Capitol fun in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the state capital of Virginia. Since 1609 the area has been settled, originally by the English and the present city was founded in 1737, becoming the capital of Virginia in 1780. The city became famous during the War of independence. Patrick Henry gave his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech in Richmond. During the Civil War, Richmond was the capital city of the Confederate States.
The State Capitol Building was designed by Thomas Jefferson and Charles-Louis Clerisseau and building completed in 1788 and now second only to Maryland as the oldest state house still in use. The neo-classical design of the State Capitol Building started the trend for other designs including the Capitol Building in Washington DC and the White House.
The surrounding area of the Capitol Building has a number of statues, including an impressive George Washington statue; a memorial to the African-Americans who campaigned for integration in schools; Harry Flood Byrd, a fine and long standing servant of Richmond; Hunter Holmes McGuire, an eminent Civil War surgeon and former president of the American Medical Association; and the obligatory Stonewall Jackson statue.
Partially destroyed during the Civil War when Ulysses S Grant led the Federal Army south, Richmond soon began to grow again after Robert E Lee signed the surrender that ended the war. Monument Avenue was laid out in 1887 and statues now stand in memory to great Confederate generals, local luminaries and tennis players. J.E.B. Stuart, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and Matthew F. Maury now controversially stand alongside Arthur Ashe.
