Historic Jackson Ward District

View Historic Jackson Ward District in a larger map

Visit our “Tour Destination: Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia” page to see the entire tour of the area’s Save America’s Treasures sites.

The historic cast-iron porches frequently seen in the Jackson Ward District.

Historic Jackson Ward District

The boundaries of the Jackson Ward District are: Broad Street to the south, North Belvidere Street to the west, West Duval Street to the north, and North 3rd Street to the east.

Richmond, VA

Website:  The Historic Jackson Ward Association
The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia

The Treasure:  The architecture, culture, and history of achievement within this historically African-American neighborhood, once known as the “Harlem of the South.”

Accessibility:  It’s a neighborhood! Stroll the streets and enjoy the history. For orientation to the area and its history, visit the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia located at 00 Clay Street. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 5.

Background:  You see layers of history when you explore an area like this. Much of the architecture dates back before the neighborhood’s most famous years—from the early 1920s to the 1940s when Jackson Ward earned its nickname of the “Harlem of the South.” The oldest surviving house, Tucker Cottage at 701 Chamberlayne Parkway, dates all the way back to 1802. Many other buildings along these streets display the Greek Revival and Second Empire styles popular during the 19th century. Charming historic cast-iron porch railings, usually made at local Richmond foundries, lend some of the streets a distinctive and welcoming appearance

In the years following the Civil War, many freed slaves moved to Jackson Ward where there was already an established community of free blacks. Working together, they created a thriving business community. One early leader was the Reverend William Washington Browne, who was a lead founder of the Savings Bank of the United Order of True Reformers in 1888, the first bank chartered by African Americans in the United States. Formerly listed as one of the country’s

most endangered National Historic Landmarks,

Maggie L. Walker House.

the W.W. Browne House has been successfully renovated in keeping with its historic past by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the Walker Row Partnership, Inc.

The most famous figure to emerge from this period was Maggie Lena Walker (1864-1934), the first woman (of any color!) to charter a bank in the United States. The St. Luke Penny Savings Bank was a roaring success, too, offering opportunities for first-time home ownership to many. Today, the National Park Service manages the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site at 600 North Second Street, open Monday through Saturday from 9 to 5.

The Leigh Street Armory.

Save America’s Treasures funding was primarily used to stabilize the upper portions of the Leigh Street Armory at 122 West Leigh Street. Officially known as the First Battalion Virginia Volunteers Armory, the 1895 building is the oldest standing armory building in Virginia and has a good claim on being the oldest African-American armory in the country. Richmond’s first African-American regiment met and drilled here. Other historic buildings that have benefited from Save America’s Treasures support include the Booker T. Washington School (an 1871 building that is the oldest public school building in Richmond) and Tucker Cottage, the 1802 building which was successfully moved within the neighborhood to save it from demolition.

John Mitchell, Jr. in 1886.

Notes from the Editor:  History can be fickle, temporarily forgetting true giants in the struggles that shaped the country. Let’s hope that the name of John Mitchell, Jr. (1863-1929) is on the rebound now as places like the Library of Virginia and the National Endowment for the Humanities have published work celebrating his heroism.

Mitchell was born into slavery in 1863 and spent his life fearlessly championing civil rights for African Americans. As editor of the Richmond Planet, Mitchell publicly denounced all aspects of racial injustice, most notably in his long-term crusade against lynching. At a time when the Ku Klux Klan was on the rise, Mitchell publicly faced down threats against his life, promoted organized resistance, and used his skills as writer and cartoonist to expose injustice wherever he found it. He should not be forgotten.

Finally, let's briefly glance at the culture of the Jackson Ward. Hippodrome Theater in Richmond opened in 1914 and became the centerpiece of the Jackson Ward’s reputation for being the “Harlem of the South.” A 1945 fire effectively ended those glory years. Here’s a nice two-minute video piece celebrating the Hippodrome’s history:

Who would you see at the Hippodrome? How about…

You might see Richmond native son Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Jeni Le Gon, and Fats Waller doing “I’m Living in a Great Big Way”...

... or maybe Duke Ellington performing “Rumpus in Richmond”...

... or even a young Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb doing “St. Louis Blues.”

I wish I could find clips that were actually FROM the Hippodrome but at least these treats are period appropriate. Enjoy!

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Tour America's History Itinerary

Monday’s destination:  Battersea
Wednesday’s destination:  Off to southern California!

© 2012 Lee Price