RVA Hidden History Storytellers

01/06/2024

Take a dive into Richmond’s travel history with us! Rails & Sails is next Saturday at 10:00AM and we hope to see you there! 🚂

10/03/2024

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker did remarkable things in her life, despite the roadblocks she faced and eventually pushed through. While tending to wounded soldiers behind enemy lines, she was captured and spent time at Castle Thunder prison in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom neighborhood. During this time her captors implored time and again that she wear clothing more “becoming of her sex”, but she refused to abandon the values that she stood for, including that women should be free to dress comfortably and as they see fit. She was eventually released in a prisoner exchange for a Confederate surgeon, man-for-man.
Mary’s story is one of many that we feature on our Uncivil Wards tour.

At the start of the Civil War, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker went to Washington D.C. to enlist in the Union Army as a medical officer. As a woman she was denied the opportunity, but volunteered nonetheless, working near the front lines at Fredericksburg and the battles that today make up Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. Walker would gain her commissions in 1863 as the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army. Following the war, she was awarded the Medal of Honor, the first, and inexplicably still only, woman to to be given this highest honor.

06/10/2023

Perfect morning to talk about Richmond’s Revolutionary Spirit!

22/09/2023

A fascinating artifact from one of the American Revolution’s most maligned individuals…

Preserved in the lake's chilly waters for more than 200 years, the Spitfire now faces a new threat.

06/09/2023

To our favorite fighting Frenchman… 🇫🇷🇺🇸

Happy 266th Birthday to the Marquis de Lafayette! 🎂🇫🇷

25/05/2023

Checkout our new booking option! The first person to book a tour slot with us gets to choose the tour that we're offering on that day!
You can choose from Uncivil Wards, Rails & Rails, or Richmond's Revolutionary Spirit. Hope to see you on a history walk soon!
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/rvahiddenhistory/items/460890/?full-items=yes&flow=839128

07/04/2023

Do you like surprises? We do too! Join our friends at Hanover Tavern for their Antiques at the Tavern event next month, and see what they have to share!

We have a secret...

07/04/2023

Our friends at the John Marshall House have a special event next week that focuses on one of our favorite (and most notorious) court cases from Richmond's past. Be sure to check it out!

What happened to Aaron Burr after his fatal shooting of Alexander Hamilton? Find out about his treasonous plot of 1807 in this guided tour.

20/03/2023

It was a beautiful morning for a history tour! We’ll be ‘dark’ next weekend as we have a full calendar with our sister company , but come out and see us as the calendar flips over to April!

16/03/2023

Quick reminder that our Richmond’s Revolutionary Spirit tour resumes this weekend! In the weekend leading up to the 248th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty, or give me death” speech, there’s no better time to come out and learn about Richmond’s pivotal role in the Revolutionary Era. Tours this Saturday and Sunday at 10:00AM. Tickets available now online.
🎟️: rvahiddenhistory.com

04/03/2023

Come out and see what’s on the calendar for March! We’re bringing back a favorite tour just in time for the 248th anniversary of the 2nd Virginia Convention and Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech!
March 5th & 11th - Rails & Sails 🚂
March 12th - Uncivil Wards 🏥
March 18th & 19th - Richmond’s Revolutionary Spirit 🇺🇸🇬🇧
We are also available for private tours as well, so bring your friends and family out for a history tour experience with us!

19/12/2022

Check out this special event being offered by the John Marshall House this holiday season!

Virtual program exploring the history of Christmas in Early America from Preservation Virginia's 1790 John Marshall House

10/12/2022

Hey Richmond! After a long and dreadful absence, we’re pleased to announce that our offbeat history tours are back just in time for the holidays. You can check out our website to see what’s coming up and purchase tickets. We hope to see y’all soon!
🎟️: rvahiddenhistory.com

13/02/2022

Richmond has a long and tragic history with fire. While we’re thankful that no one was seriously hurt in the fire at Fox Elementary School, the loss leaves a gaping hole in the community. We encourage people to support the teachers and students that have lost so much in whatever way they can.

17/06/2021

Come join us this 4th of July weekend for a special event! We’re offering our Richmond’s Revolutionary Spirit tour on Saturday, July 3rd at 6:00pm and on Sunday, July 4th at 10:00am. You can find out more and buy tickets through our website. Hope to see you there!
🎟: www.rvahiddenhistory.com

20/05/2021

Taking a moment to remember the Marquis de Lafayette who passed away 187 years ago today. The Marquis was quite familiar with our city, as he aided in its defense late in the American Revolution, and he returned here for several days during his return tour in 1824.
Among the places that the Marquis visited in Richmond that you can still see today are the Capitol building and Executive Mansion, Masons’ Hall, Monumental Church, and the Old Stone House (now home to the Poe Museum).

Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, was one of the wealthiest men in France (which is to say in the world), when, inspired by the words of the American Declaration of Independence, he left the comfort and security of his home, traveled to America, and offered his service to the cause of American liberty. At age 19, he was commissioned Major General, to this day the youngest person ever to hold that rank in the American army.

Lafayette soon became one of General Washington’s most trusted generals, and his contributions to American independence are immeasurable. Having been orphaned at a young age, Lafayette greatly admired Washington, who became a father figure for him. And likewise, Lafayette became like a foster son to Washington, who had no biological children of his own.

To the end of his long and celebrated life, Lafayette remained devoted to his adopted county. He named his only son George Washington and named a daughter Virginia. He named his French estate “Little Virginia” and required those who visited him there to speak English (a language he had taught himself while crossing the ocean to join the American cause).

Having returned to France after the war ended, Lafayette became a key player in the cause of French liberty and he remains a revered hero in that country as well. He was the principal author of the French Declaration of the Rights of Man, modeling it on the American Declaration of Independence, and he helped create the French tri-color flag, inspired by (you guessed it) the American flag.

Lafayette was 67 years old when, in 1824, President James Monroe and Congress invited him to come to the United States in honor of the nation’s upcoming 50th birthday. After Washington’s death in 1799, he had given up his dream of someday returning to Virginia and living near Mount Vernon, but Lafayette was delighted at the invitation and welcomed the opportunity to return to the country he had helped create. During his year-long grand tour of the country, the aging hero (one of the last surviving leaders of the Revolution) visited all 24 states and was greeted everywhere he went by cheering enthusiastic crowds. When he returned to France in September 1825, he took back with him some soil from Bunker Hill.

At age 76, Lafayette died at his home in Paris. At his request, his son George Washington du Motier sprinkled the soil from Bunker Hill over his father’s coffin as it was lowered into the ground. An American flag has flown continually over the grave ever since.

When word of Lafayette’s death reached America there was an outpouring of grief that equaled that when Washington died. Flags were lowered to half mast, John Quincy Adams delivered a eulogy in a joint session of Congress attended by the president, the cabinet, the Supreme Court justices, and the American diplomatic corps. Twenty-four-gun salutes were fired by every American naval ship and at every American military post, followed by a single cannon shot every half-hour afterwards until sunset. For six months American officers wore black armbands, and American citizens wore mourning dress for thirty days.

Hundreds of places in America, including at least 36 cities and towns, are named in honor of Lafayette.

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, the “Hero of Two Worlds,” died on May 20, 1834, one hundred eighty-seven years ago today.

The painting is “Lafayette’s Baptism of Fire” by E. Percy Moran (1909).

10/05/2021

It was a big day for our friends at Masons' Hall! Even if you missed out on the unveiling, you can go by to check out the impressive historic marker anytime!

06/05/2021

Great news from our neighbors at Masons' Hall!

This Saturday May 8th at 11am we’re excited to be unveiling a bronze historic marker in front of Masons’ Hall! This marker is being made possible by the generous contributions and efforts of the Commonwealth Chapter of the Daughters of The American Revolution (DAR) 🇺🇸

It Reads:

Masons’ Hall is the nation’s oldest continuously used Masonic building. Planned after the Revolutionary War by notable figures in American masonry, it was constructed from 1785-1787 under the leadership of Edmund Randolph, the first Attorney General of the United States and a Governor of Virginia. Prominent lawyer John Marshall, best known as the longest serving Chief Justice of the United States, was instrumental in encouraging financial support for the project and sometimes worked in the building.

Designed for a growing, young, capital city, Masons’ Hall has hosted many church, social, and civic events through the years. Virginia delegates to the constitutional convention met here before traveling to Philadelphia in 1787. The building served as a hospital during the War of 1812. The Marquis de Lafayette was welcomed here as a distinguished visitor in 1824. Richmond City Hustings Court and City Council meetings were sometimes held in the hall. This important landmark was protected by Union forces during the evacuation of Richmond in 1865 and today Masons’ Hall bears witness to local history as one of the few remaining 18th-century buildings in the city.

Home of Richmond Randolph No.19, Masons’ Hall 1785, a Charitable Organization is a 501(c)(3) supported by generous donations contributed through masonshall1785.org.

03/05/2021

Join us for an Uncivil Wards History Tour on June 11th at 6:30PM! This is the only opportunity to catch this tour as a public offering in the next couple months and tickets are limited. All tickets are “general admission” for $15, plus booking fees. You can purchase your tickets now on our website.
🎟: www.rvahiddenhistory.com

23/04/2021

Check out this amazing bit of history at the John Marshall House!

🎉 THE ROBE IS BACK 🎉 Come take a tour at the John Marshall House to view the Chief Justice’s last surviving black judicial robe! Visit the link below to purchase tickets, or email us at johnmarshallhouse.org, or call (804) 648-7998 to reserve over the phone. We’re open Fri-Sun for the rest of June, and then in May, we are pleased to offer extended open hours to make the robe even more accessible!

https://preservationvirginia.org/tickets/john-marshall-house/

02/04/2021

Hey ! We’re still here and ready to share some of Richmond’s offbeat ! While we’re still only offering private tours at this time, we are making some plans for the months ahead. In the meantime, if you want to setup a tour for yourself, checkout our website: www.rvahiddenhistory.com

15/03/2021

Here in Central Virginia, we often focus on how the French and the Marquis de Lafayette aided in the American Revolution, but did you know that they were not the only foreign power to intervene in the conflict? 🇫🇷
Check out this article about how the Spanish aided the American colonists in their own way, and how the name Bernardo de Gálvez is one you should know as well! 🇪🇸

Bernardo de Galvez’s involvement may not have been altruistic, but his contributions made a difference nonetheless

16/02/2021

Our friends at Masons’ Hall have a fascinating story to share this President’s Day!

Did you know The United States had TWO first Presidents? You all know George Washington but some consider Peyton Randolph (left), the first President of the Continental Congress, to be the first. On this President’s Day, however, we’ll discuss the man that knew them both, Edmund Randolph!

Edmund Randolph (center) was the nephew of Peyton Randolph who was serving as an aide-de-camp to General Washington (right) while Uncle Peyton was leading Congress. Unfortunately, Peyton Randolph resigned his presidency due to poor health and was succeeded by John Hancock. His spot in the delegation was given to his young up and coming cousin Thomas Jefferson, who’s pen would of course leave a mark on Congress and our country. He returned a few months later in 1775 to Philadelphia again as a member of the Virginia delegation and died while dining with Jefferson.

After his uncle’s death Edmund Randolph, serving with Washington in Boston, returned to Virginia as the executor of his Uncle Peyton’s estate. He would eventually join the Continental Congress himself as a member of Virginia’s delegation and worked as a private lawyer handling many of George Washington’s personal legal matters. He would go on to serve as the first Attorney General of The United States in President George Washington’s first cabinet.

Masons’ Hall owes its existence to the leadership and vision of Edmund Randolph, the man who knew not one but TWO first Presidents! Our resident masonic lodge Richmond Randolph No.19 has proudly carried his name for 234 years. Happy President’s Day! 🇺🇸