What Richmond, Virigina looked like in the 1940s Through Historic Photographs

The canteen also served a test “disaster supper” at the Bon Air Community House later that week. The mobile kitchen would be used to feed civilians in case of a disaster involving more than five families.

The boats often were secured to trees or pilings, but rising floodwaters put them in jeopardy.

The James River crested at 13.1 feet during the afternoon but receded by 5 feet within hours.

Completed in 1853 at the current site of Old City Hall, the building’s outer shell was moved to Madison and Grace in the mid-1880s to make room for the city building. In 1943, the Acca Shriners, who had lost the Mosque (now Altria Theater) during the Great Depression, purchased the old church building. They used it until the mid-1950s; the building has since been torn down.

She was among the first women to serve as auxiliary wardens during a test.

During World War II, the sight of women in overalls doing what traditionally had been men’s jobs had grown familiar. And while the reverse was less common, the military’s need for surgical dressings prompted these men to help answer the call. They had taken first-aid courses, too.

This was the only troupe of Air Scouts organized in Richmond at that time; they wore the regulation National Air Scout uniform. Pictured (from left) were pilot leader Eddie Williams, sponsor Verna Walker, pilot leader William Massie, sponsor Barbara Chandler, pilot leader Everett Webb and sponsor Virginia Blackburn. The community center was financed by Second Presbyterian Church.

Several colorful floats such as this one, a Marine Corps band from Quantico, two Chinese orchestras, native costumes, high school cadet bands, and units of soldiers and sailors from nearby camps marched along the route that began at Boulevard and Monument Avenue.

Helping to move were Jeanne Begien (left), Evelyn Bishop (front), Mrs. Roger F. Clapp (back) and Mrs. Leland Jones (peering from back of truck).

From left: Georgina Marracinia, outdoor uniform; Nancy Wortham, staff assistant; Mrs. C.F. Bowles, gray ladies; Mrs. William Hall, nurses’ aide; Mrs. Livingstone, home service; Mrs. J. Scott Parrish Jr., canteen; Mrs. Robert Cabell III, production, and Mrs. Collins Denny Jr., motor corps.

Volunteers with the Chesterfield County branch of the American Red Cross Production Corps put in 314 collective hours of work making 40 dresses, 12 sweaters and 14 banners for the relief drive to aid war-stricken Europeans. The volunteers shown here are (from left) Mrs. A. Baake, Mrs. W.E. Pearce, Mrs. J.P. Belcher, Mrs. W.F. Saunders, Mrs. H.E. Adams, Mrs. N.H. Cogbill and Mrs. H.C. Cline.

They stood under the church’s service flag: Each blue star represented a church member who was on active duty in World War II, and each gold star represented a church member lost in the war. Service flags were popular for families but sometimes were used by organizations and communities.

At the time, two dozen counties had beaver colonies, with an eye toward helping restore fur trapping in Virginia.

The building served as the Belgian Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, but because Belgium was under wartime occupation after the event, it could not be returned to the country. Belgium gifted the building to VUU -- it was reassembled on campus starting in 1941 and housed the university library for decades.

A 1909 fire had ravaged the bridge, and by 1948, its remnants on the isle were determined to be a fire hazard far beyond any use.

The Army purchased the land from the Bellwood family in 1941 and activated the post the following year. It was heavily used during World War II – more than 800 rail cars would pass through on some days.

The tower shown in the photo is 70 feet high, serving as front of the theater and screen.

The one-hour exercise, which covered the Richmond and Tri-Cities area, required that buildings and residences turn off lights or prevent light from being seen from the outside. Buses, ambulances and personal vehicles were also asked to remain off the roads.

The next evening, the University of Richmond hosted the College of William & Mary. Ticket prices were $1 for adults and 60 cents for children 12 and younger.

Robinson, who left Richmond at age 7 to join a traveling show, wanted to get a photo of the house so that his show business friends would believe his stories about his humble beginnings.

Berrier’s opened a plant on West Broad Street in 1930 – an advertisement for an open house, with samples, humbly touted that it’s “not a tremendous plant, supplying thousands of gallons of ice cream a day … nothing pretentious.” The Boulevard store, which has since been torn down, did serve sundaes and cones, but its main focus was takeout ice cream and blocks of ice.

The school, at 26th and Leigh streets in Richmond, was previously the Springfield School, which taught white children. It had just been converted to a school for black youths, and more than 700 were enrolled on the first day. It was named for J. Andrew Bowler, the first pastor at Mount Olivet Baptist Church and organizer of a Church Hill school for black children in the 1880s. The building now houses the Bacon and Bowler Retirement Community.

The home for unwed mothers was the successor to Spring Street Home in Richmond’s Oregon Hill area, which was established in 1874 by the Magdalen Association to help single women and their children. In the 1930s, the operation moved from Spring Street to Brookfield, and later to Brook Road in Henrico. The Brookfield area was redeveloped in the 1970s and was the site of the Hyatt House hotel.

It had been stolen days earlier, and once it was pulled to the bank, Henrico County police confirmed that no one was in it. But halfway up the bank, shortly after this picture was taken, the chain broke and the car slipped back into the quarry – 32 feet of water had to be pumped out of the quarry before the car could be recovered.

The city of Richmond held negotiations with the War Assets Administration for the return of the airport, which had been transformed into the Richmond Army Air Base during World War II. When the field was returned to the city, it was more than 850 acres larger than when the federal government took it over.

That afternoon marked the end of a crippling two-day national railroad strike, which had stranded passengers and cargo – local businesses were able to purchase some of the perishable foods as well as tropical fish. President Harry Truman had threatened an Army takeover of railroad facilities if the striking trainmen and engineers unions didn’t return to work.

The Times-Dispatch ran a series analyzing Richmond’s traffic problems such as this, and reviewing a proposed expressway. Based on a survey completed by the Automotive Safety Foundation, the series indicated that the current infrastructure could not handle the predicted increase in traffic, and construction of the expressway was recommended.

The arena, which opened in June 1941, was at MacTavish Avenue and West Marshall Street in Richmond’s West End. It held skating exhibitions on Friday and Saturday nights.

The psychiatric hospital dates to 1869, when a former Confederate facility known as Howard’s Grove Hospital was designated as a mental health facility for African-Americans.

In the next month’s vote, the issue generated a higher turnout than the 1944 presidential election, and the new charter was approved overwhelmingly.

He waved to a crowd that waited in the rain to see him as his motorcade came through Capitol Square in Richmond.

An accompanying story outlined the growth of Virginia women in the workforce. Based on 1930 census data, more than 6,000 women worked in tobacco factories – the sixth-ranked source of employment for women.

A crowd of more than 10,000 watched Webb knock out Romero in the third round, and Abrams won a decision over Spangler. Tickets were $1 for general admission, $2 for reserved and $3 for ringside.

John Marshall got to Teejay’s one-foot line in the last minute of play but couldn’t score.

A roughly 5-yard braid was needed to make the mat. Hicks could make about 200 in a year.

The city was planning several pedestrian safety upgrades at the busy intersection, including painted crosswalks, new signage and a fence along Hull.

The building, which cost more than $200,000, gave the 13-year-old dairy modern features including a refreshment room that served up to 50 people, ice-cream-making facilities and curbside service. The building is now home to the Dairy Bar restaurant.

A group of movie stars and dignitaries including Cary Grant turned out to watch while taking a break from filming “The Howards of Virginia” in Colonial Williamsburg. Part of the big crowd, estimated at 8,000 spectators, is shown above. The picture shows the members' reserve section just to right of the grandstand. This event was held at Curles Neck Farm.

The ship brought a cargo of 1,000 tons of newsprint from Nova Scotia for The Times-Dispatch and News Leader.

Nearly 800 local manufacturers were issued tickets to visit the eight-car train, which held an array of sample equipment that the government needed contractors to build for the war effort – such as guns, airplane and ship parts, field hospital equipment, chairs, saws and pipe fittings. The train staff interviewed and guided qualified manufacturers through the process to become a contractor.

The majority of Virginia pulp and paper mills made this type of paper, which was used to make other goods. Factories were maximizing production after the war era had developed new and popular paper products.

The store offered a large selection of pet foods, a relatively new concept for the era. The accompanying article said: “Gone, apparently, are the days that Fido took the scraps from the table and liked them.”

Opened in 1880 in a white neighborhood, the school on West Marshall Street was designated for black students in 1927. By 1939, the school was recommended for abandonment because of its poor condition and a lack of facilities, such as adequate interior restrooms. It was used until 1955 and later was torn down.

The sign, which asked men to keep their hats on, challenged tradition – in the presence of women, men customarily removed their hats and held them to their chest. The executive felt the new policy would speed elevator service and allow for more room.

The machine cut and threshed the beans, and with the help of the boy on the back of the tractor, Alvis bagged them. According to an accompanying article, Virginia farmers produced 1.75 million bushels of soybeans the year before, which grossed them $4.1 million.

The sprawling brick building, which opened in 1928 and housed 36 lanes, was totally destroyed.

Traffic tied up an hour by three-alarm blaze at Casket Company late yesterday.

It was located at Ninth and Main Streets in downtown. The bank was in the process of adding the first drive-in tellers windows which would allow customers to drive thru for service on the Eighth Street side of the building. The bank hoped the system would alleviate downtown parking woes and quicken service for customers.

The soldier from Durham, N.C., eventually was rewarded with a catch of a 4-pound catfish.

The flooded U.S. Route 60 is in the foreground. As much as 8 feet of water was reported on Route 60 in the area.

The six-story resort hotel stood on 1,000 acres in Glen Allen on Mountain Road and boasted more than 100 rooms. It never became the success that Cussons envisioned, and after changing hands and purposes several times, it was razed in 1992. The cupola was saved and can be seen at Mountain Road and Old Washington Highway.

The dance kicked off a series that was to run three times per week, with a different battalion invited each night. About 500 service members and 125 girls attended this first dance.

People waited in blocks-long lines to tour exhibits of historical artifacts that included the original Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Truman Doctrine and Bill of Rights. The Freedom Train, which traveled the country between 1947 and 1949, was the first train to visit each of the 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii had not yet gained statehood). Virginians in blocks-long line await turn to tour exhibits aboard Freedom Train at Allen Avenue and Broad Street.

The gifts – including dolls, lace, antique furniture, books, statues and paintings -- were an expression of thanks for the American "Friendship Train," which distributed food to needy Europeans in 1947. Richmonders filled two of the 12 boxcars of supplies sent by Virginia. After ceremonies at the state Capitol, the French boxcar spent a week on display downtown.

The event featured all manner of transportation not fueled by gas: Gov. Colgate Darden rode in an ox-driven cart, and a goat-powered wagon (center right) carried Mayor Gordon Ambler along the parade route from Monroe Park to Capitol Square.

They built the toy in the spirit of “Gasless Sundays,” a means of conserving resources in a national defense drive ahead of U.S. entry into World War II. The cart was fashioned from an orange crate, old baby carriage wheels and scrap lumber.

The Oregon Hill school, which opened in 1911, honored the philanthropist for her donation of the land and $5,000 toward the building. After decades as an elementary school and later a special education school, the building has housed Open High School since 1989.

Summer heat left the block unusually quiet for a Saturday afternoon.

Because of rationing and shortages during World War II, shop inventory ebbed and flowed for some time afterward as the economy stabilized.

The women had completed courses in basic and advanced first aid, motor mechanics and blackout driving. The motor corps was established by the American Red Cross in 1917 during World War I to transport wounded soldiers to local hospitals and deliver supplies.

The unit was organized in July 1941 with 45 volunteers and a $6,000 fire truck. The unit moved into this building on Nine Mile Road in 1947. At far left is Fire Chief Percy L. Burnett.

The house, named for the noted lawyer and businessman who built it, dates to around 1840 and was made of granite from the quarries on the original estate. It was remodeled in the 1930s and for a time was home to a library. The house, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, now serves as an event venue.

Subfreezing temperatures had chilled Eastern and Midwestern states and led to a heating oil shortage.

The James ultimately rose to 24.2 feet in the city after heavy rains throughout the river’s watershed.

An 18-unit apartment complex in the 2700 block of Kensington Avenue in Richmond was nearing completion.

Merhige, who had recently been discharged from the Army Air Forces, later became a federal judge in Virginia.

The festival, which previously had been held in the Mosque, was postponed twice because bad weather threatened the new location at City Stadium. Despite the delays, about 8,000 people attended the show.

The road magnet, moving at about 15 mph, picked up nails, spikes, tacks and other metallic objects on roads that might lead to flat tires.

The additions would bring the total number of receptacles to about 680, meaning no city resident would have to walk more than three blocks to deposit a letter.

Richmond delivery would be beginning as a result of annexation, in which the city added portions of Henrico and Chesterfield counties (about 16 square miles covering 22,000 residents).

That month, a New York consultant selected by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce made a series of recommendations to improve local transit, including prohibiting parking along Main Street at busy times. As shown here, when cars were parked along the curb, drivers had to putter behind the glut of streetcars because there was no room to pass.

The company was at this location between 1861 and 1953, though the first building burned with the rest of Richmond in 1865. By 1869, the current structure, also known as the Branch Building, was completed. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered one of Richmond’s finest iron-fronted buildings.

Tolls on the Lee Bridge were lifted for cars with city license plates to ease the inconvenience during the work. The Mayo Bridge, also known as the 14th Street Bridge, is where the original structure connected Richmond and Manchester in the late 1700s. TONING COMPLETE -- Repaving starts on Mayo Bridge. This picture shows workmen repaving the Mayo Bridge. Southbound traffic can be seen over the span. Northbound traffic has been halted during the repairs. Fourteenth Street Bridge.

Noted sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington created the work, which she and her husband, Archer Milton Huntington, donated to the college. Bears are a symbol of healing in Native American culture. Decades later, the statue was moved inside to protect it.

The unit was organized in 1844 and served most famously in the Civil War; its history is incorporated in today’s 276th Engineer Battalion of the Virginia National Guard.

The parade was organized as part of the nation’s drive to secure the voluntary enlistment of 18 and 19-year-olds in the war effort.

While his machine was old and often required maintenance, Brooking swore by the method of stone-ground corn.

With the government calling for conserving tires as shortages loomed during World War II, Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimers looked to their past to find alternate ways deliver purchases to customers, as was their custom at the time.

Red Cross members would use the canteens to feed soldiers; they practiced by feeding large groups at Richmond-area churches, parks and events. The $1,795 canteen was made possible through proceeds from a city scrap metal drive directed by Sheain and donations from WRVA listeners of Brown’s “Okay America” program. Parrish led the Red Cross canteen committee.

The city did not want to mar the beauty of the avenue with signs, even though no parking was permitted. While police strictly ticketed violators on weekdays, exceptions were made for churchgoers on Sunday mornings.

The new pulpit had a mural depicting the “Ascension of Christ,” which was the work of Reinhold Fobian, a Danish artist of New York, and Hans Peter Hansen of New England. The remodeling was done by Mrs. James E. Crass as a memorial to her husband.

At right, wearing the new home uniform, is Colts manager Vinnie Smith. At left is Ray Schalk, manager of the Newport News Dodgers. The Colts won the Piedmont League game 6-5.

Located at Norfolk and Roseneath streets, Mooers Field hosted the Richmond Colts from 1942 through 1953. Mooers then converted the field into a stock car racetrack for a time before it was sold and dismantled in the late 1950s.

Located at Norfolk and Roseneath streets, Mooers Field hosted the Richmond Colts from 1942 through 1953. Eddie Mooers then converted the field into a stock car racetrack for a time before it was sold and dismantled in the late 1950s. 3-7-1946: 'And the green grass grows all around' - the infield. But the Mooers Field outfield is mighty barren these days.

Highlights included a synchronized swimming exhibition as well as swim safety instruction. The pool was in the basement of what is known today as the Altria Theater.

The fish were split in half, cleaned thoroughly and nailed on boards, upon which they were allowed to dry. At intervals, salt was sprinkled over the curing fish. At the time, shad was the most valuable commercial food fish in Virginia waters.

For April Fools’ Day months earlier, the firefighters at Engine Co. 3 had embedded the coin so no one could pick it up. They had been pulling a coin prank for eight or nine years, and usually someone would eventually pry it loose. For the nickel, some days could see nearly 100 people try to claim the coin.

She was among two dozen women from the Richmond and Tri-Cities areas who had just become Gray Ladies, a hospital volunteer branch of the Red Cross.

During the decade, Lee was home to about 70 oil and gas test wells that had been drilled in the region.

The plant was built in the 1890s when Richmond and Manchester were twin cities — they consolidated in 1910, and the structure was abandoned in 1914 after Richmond extended a water main into the area.