Richmond is one of those interesting small cities that’s just a tad too far away for a day trip. Another one is Wilmington, Delaware. They both have an Interstate slicing right through their old cores, but both still have that old-fashioned, mid-rise urban look that isn’t intense like Manhattan, but still feels very much like a city.

Today’s piece is brief, because there’s not much more I can say about what I’m featuring today than what’s out there. But we’re just outside central Richmond, just off a street called Steam Brewery Court, and the important thing is the green overgrown area in the middle of this image:

From this article:

Three men arrived in Richmond in 1866 to answer the call of opportunity. D.G. Yuengling Jr. had apprenticed at his father’s brewery in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and now 24 years old, brought with him his uncle, John F. Betz, and another experienced brewer, John A. Beyer, to create the first large-scale brewery in Richmond. While their enormous facility was being built near the Richmond dock, also known as Rocketts Landing, the three men began small-scale operations north of the city….

This brewery soon became known as the James River Steam Brewery. Its trademark and labels were identical to the classic Yuengling brewery in Pottsville, though it remained a separate entity. It is interesting to note that the brewery advertised in both English-speaking and German newspapers its English- and German-style beers. The proximity to the rail and shipping networks ensured that the brewery could transport its beers not just to Richmond, but throughout the state.

And that was the brewery that stood here, by the water, well over 100 years ago. But that ruin isn’t from the brewery’s building. It’s from the brewery’s tunnels. Technically, cellars:

As much as Yuengling may have indeed succeeded in reviving interest in beer in Richmond, he could not predict the future. Advances in refrigeration made the vast cellars obsolete, and the economic collapse that occurred in 1873 would eventually destroy all Richmond breweries and much of the nascent post-war growth of industrial America. Yuengling’s brewery was no different. Though it managed to weather the initial storm, with industrial workers moving away and costs rising, Yuengling’s giant Richmond brewery closed in 1879.

Here, in this blog post, are some photos of the tunnel entrance. The remains are on the National Register of Historic Places. What used to be a railroad between the river and the brewery is now a pedestrian/bicycle trail. And as you can see from the first image, what was once an industrial site is now a new neighborhood.

It’s interesting how things change, isn’t it?

Related Reading:

What Do You Think You’re Looking At? #5

Under The Street

Impermanence

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