Cooperative Living May 2015 - 35

To Get More History ...
L
arge chunks of Steven
Spielberg's 2012 Lincoln were
shot in Richmond. In fact,
much of the capital area in
Richmond was a stand-in for 1860s
Washington, D.C. Almost half the
filming was done in Richmond's
Capitol Square with the Capitol
building serving as both the Lincoln
White House and the U.S. Capitol in
D.C. If you stand in Capitol Square
and look up at Thomas Crawford's
statue of George Washington, you
can imagine Lincoln doing the same.
The statue was completed just before
the Civil War, and the real President
Lincoln, as well as Daniel Day Lewis,
likely admired it when visiting the
city. Tourists have become so enamored
with Lincoln that the Virginia
Tourism Corporation has set up a
" Movie Trail " website that lets visitors
follow in the footsteps of the
cast and crew. Check it out at
www.virginia.org/lincoln/.
Be sure to check out the
American Civil War Center at the
Historic Tredegar Ironworks. Here
you'll find a statue of Lincoln and his
son Tad, who toured the smoldering
city with his father on April 4, 1865.
The Center interprets the war from
Union, Confederate, and AfricanAmerican
perspectives and also includes
the National Park Service visitor center
for the Richmond National Battlefield.
In the 1850s, Tredegar Ironworks was
one of the largest foundries in the country
and manufactured ordnance for the
U.S. government as well as locomotives
and equipment for sugar mills. The ironworks
was critical for supplying the
Confederate war machine during the
Civil War as well. Tredegar ceased operation
in 1952, and in 2000, its three
major antebellum structures, including
the pattern building, cannon foundry,
and office, were restored and re-opened
as the National Park Service visitor center
and later as the American Civil War
Center. Learn more at www.nps.gov/rich
and www.tredegar.org. n
Top: George Washington monument
outside Virginia Capitol;
Above and left: Historic Tredegar
Iron Works exterior and interior.
IF YOU GO...
Richmond offers much more than
one can explore in a single weekend
(or, ahem, road trip), but a good
place to get the lay of the city is
Richmond's main visitor center at the
Greater Richmond Convention
Center (405 N. 3rd St., 804-7837450,
www.visitrichmondva.com,
open daily 9-5). Right off of Route
360, just before you reach the city
center and the Capitol is the
Chimborazo Medical Museum
(3215 East Broad St., 804-226-1981,
www.nps.gov/rich/planyourvisit/
visitorcenters.htm, open daily
9-4:30), also headquarters for the
Richmond National Battlefield
in downtown Richmond is the
May 2015/www.co-opliving.com
American Civil War Museum and
White House of the Confederacy
(1201 E. Clay St., 804-649-1861,
www.moc.org, open daily 10-5).
Expand your travels into Civil War
history by also visiting the American
Civil War Center at the old
Tredegar Ironworks (500 Tredegar St.,
804-649-1861, www.tredegar.org,
open daily 9-5).
Explore local eats at The Farm
to Family Market (2817
Mechanicsville Turnpike, 804-7678570,
www.thefarmbus.com), or pick
up some farm-to-table lunch at The
Urban Farmhouse (1217 East Cary
Street, 804-325-3988, www.theurban
farmhouse.net). And right on the corner
of Route 360 and Cary Street is
Kitchen on Cary, which also
serves up fresh and local fare while
training area culinary students
(1331 East Cary St., 804-643-1315,
www.kitchenoncary.com). I recommend
the Mushroom and Spinach
Enchilada! n
Chimborazo Medical Museum
33

http://www.nps.gov/rich http://www.tredegar.org http://www.virginia.org/lincoln/ http://www.moc.org http://www.kitchenoncary.com http://www.visitrichmondva.com http://www.tredegar.org http://www.nps.gov/rich/planyourvisit/ http://www.thefarmbus.com http://www.theurban http://www.farmhouse.net

Cooperative Living May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living May 2015