Tobacco Row
Encyclopedia
Tobacco Row is a collection of tobacco warehouses and cigarette factories in Richmond, Virginia
adjacent to the James River and Kanawha Canal
near its eastern terminus at the head of navigation of the James River
.
maintained facilities there, as well as directly across the river at Manchester
. Substantial multi-story brick buildings were constructed to protect the contents from loss due to fire.
During the American Civil War
(1861–1865), Tobacco Row was the site of infamous Libby Prison
and nearby Castle Thunder
, detention facilities of the Confederate
government.
In 1925, WRVA radio, owned by Larus and Brother tobacco company, went on the air, broadcasting from a studio located in a corner of their House of Edgeworth warehouse, with a tower mounted on the roof of the building.
One of the warehouses is home to the Virginia Holocaust Museum
.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
adjacent to the James River and Kanawha Canal
James River and Kanawha Canal
The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal in Virginia, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast....
near its eastern terminus at the head of navigation of the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
.
History
Beginning in the 18th century, many growers and shippers of Virginia's major cash-crop of tobaccoTobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
maintained facilities there, as well as directly across the river at Manchester
Manchester, Virginia
Manchester, Virginia is a former independent city in Virginia in the United States. Prior to receiving independent status, it served as the county seat of Chesterfield County, between 1870 and 1876...
. Substantial multi-story brick buildings were constructed to protect the contents from loss due to fire.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1861–1865), Tobacco Row was the site of infamous Libby Prison
Libby Prison
Libby Prison was a Confederate Prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It gained an infamous reputation for the harsh conditions under which prisoners from the Union Army were kept.- Overview :...
and nearby Castle Thunder
Castle Thunder (prison)
Castle Thunder, located in Richmond, Virginia, was a former tobacco warehouse located on Tobacco Row, converted into a prison used by the Confederacy to house civilian prisoners, including captured Union spies, political prisoners and those charged with treason during the American Civil War. A...
, detention facilities of the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
government.
In 1925, WRVA radio, owned by Larus and Brother tobacco company, went on the air, broadcasting from a studio located in a corner of their House of Edgeworth warehouse, with a tower mounted on the roof of the building.
Adaptive Reuse
The area was vacated by the tobacco companies by the late 1980s. Following completion of Richmond's James River Flood Wall in 1995, led by Richmond developer William H. Abeloff, many of the old warehouses of Tobacco Row were modernized and converted into developments of loft apartments, condominiums, offices, and retail space along part of the restored canal system.One of the warehouses is home to the Virginia Holocaust Museum
Virginia Holocaust Museum
The Virginia Holocaust Museum is a Virginia museum dedicated to depicting the Holocaust as experienced by its victims. A main part of the exhibition is about the family story of Holocaust survivor Jay M. Ipson.-History:...
.