Richmond, an independent city and port of entry of Virginia, the capital of the state, formerly in Henrico co., is situated on the N. bank of the James River, at the lower falls, and at the head of tide- water, 125 miles above its mouth and 100 miles in a straight line S. by W. of Washington. Lat. of capitol, 37° 32' 17" N. ; Lon. 77° 27' 28" W. It is connected with Manchester, on the S. side of the river, by several bridges, and the city is also connected by bridge with Belle Isle. The chief railroads centring in or passing through Richmond are the Chesapeake and Ohio, the Southern, the Atlantic Coast, the Norfolk and Western, and the Seaboard Air lines. The city has direct steamer communication with New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other ports. Richmond, which is one of the most interesting cities of the southern United States, and the chief industrial centre of its state, is regularly laid out, and contains a number of imposing public edifices. Occupying a nearly central position, on Shookoe Hill, and in Capitol Square, is the capitol (or State-house), designed in part after the Maison Carrie at Nimes, France, and dating from 1785. Near by are the city-hall, St. Paul's church, the state library (with upward of 100,000 volumes), post-office, and governor's mansion. Other noted buildings and institutions are the "White House of the Confederacy," or Jefferson Davis Mansion (now a Museum of Confederate Relics), Chief-Justice Marshall's house, masonic temple, Exposition Buildings, Soldiers' Home, and Valentine Museum (mainly archaeological and historical). Among the more notable sculptural works of the city are the Crawford monumental group of Washington, Houdon's statue of Washington, and the statue of Robert E. Lee by Mercie. The city is provided with a tine system of parks (Reservoir, Monroe, Jefferson, Marshall, Chiinborazo, etc.) and has a national cemetery and the more famous Hollywood Cemetery, the latter containing the graves of presidents Monroe and Tyler, John Randolph, Jefferson Davis, and Commodore Maury. The foremost educational institutions are Richmond College (Baptist), Union Theological Seminary (Presbyterian), Medical College of Virginia, University College of Medicine, Women's College, and the Hartshorn Memorial College and Virginia Union University (1899), the last two for colored. The industrial and commercial interests of Richmond re late almost wholly to a domestic trade, the foreign commerce being as yet insignificant. The city is one of the leading tobacco markets of the country, manufacturing chewing and smoking tobacco, snuff, cigars, and cigarettes (the last-named alone being turned out to the number of several hundred millions annually). Hardly less important than the tobacco-industry is that of iron manufactures, the city being largely engaged in the manufacture of locomotives, axles, railroad-spikes, nails, horseshoes, agricultural implements, etc. It has also fertilizer- and chemical-works, extensive manufactures of wooden-ware and paper, and carries on some ship-building. Richmond was laid out in 1733 and incorporated in 1742. In 1779 it became the state capital. In 1861 it was made the capital of the Southern Confederacy and became the objective point of the principal military operations of the Union forces in the East. After an obstinate siege, it was evacuated on the night of April 2, 1885, and on the following day was entered by the Federal army. The warehouses were fired by the retiring Confederates and the greater portion of the business part of the city was destroyed. In 1800 the population was 5737 ; in 1850, 27,570 ; in 1860, 37,910 ; in 1870, 51,038 ; in 1880, 63,600 ; in 1890, 81,388 ; in 1900, 85,050, nearly one-half of whom were colored.

Lippincott's New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns ... in Every Portion of the Globe Publisher J.B. Lippincott Company, 1906

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