Photo by Steve Hedberg
Oldest Monroe Park's 7.5 acres were purchased by the City of Richmond in 1851. Since then, its uses have varied, from the location for the state agricultural fairgrounds, then as a Civil War camp and hospital, and, in the 1870s, a place of "social affection" complete with bandbox — the legacy of Wilfred Emory Cutshaw. Bruce Springsteen and his band Child performed in the park on June 1, 1969. The city plans to renovate the park.
Stories
Parks Old and New, Big and Small
Newest Goochland County's 167-acre Leakes Mill Park is scheduled to open in late September or early October on the south side of Route 6, approximately two miles west of the courthouse. It will feature a soccer field and about three miles of forest and open-ground walking trails. "These are the first true publicly managed soccer fields in Goochland," says the county's Park, Recreation and Facilities Director Derek Stamey. Phase II of the park will include more sports fields. The park was created from public and private funding totaling close to $1 million, generated in part from sales of timber and naming rights for contractors. Largest Pocahontas State Park, at 7,950 acres, is the biggest of Virginia's 36 state parks, and was built between 1935 and 1942 by 300 men from Company 2386 of the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of the federal government's most successful Depression-era public works programs. A museum exploring the park's history and its "Tree Marines" is housed in an original CCC structure. Pocahontas includes an aquatic recreation center, Swift Creek and Beaver lakes for water sports, summer camps, and year-round children's programming. "Pocahontas Presents!" is an outdoor summer music series. Smallest Richmond's Federal Park is located in the alley behind 2100 W. Main St. According to city parks spokeswoman Christy Everson, it occupies 1,993.2 square feet, including a popular tot lot. The second smallest in the region, Chesterfield County's Chester Pocket Park, is mammoth in comparison at about 14,000 square feet.
