A brief history and present description of the historic district of Shockoe Slip and Bottom in Richmond Virginia.
Known as The Slip (and The Bottom of the slip) by right of the area's nearness to the Great Turning Basin on the James River Canal, it was once a hub of the mercantile industry. Paper mills, iron works, tobacco warehouses, and factories stood like silent sentinels along the waterfront docks and watched the bustling commerce of the city. The canals along the James River, built in the late 1700's, had turned Richmond into a center of industry and trade. And so it remained until the mid 19th century and the end of the Civil War.
In 1865 Union troops fought their way into the heart of the city, into Shockoe Slip and Bottom, forcing Lee to evacuate the once thriving metropolis. The whole area along the waterfront became a blazing inferno. The factories and warehouses crumbled and fell into history with an epoch-shattering roar. Although the buildings were rebuilt, an era was past. In 1880 the canals were sold to the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad. Soon railroads, then automobiles, became the preferred methods of transport. The canals were abandoned and Slip and The Bottom slowly fell into disuse and disrepair.
Then the Clean Water Act in the late 1960's gave power to the environmentalists. The James River was cleaned up and the neighborhood slowly revived. Old warehouses and factories were refurbished and redesigned to become restaurants, hotels, & shops. The Shockoe area once again began to flourish and the James River that had once attracted the wealthy industrialists began to lure a new type of consumer, the leisure class; people with time and money to lavish on frivolities and entertainment.
A few of the old structures from Shockoe's heyday still survive: the Masonic Hall on Franklin Street, built in 1787 was used as a hospital during the Civil War and the small stone house on E. Main Street, erected in 1737, is now a museum dedicated to the poet and storyteller Edgar Allen Poe.
So if you plan on traveling to Richmond Virginia, whether for business or pleasure, make sure a visit to the Shockoe Slip/Shockoe Bottom area tops your itinerary. First, walk the short distance from the James River between 12th and 14th streets and step into The Slip, now a charming conglomeration of nightclubs, shops, apartments, hotels, and restaurants. While strolling along the quaint brick sidewalks amid renovated 19th century warehouses and buildings, you will almost be able to imagine you have been whisked back in time 150 years. Just remind yourself, as you browse the shop windows, marveling at the variety of curiosities offered, to occasionally stop and turn your eyes upward to inspect the architectural detailing of the building facades.
Continue on down the hill to The Bottom and peruse the art galleries. If you are fortunate enough to visit on a weekend, drop in on the 200 year old 17th Street Farmer's Market where you can still find local farmers hawking their wares on the cobblestone street. Antique dealers and crafters are also among the vendors at The Market and if you're observant, you might just stumble across a great bargain.
Sometimes on quiet days, if you stand very still in Shockoe and listen with an inner ear, you can hear the shouts and laughter of the dockworkers, the creak of harness leather, the thumping of the paper mill, and the clang of iron against iron. Then close your eyes and breathe in the smell of dusty streets, horses, and freshly cured tobacco. Ghosts, like timid wild things, must be coaxed from the past.
