From the Archives: Richmond lakes
In January 1970, five straight days of below-freezing temperatures froze the lake at Byrd Park in Richmond and brought out the ice skaters.
In March 1961, Richmond’s sixth annual Boat and Sports Show was on its way to the Arena. To promote the event, a small tugboat and a sailboat visited Shields Lake at Byrd Park. The sailboat was a new “bantam” model, only 9 feet long by 4 feet wide and just over 100 pounds. The lake demonstration showed how easily children could handle the boat.
In November 1938, an early appearance of winter painted a striking picture at Byrd Park. The storm dropped 7.5 inches of snow on Richmond, about double the previous record for a November snowfall set in 1929.
This January 1936 image shows the Carillon in Byrd Park as seen from across Swan Lake. The design for a memorial to World War I’s dead was debated in the mid-1920s, with Richmond industrialist Granville Valentine leading a campaign for a carillon – despite a war memorial commission favoring an alternative. The state ultimately endorsed a carillon, and the bell tower was dedicated in October 1932.
In June 1951, amid high temperatures and humidity, Shields Lake in Byrd Park and other pools in Richmond were setting attendance records. Shields Lake was a whites-only public swimming facility that was closed in 1955. City officials cited the high cost of necessary repairs, not court rulings against segregation, and said several new neighborhood pools could be built for less than renovating the lake facility.
This May 1948 image shows Boy Scouts enjoying the lake at Camp Shawondasee in Chesterfield County. In May 1965, the camp shut its doors after more than 50 years serving Scouts in the region. The urbanization of Chesterfield around it, limited drinking water and a lake that didn’t hold up to a whole summer of campers led the Scouts to find a new location in Goochland County. The next year, the YMCA purchased the land, and its Camp Thunderbird still operates there today.
In early October 1952, temperatures reached into the mid-80s, and people around the area found ways to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. These boys soaked up the sun while fishing at Shields Lake in Richmond. A day later, temperatures dropped into the 60s after a cold front arrived.
In June 1969, 10 new paddle boats were put into service on Fountain Lake in Byrd Park in Richmond. In the lead boat are (from left) Larry Tucker and Eugene Mosby. In the second boat are Mark Waldron; his father. I.H. Waldron; and Barry Graves.
In January 1963, man and nature shared Westhampton Lake at the University of Richmond, where clear skies and just-above-freezing temperatures allowed ice skaters and ducks to carve out their own spaces.
8/29/2015: In February 1967, ducks braved single-digit temperatures as they made their way across a frozen lake at Byrd Park in Richmond.
In September 1951, a boy fished at the dam of Lakeside Lake in Henrico County. Lewis Ginter built the dam in the 1890s to connect Lakeside Park to the Lakeside Wheel Club. Today, the lake is in on the grounds of Jefferson Lakeside Country Club.
In July 1961, two men fished for bluegills in Chickahominy Lake, a large water supply reservoir along the New Kent-Charles City county line.
In June 1966, Camp Pocahontas counselor Nora Galvin (left) instructed campers Robin and Stephanie Fessler about canoeing at Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County.
Boating spectators take it easy beside Byrd Park's Fountain Lake.
The University of Richmond’s Boatwright Memorial Library creates a vivid reflection in Westhampton Lake in January 1957. Students were in the middle of exam week at the time.
Boating at Shields Lake.
Hello, my name is Margaux, and I am 10 years old. Recently, I heard a news story that was about the Iran war, and more specifically how a school was bombed. This action is unacceptable and killed over 100 innocent elementary school kids (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Think about what those lives could have been. Think about yourself and your school. Imagine that happening to you, and then no one caring about it. The country who bombed it, thinking it was a military base, not apologizing or showing remorse.
Students experiencing homelessness remain one of the most overlooked populations in our public school systems despite the protections outlined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The policy was designed to remove and reduce barriers to enrollment and ensure students have a stable education. It often fails to address the full scope of challenges these students face.
