BGuthrie Photos: VA -- Richmond -- Belle Isle

VA -- Richmond -- Belle Isle:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. BELLE_120114_03.JPG: Captain John Smith's Adventures on the James Belle Isle: James River Park System The Virginia Company of London instructed the first English colonists to choose a river for their settlement and to "let Captain Newport discover how far that river may be found navigable." Following this charge, Newport and a group that included John Smith sailed upriver as far as modern Richmond in late May, 1607. Richmond straddles the fall line between Virginia's Coastal Plain and the Piedmont region, the limit of navigation for sailing vessels. "We were intercepted with great craggy stones in the midst of the river," wrote Smith, "where the water falleth so rudely, and with such a violence, as not any boat can possibly passe." Although the rough water delayed the search for gold and a water route to the Orient, it exposed minerals like iron used in the colonists' first industries. The English also recognized the river's capacity for water-powered industry. In the seven-mile stretch from Bosher's Dam to the Mayo Bridge, the James River drops 105 feet in elevation. Today those rapids power some of the nation's best urban whitewater paddling. John Smith knew the James River by its Algonquian name: Powhatan, the same as the region's paramount chief. Smith traveled the river many times between 1607 and 1609, trading with Virginia Indians to ensure survival at Jamestown. What he saw of Virginia's verdant woodlands and pristine waters inspired him to explore the greater Chesapeake Bay, chronicling its natural wonders. Capt John Smith's Trail on the James is a 40-site water and auto tour for modern explorers. The Capital of the Confederacy: Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy. It combined the special features of industry, finance, trade, and transportation which are visible all around you. Straight ahead is Belle Isle: site of an infamous Civil War prison. To your left are Brown's Island and the Haxall Canal: site of a munitions factory, which blew up in 1863, killing 30 women workers. On the horizon stands the steel and glass tower of the modern Federal Reserve Bank. Richmond was the banking and insurance center of the South based on the tobacco and slave trade. Over the road is the current CSX railroad. Richmond had five railroads during the Civil War. Further to your left is Tredegar Ironworks, perhaps the largest munitions factory for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Behind you up the hill is the Kanawha Canal, the route around the rapids, and the freight highway to the Great Valley of Virginia.
2. BELLE_120114_07.JPG: The Belle Isle Pedestrian Bridge: Dedicated as a key part of Richmond Renaissance's James River Discovery Program and made possible by the vision and contributions of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the James River Corporation, and the City of Richmond. April 30, 1991
3. BELLE_120114_28.JPG: The original Robert E. Lee Bridge spanned the James River for 54 years just west of here until the bridge was closed in 1988 and removed shortly thereafter. The new structure is a cast-in-place segmental box girder bridge and was erected using a balanced cantilever construction method. This bridge is the first of its type to be erected in Virginia. It was built as a cooperative effort between the City of Richmond, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.
4. BELLE_120114_34.JPG: Robert E. Lee Bridge Erected 1933-1934 by Richmond Bridge Corporation ... In conjunction with City of Richmond ... Financed by loan from Reconstruction Finance Corporation ...
5. BELLE_120609_056.JPG: Old Dominion Iron & Steel Company: The Chrysler Building. The tall design, thick "I" beams, and a mix of different sized pieces mark this as one of the first factory buildings constructed by the ODIS -- probably in the early 1900s. ODIS was famous for its advanced metallurgy and fine casting important in fabricating complex structures like heat exchangers. During World War I, the hatches for tanks were made for Chrysler Motors and the structure became known as the "Chrysler Building."
6. BELLE_120609_067.JPG: Historic Belle Isle James River Park System Early History: Belle Isle, at 54 acres, is the largest island in the James River at Richmond, and also one of the most historic sites in the city. Virginia's native tribes, including the Powhatans, fished in the river here for thousands of years before the English arrived. Captain John Smith was among the first Europeans to visit this site in 1607, and the island was acquired by William Byrd I in 1676. William Byrd II, Richmond's founder, called it "the broad rock island." The island was sold by the Byrd family about 1776, and soon became one of Richmond's first industrial centers. In 1995, Belle Isle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as a site of national historic significance. Belle Isle is now one of Richmond's most popular city parks, with hiking and jogging trails, historic ruins, and "broad rocks" from which to view the river, especially the roaring rapids on the northern side. Part of the James River Park System, Belle Isle is a natural area as well as a historic site. Please do your part to preserve one of Richmond' great natural and historic treasures. Things to Find: A nail factory was in operation here by 1814 and later a full scale ironworks that remained in production until 1972. Granite was quarried here in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the Civil War, one of the most notorious prisoner-of-war camps in the South was located here. The remains of a Confederate gun emplacement are still visible on the western end of the island, at the top of the hill. From 1904 to 1967, the Virginia Electric Power Company operated a hydro-electric power plant on the island's south bank.
7. BELLE_120609_071.JPG: Civil War POW Camp: You are looking at the nationally significant site of the notorious Belle Isle prisoner-of-war camp, where during the Civil War thousands of captured U.S. soldiers were confined. After the war began in 1861, military prisoners jammed Richmond's jails and warehouses, until North and South signed a formal agreement on July 22, 1862, for prisoner exchanges. That month, Confederate authorities constructed a camp here on Belle Isle, and by the end of July 5,000 enlisted men were packed into it. At first, despite the crowding, the weather was tolerable and the guards let the men bathe in the river. By September 23, before it turned cold, most prisoners had been exchanged, and the camp was closed. In January 1863, however, prisoner exchanges stopped, and once again captured Federal soldiers were confined here. A "tent city" and wooden support buildings were soon constructed, thousands of prisoners filled the camp, supplies dwindled, and conditions deteriorated. Life here became intolerable the next winter, and men allegedly froze for lack of tents and blankets. In February 1864, Confederate authorities began dispersing the prisoners to other camps, and on March 24 the Belle Isle camp closed. On June 7, 1864, the prison reopened to hold Union soldiers captured during the Federal campaign toward Richmond. Because the city was threatened, however, most were soon transported south. The camp was virtually empty when Richmond fell on April 3, 1865. Taken from the north bank of the James River, this photograph shows the prison camp area and some of the prison buildings on the left or eastern end of Belle Isle. Up the hill to the right, the road led to gun emplacements overlooking the camp, as well as to an artillery battery on the island's western end. The photograph was probably taken in April 1865. Courtesy of Library of Congress and Michael Gorman. Richmond photographer Charles R. Rees recorded this image in the summer of 1863, before any wooden structures had been built on the end of Belle Isle near the distant tents. To the left of the man in gray suit and dark hat can be seen the wheel of cannon limber and sponge for cleaning the barrel. Courtesy Michael Gorman.
8. BELLE_120609_082.JPG: During the Civil War, over 1,000 Union soldiers perished in the 6 acre prison site before you. Of those who survived, in both Northern and Southern camps, many were exchanged in such wretched condition that they were often unfit to return to duty. In gratitude for the perseverance of these Union soldiers who sacrificed much to preserve the Union we dedicate this monument. Col. James D. Brady Camp #63, Petersburg, Virginia Irish Brigade Camp #4, Fredericksburg, Virginia Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
9. BELLE_120609_086.JPG: The Power of Moving Water Everything before you has been shaped by the River. The ancient River bank is the top of the hill before you. Floodwaters have slowly carved out the valley of the James. The Hollywood Cemetery is now 80 feet above the River. The rocks in front of you have a dome-topped, curvy, turtle shell appearance. Mud in the water grinds off the edges. Mother nature makes things rounded. The islands in the distance are long and narrow -- blunt at the upstream end and rounded at the other. The River trims the sides and carves a channel in the River beside it. But at the downstream end, where the water is blocked by the island, it slows down. It drops its load of sand and silt and creates a little sand bar. When tough trees and shrubs take root this sand is stabilized. Little at a time this becomes an extension of the island. The straight line in front of you is a water pipe. It once served the Old Dominion Steel Plant on Belle Isle. (Behind you are what's left of some of the buildings and a fire hydrant. It still works and disperses water that has been waiting in the pipe for over 1/2 a century.) The rocks you see are part of a band of granite that stretches 1000 miles from New Jersey to Georgia. Here in Richmond they are exposed for 7 miles. Where rivers run across it there are rapids. The last mile here has the biggest drop and that's where the industries began. All the other major cities in the mid-Atlantic are located along this pluton of granite... and I-95 runs along the top! The straight line in the distance on your left is the top of a dam -- north wing of the Belle Isle Dam. It once directed water to a hydro electric power plant (which is not there now) and to the remains of the Albemarle Paper Company (later the James River Paper Company) which are the boxy structures straight ahead. Look carefully along the shoreline and you can see the outfall gate for the water once used in making paper. These building [sic] are now the headquarters of Dominion Virginia Power Company. This is a rich habitat for wildlife: Underneath every rock there are aquatic insects. Mayfly and stone fly larva come out at night to lick off the day's thin growth of single celled algae. (You know its [sic] there even when you can't see it -- that's what makes the rocks so slippery!) Fish feed on these at dawn and dusk when the movement begins and there is still enough light for the fish to see. Behind every rock is a fish. Little ones eat the insects; big ones eat the little ones. When a fish is removed from one site, others come in to fill it -- a daily game of musical chairs. Because the habitat is stable and provides a constant supply of food, this is the richest concentration of life on the entire River. Often out of sight are animals that eat fish. In springtime look for Great Blue Herons (long necks and legs) and Cormorants (black, fish-eating duck that holds its wings out to dry). In summer Osprey (look like a little bald eagle) circle and hover overhead. On occasion you can see otters and mink.
10. BELLE_120609_093.JPG: Historic Belle Isle: In front of you is Belle Isle. At 54 acres, it is the largest island in the James River at Richmond, and one of the most historic sites in the city. Virginia Indians fished in the river here long before the English arrived, Captain John Smith was among the first Europeans to visit in 1607, and William Byrd I acquired the island in 1676. William Byrd II, the founder of Richmond, called it "the broad rock island." Sold by the Byrd family about 1776, the island soon became one of Richmond's first industrial centers, with a nail factory here by 1814 and later a full-scale ironworks that operated until 1972. Granite was quarried here in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the Civil War, one of the most notorious prisoner-of-war camps in the South was located on Belle Isle. The remains of a Confederate gun emplacement still are visible on the western end of the hill. From 1904 to 1967, the Virginia Electric Power Company operated a power plant on the island's south bank. In 1995, Belle Isle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a nationally significant historic site. Belle Isle is now one of Richmond's most popular city parks, with hiking and jogging trails, historic ruins, and "broad rocks" from which to view the river, especially the roaring rapids at its midpoint. Part of the James River Park System, Belle Isle is a natural area as well as a historic site. Please do your part to preserve one of Richmond's great natural and historic treasures. Drawn to illustrate an 1864 map of Richmond and vicinity, this image shows Belle Isle with the prisoner-of-war camp to the front and left. An artillery emplacement still stands atop the hill on the right-hand end of the island. The Old Dominion Iron and Nail Works smokestacks are visible behind the camp, and Fort French can be seen on the bluff on the south side of the James River. From Hughes Military Map of Richmond and Petersburg, Va. Showing the Rebel Fortifications Drawn on the Group for the War Department, courtesy of the Library of Congress.
11. BELLE_120609_101.JPG: Virginia Indian Fisheries: Imagine standing here before the first Europeans arrived in America. You would have seen the Native men fishing in the river with nets and seines and spears. You also would have seen the fish weirs (traps) that they built between the boulders to catch migrating shad and other fish fighting their way through the shallow, rapid waters. Even today, you can still see traces of the weirs in the river when the water is low. By the time the English arrived in 1607, this area -- the falls of the James River -- lay between two Virginia Indian territories. Downriver, the tribes spoke an Algonguian tongue and many of them paid tribute to the paramount chief Powhatan, whose presumed birth site is located downstream below the falls. The tribes there called the country Tsenacomoco. Upstream, west of Belle Isle, were eastern Siouan-speaking tribes, in particular the Monacan. Today, descendants of the Monacan -- the Monacan Indian Nation -- live in Amherst County, part of their ancestral territory. Likewise, east of here, live seven state-recognized tribes descended from the Algonquian-speaking peoples: Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Mattaponi, Nansemond, Pamunkey, Rappahannock, and Upper Mattaponi. Virginia Indians fishing ca 1590. Those in the background are using spears; note the fish weirs and dams. Courtesy Library of Congress. Virginia Indians roasting fish on a wooden grill, ca. 1590. Courtesy Library of Congress.
12. BELLE_120609_104.JPG: Hollywood Rapids The rapids to your left are named for the cemetery on the hill straight ahead. The granite rocks that cause them are a part of a geological scar that stretches 1000 miles from New Jersey to Georgia. It resulted from the clash of the continents of Africa and North America 250 million years ago. The curved shaped rocks are the result of silt in the river grinding down the granite. Flat and sharp-edged rocks (seen at low water levels) are a result of former quarrying operations. Some curb and cobblestones downtown probably came from here. The white water is a result of river current falling back up stream after it goes over a rock. It can be easily seen in the small riffles below you. Can you also find the miniature V-shaped tongues of smooth water that mark the entrances to even tiny rapids?
13. BELLE_120609_119.JPG: Quarry Equipment: Winches mounted here hauled rough granite out of the quarry pit and down to the rail connection at the east end of the island. Steam from boilers powered the drills. The use of concrete here foretells the end of the cut stone industry -- between 1900-1910.
14. BELLE_120609_124.JPG: Quarry Pond: Granite blocks were cut and winched up from the 19 foot deep quarry pit Workers, mostly black prisoners, hit 2 cracks that led to the river. Water entered continually and the site was abandoned. Sunfish now live in the shallows, catfish on the bottom and bass cruise in between. Watch for big turtles like yellow bellied River Cooters.
15. BELLE_120609_144.JPG: First Break Rapids: In 1969, Hurricane Camille punched a hole in this dam that once funneled water to power plants on Belle Isle and below Hollywood Cemetery. It's now a popular boating site. Notice how a small current on the far side goes back upstream offering an opportunity to continually re-run the rapids.
16. BELLE_120609_156.JPG: Gun Emplacement: Two large pits on the top of the hill were intended for canons to guard this prison island from northern attack. Rapids actually protected the island, there was never an attack, and no guns were ever installed.
17. BELLE_120609_165.JPG: Headgate Cleaner: Water leading to the power plant was kept clean by passing it through slats in the headgate called trash racks. Bits of wood can wear away the edges of turbine blades and make them unbalanced. Repair was complicated and expensive. The "mechanical rake" kept the trash racks clean of leaves and small debris. Notice how the steel teeth fit between the metal slats and could slide up and down. The wheels rode on the rails which now have handrails attached. The log jam is now a home for fish, turtles, and birds.
18. BELLE_120609_168.JPG: Headgate: The river brings logs and debris with every flood, but clear water is needed to push the turbine blades that turn electric generators. Logs were floated away through the gate in the dam straight ahead. (Look under the wheel.) Small debris was caught on the steel slats ("rack") under the walkway and cleaned off with the "rolling rake" on your right. (Note the steel rails in the walkway to which the handrails are now attached.) The water went through this strainer, into the canal and to the hydro electric plant 200 yards to your left. This "raceway" is now full of trees, but the stone wall is visible along the side. The high cost of maintenance made the electricity produced by the river energy unable to compete with that from inexpensive fossil fuels. The operation ceased in 1967.
19. BELLE_120609_189.JPG: Belle Isle Hydro Plant In front of you are the remains of a hydro electric plant. It powered the trolley system on the south of the river and the steel company at the east end of the island. To your Left and up are the remains of the Transformer Building. Here the flow of electricity from the different generators was evened-out and the voltage increased. Higher voltage allowed the use of thinner transportation wires. To your Right is the canal ("mill race") that brought river water from the west end of the island. Note the concrete addition on top of the original stone wall to allow a greater water flow. To your Left and Down are steps that lead to the power plant. On the way, you reach a stone wall. This is a remnant of a 19th century millrace that services water-powered iron mill. [sic] The metal pipe you walk through once held a primitive turbine. The axle from this powered machinery via a series of belts. Things to consider: How it Worked: Water ran through the metal grates ahead and into 3 large pipes called "penstocks." Each held a fan-like turbine. As water spun the blades, the drive shafts turned the generators in the main building and produced electricity. (The water flowed out under the building and onto the rocks where people play today.) How it Failed: Silt in river water wore down turbine blades, bearings and bushings. Logs and debris damaged the entrance gates of the mill race and mud had to be cleaned up after floods. Power production varied with river flow and was always low in summer. In the mid 1950's the price of oil was so low that petroleum products became the fuel of choice (local gasoline was .25 a gallon). Had anyone foreseen the great increase in costs after the Arab Oil Embargo in 1967, this plant might havem [sic] remained competitive. Question: would power production have been as valuable as the recreational benefits we now have from a free flowing river? History: For much of the 19th century this land was part of an iron foundry that made nails, wires and horse shoes and ran on water power. At the turn of the 20th century it moved to the eastern end of the island where it made steel products and ran on electricity. In 1904 this hydro electric power plant was built by the Upper Appomattox Company. In 1925 it was purchased by the Virginia Electric Power Company (VEPCO). In 1963 it was decommissioned and the generators moved to Peru where they are still in use today. Electric Trolleys: Richmond's ability to harness electricity from flowing water made it the first city in the nation to develop a commercial electric street car line -- 1888. By the turn of the 20th century this sparked a housing boom on the edges of the city -- people could live outside the city and commute by trolley to their jobs downtown. Street car travel was cheap, clean and efficient. After WW II the role of trolleys declined. Factories that once made war materials switched to civilian goods like buses and cars. The economy boomed. The government underwrote new road construction to encourage the purchase of these goods. Cheap mortgages for returning GI's opened up the suburbs. Urban trolley lines were abandoned -- the wires considered unsightly, the travel too slow. The last street car ran in 1949. The 21st Century may see a revival of modern trolleys. Traffic congestion and the high cost of gasoline has spurred interest in a new form of high speed street car transit: urban light rail. Things to Look for: * Inside the building, can you find the 3 rectangular concrete footings on which the generators rested? * Can you find the 3 circular metal bulkheads through which the turbine shafts connected with the generators? * Can you explain the fine, crusty dirt on the floor? (Think river levels.) * Outside the Transformer building can you find the foundations for the power line towers?
20. BELLE_120609_232.JPG: Belle Isle Rolling, Milling, and Slitting Manufactory Approx 1815-1900: Through the arched doorway, mules pulled carts of scrap iron from England. Water powered the machinery. European immigrants and black slaves provided the labor. The nails, wire, and horseshoes were famous throughout the South.
21. BELLE_120609_243.JPG: Ironworks Oil House: This stone storage shed was built to hold flammable lubricants and dangerous acids. The hand-cut stone likely was quarried here on Belle Isle. The shed served the Old Dominion Iron and Nail Company, which expanded from this area eastward, behind you, late in the 19th century. An 1886 fire insurance map identified the shed as an "oil house" and showed a "laboratory" next to it. The oil house may have been constructed by 1876, when another map showed a similar building in about this location. Notice the earth piled around the shed's side walls. The earth once reached to within two feet of the roof. The thick stone walls, reinforced by the heaped earth, would have helped direct any explosion and fire upward rather than outward, to protect other buildings as well as the workers here. When the 1934 Robert E Lee Bridge was demolished after the new bridge was completed in 1988, the shed's heavy slate roof was removed. The walls were temporarily buried under thirty feet of sand to protect them from any falling debris.
22. BELLE_120609_252.JPG: Cannon over the Camp: The Belle Isle prisoner-of-war camp that stood before you here was a prison without walls. Federal soldiers were confined by the James River and by the low earthen "dead line," such as the one replicated in front of you, surrounding the camp. About a hundred Confederate guards were assigned here and were authorized to shoot any prisoner crossing the dead line. On the hill behind you, artillery pieces were positioned above the camp to intimidate the captives further. Gilbert E. Sabre, a prisoner here in 1863-1864, described the guns in his postwar memoir: "A ridge of low hills... overlooked the camp. Here were posted, at different points, four pieces of artillery, charged with shot and canister, and pointed to rake all parts of the camp. Cannoneers were always at the pieces, ready at an instant to open upon any indications of a revolt."
23. BELLE_120609_260.JPG: The Belle Isle Environmental Education Center Donated to the city of Richmond by the Virginia Environmental Endowment, Private Richmond Foundation Support, and Richmond Renaissance, Inc. 1993
Wikipedia Description: Belle Isle (Virginia)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Belle Isle is a small (54 acre) island in the James River in Richmond, Virginia in the United States. Belle Isle is owned by the city of Richmond, and has been designated a city park. It is accessible to pedestrian and bicycle traffic via a suspension footbridge. From Belle Isle, one can see Hollywood Cemetery, the old Tredegar Iron Works, and Richmond City's skyline. Belle Isle has many bike trails around the island, and has a small cliff used for rock climbing instruction.

Belle Isle is not to be confused with Belle Isle State Park, located on the Rappahannock River in Lancaster County, Virginia.

Wildlife:

Belle Isle offers Richmonders the opportunity to view wildlife in its natural habitat, at a location only a few minutes from the heart of the city. Songbirds, ducks and blue herons are a common sight. Squirrels, small amphibians and reptiles also inhabit the island.

Historical note:

Belle Isle was the site of a Civil War prison camp for soldiers of the North. It was practice to keep the POWs in deplorable conditions in order to make them too weak to revolt, escape or fight again. A list of prisoners who died at Belle Isle is available. The Battle of Walkerton was the result of a failed Union attempt to free them.
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