RICHMOND VIRGINIA

Sunday we remembered to take our camera along with us. So we got pictures of the First Baptist Church of Windsor VA that we are attending now in Windsor VA. We have ended up liking it very much and have benefited from the lessons! They are not as socially outgoing as the last church we attended in South Carolina. But we only have one more Sunday there, so there really is not enough time for socializing. They have signs and goals posted in the side yard for an addition to be constructed, to be completed in 2011. On Tuesday, we went in to Richmond so that Gary could go to the Library of Virginia for his genealogy research. He has found some good stuff there! One book was written by a Marguerite Wyatt (of 1897)when she lived in Petersburg FL, after much research and several trips to Europe. She had moved from Virginia to Florida. He brings the research home with him to work on the computer and will then go back to the library some more. After the Library, we walked a few blocks to find the Valentine Richmond History Center to tour the John Wickham House. On the way we found a little "Richmond Cafe' " to have lunch. When giving our order, the gal asked if we were from Ohio! She explained that when Gary said "pop" rather than "soda" she knew that we must be from where she was from. She is from Boardman and went to school at Cardinal Mooney High School and has lived in Virginia now, 18 years. She and her husband own this little cafe' and they serve delicious food. She was so friendly and in awe of our life style, that by time we left she had given us cookies and two thermal cups. We will stop back there when back in Richmond again! While walking the few blocks to the Wickham House, we passed the Old City Hall, which is a beautiful building and is now used for the court system. We sure appreciated it's style and structure over that of the new City Hall. The Wickham House is a neoclassical masterpiece of the Federal period that has been restored to appear as it did when the large Wickham family lived there. He then owned a full city block for the family home, the slaves and a separate kitchen. He also owned a half block across from it for a carriage house and his animals. Later there were town houses built on the excess land with only the main house remaining. Since we were not permitted to take photographs, there is no way for me to show you the ornate ceiling decorations, unique wall paintings and the dramatic cantilevered spiral staircase. It was beautiful! There are many curves within the structure, many of which are not symmetrical. Beautiful, non the less!!

This is the back view of the house. The front is very plain and I did not get a picture of it.

John Wickham was a very wealthy attorney of Richmond who is known for defending Aaron Burr in his treason trial. He was successful in getting Burr found not guilty, based on the Constitution, which was not clearly defined on treason at that time.

Wickham had two sons by his first marriage. Several years after loosing his wife, he married again having another seventeen children by the second wife. Both wives came from wealthy families also. They did a lot of entertaining in the house, also using beautiful gardens in back of the house. The windows on the back of the house were of the style that could be opened and used as doors. He was a very close friend of John Marshall who was the fourth Chief Justice of the U S Supreme Court. We walked past Marshall's home on the way back to the Library parking lot. But will save the tour of that home for another time. This is the Marshall Home.

We can only do so much in a day and since it was 4 pm, we decided it was time to hit the highway before the rush.

We will be going to the Olive Garden this afternoon to meet up with my great nephew and his wife and two children. I've not met them before, so it will be a pleasure!

Stay tuned!