Protecting Henrico’s Birthplace; Disheartening and Scary; Clearing Woodland; Rediscovering Ancestors; Code for the Future.

RVA 5x5 ALT 5 - January 22, 2024

No algorithms. No content filters. Honest and insightful analysis.
You can find the 5 main stories from Friday’s edition here, and today features the “ALT 5” stories for a nice, leisurely, read. Enjoy!

This week check out our five stories on:

• An amazing move for preservation of pristine land in Henrico County along the James River which played a huge part in the role where both the county and the country got their start (complete with a 3-D video tour).

• A passionate quote from a mother of three students who is discouraged, scared and fed up with the lack of accountability from those in charge of the city school system.

• A look at recent efforts of volunteers (including the Governor) to help continue to remove the brush and overgrowth from Woodland Cemetery and restore dignity to those that rest there.

• A deeper look at the history of Woodland Cemetery from its beginnings in 1891 and includes a quick video tour.

• The launch of an ambitious new school and partnership between CodeRVA and VCU that will mold and produce the next generation of computer-whiz students and develop an army of teachers to continue to produce them.

THE ALT 5

ALT #1 — OFF THE BEATEN PATH: Protecting Henrico’s Birthplace
Henrico County announced last week it had purchased the 2,095 acre former plantation known as Varina Farms, one of the state’s “most historic plantations” for $17.25 million. But it was not purchased for controlling future development of the site, but to preserve it for the historical significance, natural beauty and sensitive environment along the James River which is in sight of the Interstate 295 Varina-Enon suspension bridge.

The purchase came less then a year after Henrico purchased the property’s 5-acre homestead known as Varina on the James for $1.3 million. The house was built in 1853 and includes cosmetic damage attributed to cannonball fire and other fighting during the Civil War. Its surrounding fields remain largely as they were when English settler John Rolfe discovered the soil and climate were suited for growing mild tobacco that propelled the colony’s economy. Rolfe and the American Indian princess Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, lived at Varina Farms after their marriage in 1614 in Jamestown.

Varina Farms was also the site of Henrico’s seat of government from 1632 to 1752, when it moved to Richmond, and then west to the current site on Parham Road.

The purchase was just the latest in a string of them to protect valuable parcels. The county also purchased Wilton Farm in 2019, a 1,184 acre property along the river close to Route 895, which was at once time slated for a massive development with 3,200 residential units. In addition, Henrico teamed up with the Capital Region Land Conservancy and state officials in 2018 to permanently protect the 486-acre Malvern Hill Farm, and today Henrico oversees the overall 900-acre Malvern Hill site.

“Without exaggeration, Varina Farms represents the birthplace of Henrico County, and it is ground zero for Virginia’s early success and prosperity,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Tyrone Nelson, of the Varina District. “By acquiring this beautiful, vast and irreplaceable property, Henrico County is making a once-in-a-lifetime move to ensure that our history as a county, a commonwealth and a nation are preserved and that our precious, scenic riverfront will remain protected and accessible for generations to come.”

PHOTO: Henrico County