This episode is being reposted in honor of the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s historic trip to Richmond, Virginia on April 4, 1865.  It was less than 48 hours after the Confederate Government left the city.  During Lincoln’s “adventure” to Richmond he fights with his wife, witnesses his 2 admirals make mistakes, looses his Presidential boat, is mobbed by newly freed enslaved people, and much more all accompanied by his son Tad and it was Tad’s 12th birthday.

Mike Gorman is the guest.  He is a Historian and Park Ranger at The Richmond National Battlefield Parks.

This episode is a prequel to episode 43 with Mike Gorman about the fall of Richmond April 2-3, 1865.

This image of Lincoln in Richmond is by Lambert Hollis and comes from the National Portrait Gallery’s website.

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This episode is being reposted for the 240th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech at St John’s Church in Church Hill.  The speech was delivered 3/23/1775. The conversation is with Kevin Grantz who normally played George Washington at St John’s reenactments of the Liberty or Death speech, but he did a great job with Henry.

We talk about Henry’s whole life, not just the liberty or Death speech.

Enjoy…RIP Kevin Grantz.

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This Latrobe drawing from 1797 form Maryland Historical Society shows the home on the Scott family estate called Hermitage that where Scott’s Addition is today.  Gen Winfield Scott inherited it from his father in law John Mayo.

On this episode William and Martha Harkess discuss growing up in Richmond, VA. They are both 84 years old.  Martha was born in NC, but moved to Scott’s Addition with her family when she was about 3.  Later her family moved to the Carytown area where William grew up.

They discuss what life was like in Scott’s Addition starting in the 1930’s, including the old skating rink and Moore’s Field which hosted the Richmond Colts baseball club and car races.  Much of the conversation covers their life in Carytown.  Their memories of the Byrd Theater, recycling before recycling was a thing, the horse farm where the Carytown Kroger is today, the first McDonald’s in RVA, and some of William’s pranks are a few of the topics covered.

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