On this Episode of History Replays Today, Ajena Cason Rogers, The Supervisory Park Ranger at the Maggie L Walker National Historic Site discusses the life of Maggie Walker.

Walker is best know as the first black woman to charter a bank in the US,* but she is much more than that.  Her mother was a former enslaved woman and her father was a Confederate yet she becomes a nationally know figure who rocked the boat of Jim Crow and pushed her community forward.

Visit the Maggie L Walker National Historic Site in Historic Jackson Ward at 600 N Second St.

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This episode features Mark Greenough, The Tour Supervisor and Historian at the Virginia State Capitol discussing the Virginia State Capitol during the Civil War.  This is part 1 of the conversation focusing on Virginia before secession, secession, the settling of Richmond as the Confederate capital and the Confederate government’s move to Virginia’s Capitol building.

Part 2 will be released on January 15.

This is Greenough’s second appearance on History Replays Today.  On Episode 5 he discussed the move of Virginia’s capital from Williamsburg to Richmond and the construction of Jefferson’s “Temple on the Hill”.  All archived episodes are available for free on iTunes or where ever you listen to podcasts.

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Ashley Luskey, Park Ranger at the Richmond National Battlefield Parks talks about the under belly of Richmond during the Civil War.  Becoming the Capitol of the Confederacy brings massive change.  The rise in population and social fluctuations brings about prostitution, drunkenness, murder, opportunists, and even cross dressing.  Luskey does many tours including on this topic and will be one of the historians leading tours about the Civil War 150th battles in the area like New Market Heights between 9/27/14-9/30/14.  More information can be found at  http://www.nps.gov/rich/planyourvisit/fortharrison150th.htm

Shockoe Hill Cemetery and the History Pug

The graves of John and Polly Marshall

Jeffry Burden, who is on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Shockoe Hill Cemetery and is its president tell History Replays Today, The Richmond History Podcast about the first municipal cemetery not affiliated with a church in Richmond.  The cemetery on the north side of RVA, is the final resting place of some amazing Richmonders including John Marshall (the subject of the last episode) and his wife, Elizabeth Van Lew the Union spy, Peter Francisco, the “Giant of the Revolution”, and many Richmonders associated with Edgar Allen Poe.

Elizabeth Van Lew’s grave

Help support or find out more about the Friends of Shockoe Hill Cemetery here.

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The Byrd Theater in 1953, for The Byrd Collection

Correction! In my introduction I mention that Its A Wonderful Life is playing Dec 24, 2013 and Dec 25, 2013.  I incorrectly said the times for Dec 25 are 7:15 and 9:30.  The correct time is 7:15 and 9:45.  For more info about times click here.

Todd A. Schall-Vess, General Manager of The Byrd Theater, in Carytown talks about the 85 year history of the theater.  It opened on Dec 24, 1928.  Schall-Vess discusses the opening of the theater, The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, the natural spring built into the theater,  and much more.  The Byrd is the oldest operating movie theater in Richmond. The photo to the left and below are from opening day of The Byrd in 1928.

Information about going to The Byrd can be found here http://byrdtheatre.com/

The Byrd is a staple in Carytown and has been there since before Carytown was called Carytown and even before that stretch of Cary St was called Cary St.  Information on how to support The Byrd can be found  at http://www.byrdtheatrefoundation.org/

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TELL YOUR FRIENDS, TELL YOUR ENEMIES

Mark Greenough, Tour Supervisor and Historian at the Virginia State Capitol talks about the early days of the building.  Many folks know that Thomas Jefferson designed the Virginia State Capitol, but the story is far more complicated and dramatic then a founding father dabbling in architecture.

The conversation addresses why the capital of Virginia was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond, why Thomas Jefferson designed the building, why it is where it is, what RVA was like as a young capital and much more.

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This is a conversation about Richmonder, Edgar Allan Poe with Chris Semtner, the curator of the Poe Museum in Richmond, VA.  In the conversation Poe becomes a human and not the caricature that most people know as Poe.

Semtner is also a great painter.  His works can be found on http://csemtner.com/