Chesterfield County residents needing legal assistance for housing issues can contact the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.
CVLAS recently received a grant award from Chesterfield that will fund a housing attorney position to cover the county exclusively. The CVLAS attorney can provide advice and support for residents facing a range of issues including eviction and foreclosure.
The grant, which came from federal funds, is an investment in “eviction prevention through education and empowerment of tenants in their communities,” said Steve Dickinson, CVLAS executive director.
CVLAS is a nonprofit law firm that provides free legal assistance to low-income clients on civil matters.
To become a client in the Chesterfield program, an applicant must have a legal problem in Chesterfield or be a Chesterfield resident; have a household income under 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, roughly $55,000 annual income for a family of four; have $5,000 or less in liquid assets; and be a documented U.S. resident.
For more information, contact CVLAS at (800) 868-1012, (800) 390-9983, (804) 648-1012 or (804) 200-6046, or visit cvlas.org.
From the archives: 65 photos of Richmond in the 1930s
In November 1938, an early appearance of winter painted a striking picture at Byrd Park. The storm dropped 7.5 inches of snow on Richmond, about double the previous record for a November snowfall set in 1929.
This October 1930 image shows the view from the Southern Biscuit Co. building, looking northwest across the Boulevard in Richmond. Several of the buildings pictured are still standing today.
This January 1936 image shows the Carillon in Byrd Park as seen from across Swan Lake. The design for a memorial to World War I’s dead was debated in the mid-1920s, with Richmond industrialist Granville Valentine leading a campaign for a carillon — despite a war memorial commission favoring an alternative. The state ultimately endorsed a carillon, and the bell tower was dedicated in October 1932.
In late April 1937, the James River crested at 27 feet in Richmond as one brave soul crossed the bridge to Belle Isle. Days of drenching rains to the north led to statewide property damage estimated at more than $2 million, with half of that concentrated in Fredericksburg.
In April 1937, several blocks of lower Hull Street, the main thoroughfare in South Richmond, were flooded so completely that it took rowboats and hip-waders to reach buildings. Three days of rains had caused the James River to crest at 27 feet. About 700 men worked around the clock for up to 36 hours to secure the dike. Total property damage in Richmond was estimate at more than $100,000.
This August 1933 image shows Semmes Avenue and the streetcar tracks that the Virginia Electric and Power Co. proposed to remove if the Richmond City Council allowed it. The company offered to give Forest Hill Park to the city in exchange and promised to put buses on the South Side thoroughfare in place of the streetcar line. Grass plots were planned to replace the tracks and poles. The proposal was approved early in 1934.
In early July 1939, there was considerable curiosity about the fate of the Murphy’s Hotel bridge, which spanned Eighth Street at Broad Street downtown, after the sale of part of the hotel property. Later that month, it was announced that the unique span, built in the early 1900s to connect the main hotel and its annex, would continue to serve as a lounge for hotel patrons. But in 1942, the bridge was dismantled so the steel could be used in the war effort.
In late April 1937, after days of heavy rain across the state, the James River crested at 27 feet in Richmond, with flood damage here estimated at more than $100,000. Tate Field on Mayo Island was more like a lake – an example of the recurrent flooding that in part prompted team owner Eddie Mooers to build a new baseball stadium for his Richmond Colts several years later. 4-27-1937: During the 1937 flood, the old ball park on Mayo Island looked like a lake. TONING COMPLETE ORG XMIT: RIC1311011500203626
This May 1937 image shows Trinity Methodist Church in Chesterfield Courthouse. The church was dedicated in 1889, built on land donated by Mack Cogbill and with donations from 40 members of the community. Offerings included a Bible, pulpit chairs, an organ and a total of nearly $1,500.
This image from the later 1920s or early 1930s shows the State-Planter’s Bank and Trust Co. building at the corner of North Avenue and Brookland Park Boulevard in Richmond. In January 1926, two banks merged to become State-Planter’s, and this building, constructed in the early 1920s for the State and City Bank and Trust Co., was home to the merged bank’s North Side branch until June 1933. The building still stands today.
In March 1936, throngs of Richmonders crowded the Mayo Bridge at 14th Street to view the torrent of the James River, but shortly after this photo was taken, the span was closed to traffic and spectators. Flooding in a dozen Eastern states killed more than 100 people, and while the James crested at 28.3 feet, the temporary dyke at the foot of 17th Street held.
This June 1934 image of Cary Street helped illustrate a traffic problem along Richmond streets. Drivers tended to use the center lane instead of the right lane, next to the parked cars. With passing on the right prohibited, traffic would stack up behind slow cars, usually resulting in someone pulling into oncoming traffic to try to pass – and increasing the chance of accidents.
On Jan. 18, 1934, George Campbell Peery was inaugurated as the 52nd governor of Virginia. After Prohibition was repealed, Peery named the first members of the state’s new Alcohol Beverage Control Board. Virginia’s unemployment insurance also was established during his term. Governor Peery’s inauguration. TONING COMPLETE ORG XMIT: RIC1312241105263623
On Jan. 18, 1934, George Campbell Peery was inaugurated as the 52nd governor of Virginia. After Prohibition was repealed, Peery named the first members of the state’s new Alcohol Beverage Control Board. Virginia’s unemployment insurance also was established during his term. Governor Peery’s inauguration. TONING COMPLETE ORG XMIT: RIC1312241105263623
8-21-1932: This group of former governors of Virginia was photographed recently at Virginia Beach, Va., when they celebrated “Governor’s Day” with Governor John Pollard, the present governor. He decorated them with medals. Left to right: Westmoreland Davis, U.S. Senator Claude Swanson, Governor Pollard, E. Lee Tirnkle, and Andrew Jackson Montague.
In March 1938, a military high Mass was celebrated at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in Richmond, with Benedictine High School cadets acting as a military escort. The special ceremony, which commemorated the Feast Day of St. Benedict, had been conducted only a few times in Richmond.
In March 1938, the Richmond-Ashland Electric Line ceased operating trolleys after 31 years. The route had its start in 1812 as a stagecoach toll road. Trolleys were seen as the way of the future in 1907, but because of financial difficulties, the route finally changed over to bus service.
This image from the early 1930s shows Rep. Andrew Jackson Montague delivering a speech. Montague was governor of Virginia from 1902 to 1906, and during his term, he lost a U.S. Senate bid to rival Democrat and incumbent Thomas S. Martin. Montague was elected to the House of Representatives in 1912 and served until his death in 1937.
In April 1938, Virginia Gov. James H. Price and wife Lillian (center) left the Executive Mansion for a church service. Accompanying them were their son, James Jr., and the governor’s niece, Elizabeth Martin, who was visiting from Mount Airy, N.C.
This March 1938 image shows some of the 31 women engaged in the Works Progress Administration sewing project in Suffolk. The women were creating 400 to 500 garments and blankets per month, earning $22 monthly. The WPA was a New Deal employment program, and The Times-Dispatch had published an editorial questioning its value. A reporter and photographer were sent to Suffolk to tour various WPA projects, and their conclusions shed a positive light on the effort.
In October 1933, the Red Cross “Ship of Mercy” helped launch the relief organization’s annual membership drive, known as the Roll Call, outside the Virginia Capitol. The ship, designed by the display department of Miller & Rhoads, was mounted on a hidden truck chassis and rolled along in the opening ceremonies. During the Roll Call week, the ship was to “anchor” at various places around Richmond, with staff on board collecting membership dues and contributions. As part of the ceremony, the ship was “christened” with rose petals by Virginia’s first lady, Mrs. John Garland Pollard.
In late 1938, Forest Hill Presbyterian Church on West 41st Street in Richmond opened its first expansion. The church, organized in 1924, moved into its first building in 1925 after meeting in the Patrick Henry School during construction. This new building was to house the parsonage, Sunday school, fellowship groups, suppers and church meetings.
This March 1938 image shows children washing up in one of the day nurseries run by the Works Progress Administration in Suffolk. The WPA was a New Deal employment program, and The Times-Dispatch had published an editorial questioning its value. A reporter and photographer were sent to Suffolk to tour various WPA projects, and their conclusions shed a positive light on the effort.
This May 1935 image shows the entrance to the old brick building on Belle Isle in Richmond, which once served as headquarters for the officers in charge of the Belle Isle prison camp during the Civil War. It also held offices for Old Dominion Iron and Steel Corp., whose history on the island spanned from before the war to the 1970s.
In May 1931, Eddie Mooers finished his last season as a player with the Richmond Byrds in the Eastern League. He subsequently purchased the Richmond Colts, which he owned through 1953. In 1942, he moved the Piedmont League team out of Tate Field to the new Mooers Field, which stood until 1958. TONING COMPLETE: Eddie Mooers during his final season as a baseball player ORG XMIT: RIC1308061601454911
This January 1931 image shows Tate Field, located on Mayo Island in the James River and used for several Richmond baseball teams from 1890 to 1941. The ballpark, named for 1880s local player Edward “Pop” Tate, had recurring problems with flooding, and a fire caused significant damage in 1941. TONING COMPLETE- MAX IMAGE SIZE 10 inches at 200dpi. Tate Field photo from 1/31/1931. ORG XMIT: RIC1203211152368626
In December 1932, boxes of donations secured through the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Good Fellows Club were piled outside the newspaper building. The initiative secured toys and food for needy children at Christmas as early as 1924. The Richmond News Leader had a similar drive, and in 1935, these two evolved into the Christmas Mother Fund.
In March 1938, Citizens’ Service Exchange members Linwood F. Jones (left) and Daniel Evans engaged one of the numerous duties – cutting fuel for wood – for which members were paid in scrip instead of money. Richmond had one of the first such self-help cooperatives in the country – first lady Eleanor Roosevelt even wrote an article in the Rotarian about Richmond’s program. Scrip was used for food, clothing and other necessities, and in 1938, members logged more than 211,000 hours of work.
In March 1938, Benedictine High School cadets filed in and served as escorts at a military high Mass at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in Richmond. The special ceremony, which commemorated the Feast Day of St. Benedict, had been conducted only a few times in Richmond.
In May 1936, the Charles Stores Company department store opened on East Broad Street between First and Foushee streets. This store featured 23 departments, and some grand opening specials included women’s dresses and white shoes for $1 and men’s dress shirts for 50 cents. A parking lot now occupies the site. 5-7-1936: New location of the Charles Stores at 13-17 East Broad Street. Lease negotiations were handled by the office of Gordon E. Strause. TONING COMPLETE ORG XMIT: RIC1310041646056291
This May 1935 image shows Herbert’s shoe store at 419 E. Broad St. in downtown Richmond. The store advertised itself as “the first air-cooled shoe store in the entire South.” A fall sale that year offered women’s shoes as low as $1.77.
In May 1939, an end was in sight to a six-week strike that included more than 450,000 coal miners and caused a coal shortage that affected many industries. Here, empty coal gondolas stood ready in Richmond yards, awaiting the signal to resume operations. Thousands like these filled train yards in the Appalachian soft coal area.
In September 1937, Richmond continued celebrating the city’s bicentennial with a parade featuring the Richmond Light Infantry Blues as well as 30 floats, 18 bands and 2,000 participants. The march traversed 32 blocks downtown and took 55 minutes to completely pass by.
In September 1935, heavy rain caused the James River to crest at 26 feet. City workmen piled sandbags in a desperate attempt to hold back the rising waters. This dike was built near Main Street Station downtown, where water was coming up through the brick-lined street.
In May 1939, Gov. James H. Price and Richmond Mayor John Fulmer Bright, followed by officers of the Connecticut Governor’s Foot Guard, led the procession to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for the Richmond Light Infantry Blues’ annual memorial service. This service culminated the Blues’ sesquicentennial
This February 1934 image shows four ex-governors of Virginia. Standing from left are Westmoreland Davis, Elbert Lee Trinkle, Harry F. Byrd Sr. and John Garland Pollard.
This March 1938 image shows a woman working on a Works Project Administration bookbinding project in Suffolk in which hundreds of books were prepared for use in schools. The WPA was a New Deal employment program, and a Times-Dispatch reporter and photographer went to Suffolk to tour various WPA projects.
In June 1939 at the state Capitol in Richmond, the first of a planned dozen Chevrolet bookmobile of the Statewide Library Project was put into service. The project, which aimed to expand book availability in rural areas, was part of the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal employment program. At right, WPA official Ella Agnew turned over the key to C.W. Dickinson Jr. of the State Board of Education. With them were (from left) F.E. Gross of Chevrolet, Leslie Stevens of the Virginia State Library, project technical supervisor Mary Gaver and project administrative supervisor W.A. Moon Jr.
In November 1934, a reproduction of a mule-drawn trolley was the first vehicle to cross the newly restored Marshall Street Viaduct in Richmond. Horse- or mule-drawn trolleys were a preferred mode of transportation here starting in about 1860. They began to be replaced by electric trolleys in the late 1880s, and they were all retired by 1901.
This August 1936 image shows the former headquarters of the Army’s 80th Division at Camp Lee near Petersburg. The building was constructed during World War I and later known as David House. In 1972 it was designated as a historical site; it is still standing today as the oldest building at Fort Lee and the only one left from WWI.
In March 1930, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway’s new luxury train, the Sportsman, stopped at Main Street Station in Richmond on the last leg of an exhibition tour ahead of service beginning on a new route from Norfolk to Detroit and Cleveland. In its day on exhibit in Richmond, the train was visited by about 10,000 people, including Gov. John Pollard, Lt. Gov. James Price, Mayor J. Fulmer Bright and numerous other local and state dignitaries.
This June 1938 image shows the old YMCA building at Seventh and Grace streets in downtown Richmond. Built in 1908, it was the center of “Y” activities for 30 years. In 1938, it was sold for $300,000, and the YMCA later relocated to West Franklin Street, where it remains today. This building was torn down after the sale, and a new one replaced it.
In March 1938, the Westhampton opened on Grove Avenue in Richmond. The newest addition to the Neighborhood Theatres group had one screen and a balcony (which was later converted to a second screen). Admission was 25 cents (20 cents for matinees, and 10 cents for children). Current operator Regal Entertainment Group has announced that the struggling Westhampton will close this year.
This April 1935 image shows the historic Hanover Tavern, which dates to the 1730s and offered refuge for weary travelers doing business at the historic courthouse nearby. The tavern now serves as a restaurant and theater; the oldest part that still stands dates to 1791. Young statesman Patrick Henry lived there for several years after marrying the daughter of the tavern’s owners.
8/8/2015: In May 1934, workers from G. Krueger Brewing Co. transported beer barrels on West Broad Street in Richmond. The company, which was founded in Newark, N.J., joined the American Can Co. in 1934 to experiment with putting beer in a can, and Krueger chose Richmond as test market. In 1935, it sold the first can of beer in history in Richmond, and many breweries soon followed suit.
In July 1937, a man napped on Cherry Isle in the James River in Richmond while his clothes and belongings dried on a line. An accompanying article reported that Cherry Isle was a popular gathering spot for train-hoppers – the illegal practice increased in the post-Depression era as thousands travelled from place to place looking for work.
In September 1935, a small group of men, part of a larger army of workers and 70 trucks, reinforced dykes with sandbags to protect the 5-mile area controlled by Richmond’s Shockoe Creek Pumping Station from flooding caused by a severe storm.
In December 1938, Richmond Glass Shop had a new home at 814 W. Broad St., site of the old Ashland Railway Station. The shop, run by brothers Frank R. and A.G. Bialkowski, had glass of many types, including for automobiles, and offered bath and kitchen installation, storefront construction and paint products.
In July 1933, a group of Richmonders enjoyed lunch and lager at a local establishment. Virginia lawmakers were close to legalizing some beer sales as the Prohibition era was nearing its end.
In December 1938, radio station WMBG opened a new studio building at the corner of West Broad and Tilden streets in Richmond. Marked by modern architecture and red neon letters on the roof, the building opened with a celebration that included a speech by Virginia Gov. James H. Price. Public tours were offered as well. The building’s three studios included a fully equipped kitchen for use during cooking school broadcasts.
In December 1935, the pets of Mrs. A.J. Nocka of Richmond enjoyed a feast to celebrate Bill the cat’s 21st birthday. Bill, at the head of the table to the right, was joined by his cat, dog and rooster pals.
In July 1938, James Gordon picked up one of his guinea pigs. He bred the animals to sell as pets, noting that they were docile companions if they weren’t handled too much.
In April 1937, workers with the Works Progress Administration frantically erected riverfront dikes to protect Richmond from flooding. The James River was expected to reach a 26-foot crest after heavy rains, which had shut down major bridges and roadways in the area. The WPA was a New Deal employment program, and this flood project involved about 200 workers.
In September 1935, three men used small rowboats to navigate over a submerged bridge at 17th and Dock streets in Richmond. Storms, wind and flooding caused major damage in the city and surrounding localities, and the James River crested at about 26 feet.
In June 1934, teenagers enjoyed swimming and diving off rocks at the Bryan Park quarries in Richmond. Three quarries were once located on the edge of the North Side park, and they were popular swimming holes.
In June 1939, Michael Ziegler, a foreman with the Virginia Land and Minerals Corp., inspected a new mechanical cutter that was to be used at a coal mine on Springfield Road in Henrico County.
In February 1936, the Cohen Co. building on East Broad Street in downtown Richmond – which once housed one of the city’s oldest trading firms – was getting ready for new life after being vacant for many years. Department store operator The Charles Stores Co. of New York opened in the building in May.
This March 1939 image shows Ellen Glasgow, a Richmond native and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. Glasgow helped establish the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia in 1909, and as a lover of animals, she served as the longtime president of the Richmond SPCA. She died in 1945 and left much of her state to the organization.
View from Southern Biscuit Company looking northwest and across Boulevard. 1930
May 31, 1939: Their cause was, ‘legal and honorable’ – These three Confederate Veterans from the Old Soldiers’ Home listened intently at Hollywood yesterday as Memorial Day speakers eulogized the valor and the justics of the cause of the men who followed Lee and Jackson. They are, left to right, W.R. Thomas, J.W. Blizzard and John H. Shaw.
7-19-1936: Montague speaks – Representative A. J. Montague snapped as he spoke yesterday before a rally of the Lee Ward Democratic Club at a Brunswick stew in Bryan Park. Governor Andrew Jackson Montague
This March 1938 image shows children playing basketball in a high school gymnasium that had been remodeled by the Works Progress Administration in Suffolk. The WPA was a New Deal employment program, and The Times-Dispatch had published an editorial questioning its value. A reporter and photographer were sent to Suffolk to tour various WPA projects, and their conclusions shed a positive light on the effort.
This April 1936 image shows the old City Auditorium at the corner of Cary and Linden streets in Richmond. The building dates to the late 19th century and first served as a market. Later, it became an auditorium, hosting conventions and other events. After many remodels, the latest being in 2010, it currently serves at the Cary Street Gym for Virginia Commonwealth University.