Last weekend Pamela and I attended the wedding of her son in Richmond, Virginia. It was a terrific ceremony and a great after-party. I don’t know how the honeymoon is going as we weren’t invited.

The ceremony was held at Richmond’s Monumental Church on Broad Avenue. It is historical and not only because it was opened in 1814. It was built on the site of the 1811 Richmond Theatre fire disaster in which seventy-two people perished, including the governor at the time. Building codes were not what there are today. Only the front doors offered a way out and they opened in, trapping many inside.

The church itself pays tribute to the disaster with a list of the dead on a monument at the main entrance and several plaques. The listing of the dead are segregated with separate panels for men, for women, and for slaves who perished. Interesting the remains of the dead are interred in a crypt in the basement of the building so they are all joined as one in death. It is a moving experience to see the memorials. It has not been an active church for 55 years and is available for weddings. I recommend seeing it but you need an appointment to do so. Go here for more information and include it on your Richmond itinerary.

Monumental Church

As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes