Jeff Ruggles guest-posts over at The Shockoe Examiner on the origin of the Shockoe in Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom:

It is plausible that the Powhatan called such dams “stone-things” or shacquohocan. In time, what began as a word for stone dams could have comeinto use as a place name for the part of the river the dams occupied, and then for the banks adjacent, where the Indians might have had a temporary encampment. [...] It was there that the English, when they journeyed up the river in their boats, could proceed no farther, and so it became a place significant to the English as well. The same place on the river was known to the Powhatan and the English for different reasons—the English as the head of navigation, and the Powhatan as a place for fishing. The English heard the Powhatan name for this place and adopted it. They abbreviated it, attached it to a nearby creek, and eventually it became the name for their settlement on the north bank of the river.

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The good folks at the Valentine Richmond History Center have two walking tours of the area coming up this weekend:

CANAL BOATS AND COBBLESTONES Explore architectural treasures and preservation efforts along the James River and the Canal, which was developed in the 1840’s to bypass river rapids. Includes Shockoe Slip, the Turning Basin and the warehouse district. Meet at the James Center Clock Tower at 10th and Cary streets. July 24 (6-7:30pm)

MANCHESTER Located south of the James River, Manchester was once a major port city and for three years was the county seat of Chesterfield. Incorporated into the city of Richmond in 1910, Manchester enjoyed a mid-century heyday and is now undergoing efforts to recapture its roots. Meet at Bankuet Place, 1129 Hull Street. July 25 (2-4pm)

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The Elegba Folklore Society will present Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration 2010 on June 19 beginning at 2PM:

This commemoration of Juneteenth National Freedom Day will feature a full palette of performers and speakers, who will present according to the theme, including Plunky & Oneness, internationally recognized for their popular brand of African world music, and Legacy of Weyanoke, an a cappella vocal ensemble specializing in the songs and stories of the African Diaspora. Legacy of Weyanoke take their audiences on a journey that pays tribute to that taken by the African ancestors, including those who established in 1619 the first known African settlement in an English-speaking colony in North America. The journey includes countless encounters with Native Americans, who became coworkers, allies, friends and family members.

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A Manchester walking tour this Sunday from the folks at the Valentine Richmond History Center:

Located south of the James River, Manchester was once a major port city and for three years was the county seat of Chesterfield. Incorporated into the city of Richmond in 1910, Manchester enjoyed a mid-century heyday and is now undergoing efforts to recapture its roots.

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Urban Scale Richmond “took the opportunity of spring-like weather last week to explore the urban fabric of the oldest part of Richmond”, observing that “a pedestrian’s view of the city brought home the geographic, historic, and architectural complexity of the neighborhood.”

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Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will continue offering its guided walks on the Slave Trail throughout March and has added a new walk to see the growing nesting colony of Great Blue Herons in the James River Park.

The guided walks along the Slave Trail will be offered on the remaining Saturdays in March at 2 p.m. These are emotional walks that originate at the docks at Ancarrow’s Landing in the James River Park and cross the river to conclude at the site of Lumpkin’s Jail and the Reconciliation Statue.

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The Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will offer guided walks on Richmond’s Slave Trail each Saturday during February, Black History Month. This emotional walk, led by James River Park Manager Ralph White, will take you from the stone docks at Ancarrow’s Landing on the river through the forest to the site of the slave jails.

The walks will be scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. based on demand. There is a $5 per person fee. Please register in advance by calling the James River Park at 804-646-8911.

UPDATE: This has been cancelled.

The Richmond City Council Slave Trail Commission will hold a public news conference to discuss current Richmond City Council Slave Trail Commission developments, including plans for a National Slavery Museum, genealogy center and the historic Negro burial ground. The news conference will take place at the Richmond Slavery Reconciliation Statue Wednesday at 11:30 am. All citizens are invited and encouraged to attend.

Former Richmond City Councilman Sa’ad El-Amin filed a lawsuit this morning against Virginia Department of Historic Resources Director Kathleen Kilpatrick.

From the RTD:

The suit seeks to order the department to conduct an archaeological dig of a Virginia Commonwealth University parking lot at 1541 E. Broad St. to determine the true boundaries of a cemetery for African-American slaves.

The suit challenges an historic resources report that found that boundaries of the burial grounds extend 50 feet into the parking lot. [via]

Governor Kaine and Mayor Jones at the ribbon cutting and dedication for the Virginia Capital Trail. [via]

Photo from Jeff Kelley.

Richmond City Council Reporter and Telegraph has video of the Slavery  Museum being presented to City Council’s Land Use, Housing, and Transportation Committee on October 20, 2009.

Land Use, Housing, & Transportation – Oct. 20, 2009 from Silver Persinger on Vimeo.

Richmond Magazine has the latest details on the proposed slavery museum in Shockoe Bottom, as well as a slideshow of the renderings. The editor of Richmond Magazine’s twitter page hints that  the Fredericksburg location is out.

 ”Meet Me in the Bottom- The Struggle to Reclaim Richmond’s African Burial Ground” premieres October 23 at the Grace Street Theater at 7:00 p.m.

The Burial Ground for Negroes (ca. 1750-1816) is located north of Broad Street, between 15th and 16th Streets. It is the oldest municipal cemetery for enslaved and free Blacks known toexist in the Richmond area. An 1810 map shows the Negro Burial Ground near Broad Street and Shockoe Creek.  Today the Burial Ground for Negroes sits adjacent to a parking lot owned by Virginia Commonwealth University. In fact, there are questions as to whether the Burial Ground lies beneath the parking lot. Activist and other groups have protested what is seen by many as a desecration of sacred ground. This documentary tells the story of the community’s efforts to reclaim the Burial Ground as the final resting place of their ancestors.

Admission is free. Following the screening, there will be a community discussion. For more information visit the movie’s website.

Seen on the Hope in the Cities FB page:

If you are interested in being a part of one of the most significant historical sites in our city, come to Lumpkins Jail on Saturday, October 17 at 9 am to help clean up the site. It is an excellent time to work with others who care about our history and preserving sites that tell our story in such a powerful way. You can call 646-8911 to let them know you are coming, or just show up.

From the Library of Virginia’s Virginia Memory: This Day in Virginia History

This scale drawing of a portion of Manchester, Virginia, illustrates a February 21, 1869, murder scene, showing two routes from a local tavern to the home of Richard H. Whitehead. After drinking with Thomas Willis at Talley’s Bar Room, Whitehead shot James Rogers. The Chesterfield County Court convicted both Whitehead and Willis of murder in the second degree and sentenced Whitehead to eighteen years in the penitentiary and Willis to seven. The map is interesting for its depiction of particular buildings and residences of the time, revealing considerable information about how the area actually looked.