Today’s Forecast

49º | Sunny | 5% chance of rain
Sunrise 7:24 a.m. | Sunset 5:07 p.m.

City

When Lincoln came to Richmond

You can visit Lincoln and Tad at The Valentine. | Photo by The Valentine staff

April 4 marks the anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 visit to Richmond — two days after Confederate forces evacuated the city. Less than two weeks later, he was assassinated.

Lincoln came to the capital of the Confederacy in the war’s final days, before Lee’s surrender at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Jefferson Davis had fled Richmond for Danville on April 2.

Before Lincoln arrived, the newspaper The Richmond Whig documented the frenzied Confederate evacuation. People scrambled to leave the city, rushed storehouses, and fled the fires that were spreading downtown.

RICtoday_FallofRichmond_Lithograph — A lithograph produced by Currier & Ives depicts the fall of Richmond.
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Photo via Library of Congress

“A whirlwind sweeping through dead leaves in autumn scattered them no more wildly than official documents, pamphlets, &c., were scattered on Monday evening,” the Whig wrote. “Confederate bonds, Confederate notes, bank checks, bills, flecked and whitened the streets in every direction — all so worthless that the boys would not pick them up.”

The visual of the “paper tornado” would remain throughout Lincoln’s visit to the Virginia Capitol, where discarded money and government papers littered the halls.

Lincoln arrived in Richmond by rowboat, stepping onto land at 17th Street near Dock. The first people to greet him were a group of Black men working to repair a bridge and a reporter from Boston.

News of the president’s arrival quickly spread through the city, and he was soon swarmed by crowds as he and his son Tad made their way towards the former White House of the Confederacy.

RICtoday_LincolnVisit_CivilWar_Crowd — A wood engraving depicts Lincoln’s greeting from the crowds.
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Photo via Library of Congress

Although he lacked the security that might have been expected, Lincoln made his way up 17th Street as onlookers cheered him. Admiral David D. Porter and a group of sailors accompanied the president and his son.

“The President was on foot, and walked rapidly, towering above the crowd,” the Whig reported. "[Lincoln] was dressed in a long black overcoat, high silk hat, and black pants, giving to his form a very commanding appearance.”

Keep following Lincoln

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Events

Monday, April 3

Andrew Bird | Monday, Apr. 3 | 6:30 p.m. | The National, 708 E. Broad St., Richmond | $35-$55 | For every ticket sold, $1 will go towards the Hope This Helps Fund to support deserving organizations.

Tuesday, April 4

Saint Samuel on Shockoe Sessions Live! | Tuesday, Apr. 4 | 7:30-8:30 p.m. | In Your Ear Studios, 1813 E. Broad St., Richmond | $0-$15 | Get tickets to see the alt-indie pop rocker in person or tune in to the livestream.

Wednesday, April 5

Dominion Energy Jazz Café | Wednesday, Apr. 5 | 6-8 p.m. | VMFA, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond | Free | Debra Dean and Patrick Lawler will entertain museumgoers with a mix of jazz, blues, and pop.

Thursday, April 6

Lecture Series: “The Burning Land” | Thursday, Apr. 6 | 12-1 p.m. | Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond | $0-$10 | Hear author David O. Stewart discuss his Civil War novel at the VMHC or stream the program on YouTube.
Kickers vs. Cleveland SC | Thursday, Apr. 6 | 7 p.m. | City Stadium, 3201 Maplewood Ave., Richmond | $16+ | The Roos take on Cleveland in the second round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Plan ahead with our community events calendar below.

100+ more events

Click here to have your event featured.

Finance

This billion-dollar startup wants to help you retire

Portrait of businesswoman standing against a wooden wall in office.

SmartAsset’s no-cost tool makes it easy to find vetted financial advisors who serve your area. | Photo by Dean Mitchell

This Princeton grad’s startup raised $161 million to help people plan for retirement. 👀

If you’re one of the whopping 110 million Americans over age 50 — or a wise Millennial looking to get ahead — SmartAsset’s no-cost tool makes it easy to find vetted financial advisors serving our local area.

In just a few minutes, you can get matched with up to three financial advisors, each legally bound to work in your best interest. Now that’s service.*

Take the free quiz

News Notes

Weather

74º | Mostly sunny | 4% chance of rain

Traffic

Use caution around Mary Munford Elementary School starting next Monday, April 10. Public Works will be replacing school flashers, upgrading crosswalks, and installing ADA curb ramps. Weather permitting, work should be complete in mid-July.
Discuss all things speed management at a symposium on Tuesday, April 18 from 5:30-8 p.m. at Main Street Station. Attendees will hear about current and future efforts to address speeding and can enjoy refreshments. Register to attend.

Sports

A new season for the Squirrels starts this Friday, April 7. The home opener is sold out, but you can still snag tickets to the games Saturday and Sunday. If you’re in the area, heads up — there will be fireworks after the games on Friday and Saturday.

Eat

What was Thai Diner Too in Carytown is now Mayu Sushi & Thai after a renovation and menu shakeup. The restaurant reopened this month and now offers sushi prepared by chef Poom Simluang in addition to Thai dishes. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Festival

The Latin Jazz and Salsa Show Festival will return to Dogwood Dell for its 16th year on Saturday, Aug. 26. The free festival features international, national, and local performers and dance groups.

Arts

The VMFA has acquired the comprehensive collections of two Richmond artists. Visitors will soon be able to see abstract paints and prints by Benjamin Wigfall as well as the photography and mixed media works of Willie Anne Wright in the museum.

Biz

Several readers chimed in on what they might want to see replace the now-vacant Dollar Tree in Willow Lawn. We heard specific cries for Sephora and Trader Joe’s. The latter is also a popular speculation on the RVA Reddit thread considering the topic.

Health

What questions do you have for the experts? We’re teaming up with Virginia Physicians for Women to answer readers’ questions on women’s health, from gynecology and obstetrics to nutrition management. Submit your questions and we’ll follow up with answers from the VPFW team in a few weeks.*

Wellness

Our tip for a gentle, gradual wake-up: Amazon’s Halo Rise, which uses smart alarm clock technology to simulate a sunrise. Bonus: Turn on the sleep tracking feature to help improve your sleep — no wearable device required.

Community

How to navigate our events page

How to navigate our community events page

Our events page makes it easy to find happenings on the go. | Photo by Ketut Subiyanto via Pexels

You may be familiar with the events section of our newsletter — but what about our website?

Make the most of our comprehensive events calendar with these pro tips for navigating our site like a true local.

Event search tools

First, head to our Events page.

Then, start scrolling to see what events are coming up, or use these key features to filter events more specifically:

Magnifying glass icon: Search keywords to find event categories or search events by name.
“All Events” drop-down (desktop): Search for virtual events or “Editor’s Picks.”

What’s an Editor’s Pick, you ask? Those are events that our team has personally curated for our audience. AKA: fun, noteworthy, or important going-ons in the community.

Descending list icon (desktop): Choose how you want events for each day to be ordered — by time, popularity, or alphabetically.
Bullet list icon: Change the format from lists to thumbnails.
Additional tools: Select date, location, and/or radius.

Add your own event

You can add your own events to our community calendar. Here’s how:

“Add Event” calendar button: Click or tap this button, create a login, and input your event information. We need the name, date(s), time(s), location, price, and a brief description.

Bonus: You can always upload events for free, or choose a paid option to guarantee that it’s listed in our newsletter. Review our promotional offerings before clicking “submit.”

Happy event hunting!

The Wrap

Robin Schwartzkopf in a red button down shirt

Today’s Edition By:
Robin

From the Editor

Researching today’s lead article made me reminisce about when the 2012 movie “Lincoln” was filming in Richmond. Do you have any memories of when Steven Spielberg brought the production to town? I’d love to hear them.

Missed our last newsletter? Get ready for April events and read about the Richmond Symphony’s new wardrobe.

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