depression on barber-shops, |
in Difference 20 the mud of Capitol hill,
xyhlch rooufrad Of lie yodactrfaua ssfnuoh |