Series II: Grounds, 1776-1931

Scope and content:

This series chronicles the landscaping, enclosure, stonework, and acquisition of property in Capitol Square. Volume 2 of the Capitol Square Data includes an act for locating the public squares and to enlarge the town of Richmond, a report of Carter Braxton from the committee to confer with the Directors of Public Buildings regarding their opinion to favor the lots on Shockoe Hill instead of Richmond Hill, an act to contract some persons for regulating the surface of Capitol Square in 1816, and a letter from Thomas Giles, Member of the Committee on Capitol Square, providing a legislative history of Capitol Square in 1852.

An important component of this series are the inquisitions dated from 1781 to 1788. The inquisitions include writs of quod damnum by the state for acquisition of the property located between Broad & Main Streets and 9th & 12th Streets. The inquisitions are arranged alphabetically by lot owner and include a plan presented to the library in 1926 by the City Engineer's Office which provides the names of the lot owners and lot numbers. A bound photostat copy of the inquisitions and map can also be found in this series. Related correspondence from S. Bassett French to Samuel P. Waddill, clerk of the Henrico County Court, in 1876 concerns the six "lost" lots in Capitol Square.

Contracts in this series relate to earthmoving and landscaping, erecting a fence around Capitol Square, and stonework. John P. Shields contracted with the state between 1817 and 1820 for earthmoving and landscaping. A file in this series contains correspondence from Shields to the Governor and Council. Paul A. Sabbaton was awarded the contract with the state to enclose Capitol Square with an iron fence in 1817. Sabbaton often wrote Orris Paine and enclosed a draft of a brace to support the cast iron railing. There are also proposals for the fence submitted between 1816 and 1817, some of which include sketches. James Kinkead received a contract to furnish granite stone steps for the Capitol. Memos of agreement and correspondence to A.S. Brockenbrough, Superintendent of the Improvement of the Public Square, can also be found in this file. Kinkead died before the work could be completed and another contract was granted to George C. Longden. Longden was also contracted in 1816 to remove the rock on the east side of the Capitol and lay a stone wall surrounding the Governor's lot or Capitol Square.

Lastly, this series contains documents related to the sale of land adjoining the Governor's lot from the heirs of Gustavus V. Clarke in 1857. Included is the opinion of Attorney General J.R. Tucker, a copy of Clarke's will, and a map of the property at the corner of Franklin St. and 13th St. (a.k.a. Governor's St.). Negative photostats of deeds between 1785 and 1862 for property at Capitol Square are also in this series. These deeds were copied from Henrico County and City of Richmond deed books. There is one Executive Paper belonging to Governor James Barbour, however, this document is missing. According to the endorsement page, the letter was from David Bullock regarding the removal of wooden houses in the public lot from 1812. Finally, a letter from Richard Young relates to the construction of a reservoir on the east side of the Capitol in 1827.

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