#sixthstreet

(Library of Congress)  — Box making in the T. C. Williams Tobacco Co. — Images collected by W.E.B. Du Bois & Thomas J. Calloway for the "American Negro Exhibit" at the Paris Exposition of 1900

The T. C. Williams Company, tobacco manufacturers at the foot of Seventh street, operates here, as a single concern, two of the largest factories, making plug and twist chiefly, and fine export tobaccos largely, not of Richmond only, but of the United States. 

(Library of Congress)  — “Lumpers” at T. C. Williams Tobacco Co., circa 1899 — Images collected by W.E.B. Du Bois & Thomas J. Calloway for the "American Negro Exhibit" at the Paris Exposition of 1900 — “Lumpers,” a term used to describe anyone whose job it is to manually handle freight in a warehouse

This company was incorporated in 1889, upon the death of the late Thomas C. Williams (from whom it takes its name), as successor to the old firm of Thomas C. Williams & Co., whose predecessor was James Thomas, Jr., established more than fifty years ago. It has $400,000 capital stock. 

(Library of Congress) — African Americans, mostly women, sorting tobacco at T. C. Williams Tobacco Co. — Images collected by W.E.B. Du Bois & Thomas J. Calloway for the "American Negro Exhibit" at the Paris Exposition of 1900

The output of its two factories is from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 pounds of finished stock annually. It furnishes employment to some 700 hands, and is, perhaps, the best known concern of the trade here to the dealers in foreign lands.

(Library of Congress) — Pot presses at T. C. Williams Tobacco Co. — Images collected by W.E.B. Du Bois & Thomas J. Calloway for the "American Negro Exhibit" at the Paris Exposition of 1900

It was a notable establishment before the war, even, and is still manufacturing many of the brands that were originated by it then. It is best known, perhaps, by its famous "Lucy Hinton" brand; scarcely less so, however, than by numerous others, among them the following:

(iCollector) — advertisement for Nosegay — note the brand is now owned by American Tobacco Co.

"Mattaponi," "May Apple," "Nosegay," "Paris Medal," "Golden Eagle," "Plum," "Old Dominion," and many others for domestic consumption; and for foreign trade, "Imperial Ruby," "Bird’s-Eye Twist," "Victory," "Golden Eagle," "Mabel," "Juno," "Janus," etc.

(VCU) — 1889 Baist Atlas Map of Richmond — Plate 1 — showing the Sixth & Canal Street locations

It is hardly necessary to go into details concerning the processes of manufacture in this establishment. It is sufficient to say, in that respect, that its management is in the hands of experts in the business of life-long identification with it, and that its fame, both in this country and abroad, conclusively establishes the superiority of its products.

(Find A Grave) — Thomas C. Williams Sr.

The late T. C. Williams was manager of it for the founder of the business before he reached the head of it himself; and to his efforts, in large part, the development of this trade is due. He succeeded Mr. Thomas in 1862, and the firm of T. C. Williams & Co. succeeded him in 1886. 

(VCU) — 1889 Baist Atlas Map of Richmond — Plate 8 — showing the 403 South Seventh Street factory

Robert S. Bosher, James T. Parkinson and Thomas C. Williams, Jr., were his partners in that firm. Mr. Bosher is president of the company now; Mr. Williams, vice-president; Mr. Parkinson, superintendent; and Mr. W. S. Wortham, secretary and treasurer. 

[RVCJ93] — T. C. Williams Tobacco Company Factory 2 — 403 South Seventh Street?

Mr. J. C. Knox manages the company’s "No. 2" factory. Mr. Bosher is a native of the city, and has been with the house from his sixteenth year. He may certainly be said to have been raised to the business. Mr. Parkinson has been in the business twenty-two years; Mr. Wortham seventeen years; and Mr. Williams eight or ten years. [RVCJ93]

[RVCJ93] — T. C. Williams Tobacco Company Factory 3 — Sixth & Canal Streets SW?

T. C. Williams was another of those tobacco men who also dabbled in railroads and banks, and became stinking rich in the process. He was also a trustee of Richmond College and gave generously to that institution.

September 2019 — looking toward Sixth & Canal Streets NE

When he died at the relatively young age of 57 in 1899, the family donated $25,000 as an endowment for the Richmond College law school, which was named the T.C. Williams School of Law in 1920. Sadly, UR rebranded it as the University of Richmond School of Law in recent years and lost the connection to its early benefactor. (Find A Grave)

September 2019 — looking towards Sixth & Canal Streets SW

As for the company, in 1903 it was gobbled up by the British-American Tobacco Company, a joint venture of Imperial Tobacco and the American Tobacco Company as part of their tobacco war truce. T. C. Williams continued to operate as a subsidiary in Petersburg, but eventually, the company vanished. (Duke University Libraries)

September 2019 — looking toward 117 South Seventh Street

As for the factory locations, the 1893 edition of Richmond, Virginia: The City on the James doesn’t tell the whole story. It says that the business operated “at the foot of Seventh street”, and Baist shows both of these South Seventh Street locations as belonging to the James Thomas Estate, so they are likely the originating factories.

September 2019 — looking towards 403 South Seventh Street, which would be somewhere near the top of the stairs

However, Baist also shows the Sixth Street addresses under the ownership of T. C. Williams, so the business expanded to four locations by 1889. Unfortunately, Richmond, Virginia: The City on the James is aggravatingly silent as to where each of the three illustrated buildings actually stood. The tentative identification here is purely guesswork based on orientation and topography.

(T. C. Williams Tobacco Company is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)

Print Sources

[CDRVA] Chataigne’s Directory of Richmond, Va. J. H. Chataigne. 1881.

(NCpedia) — Harper's Weekly illustration, January 15, 1887 issue — showing women hand-rolling cigarettes in a Virginia factory

This establishment, which was the first of its kind in Virginia, was founded in 1865, by Messrs. Allen & Ginter. They employ eleven hundred hands, nearly all of whom are girls, have eighteen commercial salesmen on the road, and their goods are known all over the world. This was the first Cigarette Factory in the United States that employed female help in manipulating Cigarettes, and the superiority of this labor over all other is attested by the fact that all other Cigarette factories are following the example of Messrs. Allen & Ginter.

(VCU) — 1889 Baist Atlas Map of Richmond — Plate 1 — showing the warehouse (left), stemmery (center), & factory (bottom) locations

They occupy three large brick buildings, each 70x150 feet, five stories high, which gives them the vast amount of 157,500 square feet of floor space. The two buildings at the corner of 7th and Cary streets, are the manufacturing and shipping departments, while the one at the corner of 6th and Cary streets is used exclusively for the storage and preparing of leaf.

August 2019 — looking towards former warehouse location at Sixth & Cary Streets NW

The entire works are fitted throughout with the most modern machinery, and other appliances, for the successful prosecution of their immense business. The establishment is a paragon of neatness, and the most complete system reigns throughout the premises. They have branch houses in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and London. 

August 2019 — looking towards former stemmery location at 600 East Cary Street

Their production is chiefly fine grades of Cigarettes and Smoking Tobacco. Their Cigarettes have a reputation that has made them a standard article in all parts of the world. They have received the highest awards of merit at the great exhibitions in Philadelphia, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne and New Orleans.

August 2019 — looking towards former factory location at Seventh & Cary Streets SW

In addition to their immense sale in this country, they export them to all parts of the world, and there is scarcely a country in which they are not sold. While the sale of adulterated brands of many American manufacturers has been prohibited in Great Britain, their absolutely pure goods have attained the largest popular sale ever known in Cigarettes in that country, with a steadily increasing demand.

(EBay) — Allen & Ginter Tobacco Reverse Painted Glass Sign, circa 1890

Their Cigarettes are made with different degrees of strength to suit all tastes. They use the tasteless French rice paper, made in France expressly for them. It has no smell, and its purity is such that in burning scarcely an atom of ash remains.

(Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden) — advertisement for Richmond Gem, Richmond Straight Cut, & Our Little Beauties

Among their leading brands, are "Richmond Straight Cuts," "The Pet," "Dubec" (genuine Turkish), "Virginia Brights," "Opera Puff," "Our Little Beauties," "Perfection," "Richmond Gem," "Sunny South," "Dixie," and "Dainties."

Among their Smoking Mixtures, are "Imperial," "Richmond Gem," " Richmond Straight Cut, No. 1," "Perique," "Turkish," "Richmond Mixture, Nos. 1 and 2."

Cut Plug Tobaccos. "Cable Coil," "Dixie Chop," "Richmond Cavendish, Nos. 1 and 2," "Imperial Cavendish," &c, &c. Granulated Tobaccos. "Matchless," "Buds and Blossoms," "Dixie," and "Killickinnick."

(Find A Grave) — John Frederick Allen

In 1882, Mr. Allen, the senior partner, retired, and Mr. Lewis Ginter admitted Mr. John Pope into co partnership, continuing under the old firm name. No firm in existence is more liberal to its employees, or mindful of their interests. Messrs. Ginter and Pope are two of Richmond's most progressive and representative business men. [IOR]

(Find A Grave) — Lewis Ginter

Allen & Ginter succeeded in dominating the cigarette market in large part due to Lewis Ginter’s singular business acumen. Not only did he create a successful blend of bright and burley tobaccos for a tempting, tasty smoke, he also knew how to market his ciggies. [CIGC] 

(Rocket Werks RVA Cigarette Cards)

Starting in 1875, Allen & Ginter became the first tobacco company to issue colorful trading cards with each pack of smokes. Originally, the intent was practical, to stiffen the soft cigarette packs, but by adding a colorful advertising plug, they set off a collector craze that drove sales and forced the industry to follow suit. (Collectors Weekly)

Unfortunately, Ginter’s skills were not universal, and it cost him.

(U. S. Patent & Trademark Office) — diagram from James Albert Bonsack's U.S. patent 238,640, granted March 8, 1881

As mentioned above, Allen & Ginter’s factory output was all derived by hand. Rolling cigarettes was time-consuming, required a large labor force, and limited production. As cigarettes became more popular with the smoking public, tobacco companies started looking for ways to automate the process. Allen & Ginter sponsored a competition for a solution, which was won in 1881 by 22-year-old American inventor James Bonsack.

(PeoplePill) — James Albert Bonsack, sporting a smug “I’m so smart” expression that makes you want to smack him

Bonsack produced a machine that rolled a single long cigarette that was then cut into separate pieces. However, the technology was new and finicky, requiring lots of tinkering to keep it operational. In a singular example of not being able to read the tea leaves, Allen & Ginter elected not to use the device, preferring to stay with their tried and true process.

Enter everyone’s favorite tobacco villain, James Buchanan Duke, President of American Tobacco Company.

(Duke University Libraries) — James Buchanan Duke

Duke saw the promise of the Bonsack Machine and immediately inked a deal for its exclusive use. American Tobacco Company actively worked with Bonsack to improve the device, which eventually came to dominate the industry. It gave Duke a powerful competitive advantage over his rivals and led to Ginter’s surrender in 1890. Allen & Ginter was reduced to a being a subsidiary of the new American Tobacco Company Trust, led by Duke as its new president. [CIGC]

(Vintage Richmond) — showing the Imperial Tobacco Company building that replaced the former Allen & Ginter warehouse in 1904 at the NW corner of Sixth & Cary, itself demolished in the late 70s

As for the Allen and Ginter locations, it is difficult to pin down when they were built and when they fell, but their operations would eventually relocate to the American Tobacco Company’s new factory on North Twentieth Street. The former Allen & Ginter buildings were picked up by other tobacco enterprises, and their glory days were over.

(Allen & Ginter is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)

Print Sources

[CIGC] The Cigarette Century. Allan M. Brandt. 2007.

[IOR] Industries of Richmond. James P. Wood. 1886

(LOC) — Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Richmond (1905) — Plate 9

“Our aim, in brief, is to have the very best building, and do the very best for young men that is done anywhere—a work that shall grow as our city grows and as the work of the Young Men’s Christian Association develops,” a member wrote in a letter to the Richmond Dispatch.

Strong local support facilitated a speedy start. Within a year of Moody’s appearance, the Richmond YMCA had raised $30,000, selected an architect, approved plans, acquired a lot at the northwest corner of Sixth and Main Streets, and solicited bids from builders. Work formally began on June 10, 1886, after the ceremonial laying of a cornerstone. The building was dedicated on May 19, 1887.

(Wikimedia) — Design for the Building of the Young Men’s Christian Association  — American Architect and Building News, November 14, 1885

The new Richmond YMCA shared many traits with the 23rd Street YMCA in New York, including a gym. Like the New York Y, Richmond’s had a solid appearance. The Richmond building had a rough granite exterior at the first floor level. Brick was above that. Stone was used for windowsills. The entrance was on Main Street, and a large corner tower stood at Main and Sixth.

(Bryn Mawr College) — YMCA building architects Walter Cope (right) and John Stewardson (left)

“The architecture is to the fullest extent free, yet based chiefly on motives derived from the vigorous styles prevailing in Southern France and Northern Italy during the eleventh and twelfth centuries,” the Richmond Dispatch reported. “Its prototypes, if it can be said to have any, are to be found among the grand old markets or town halls of Lombardy, as well as with the massive churches of Auvergne. In this sense, the style may be roughly classed as Romanesque.” 

[RYMCA]

The gym was in the basement. It measured 50 by 50 by 20 feet and extended into the second floor. A bowling alley and locker room were next to the gym. Anybody wishing to use the gym paid a $7 annual fee. For that, they got a well-equipped facility.

“Our equipment is the finest in the state,” a period circular reported. “It includes the latest appliances in developing apparatus—the celebrated Murphy Pulley Weight, a new Hydraulic Rowing Machine, Iron and Wooden Dumb Bells, Wands and Indian Clubs. The equipment in heavy apparatus is of the latest pattern, and consists of Horizontal and Parallel bars, German Horse and Buck, with a bountiful supply of well-padded Floor Mats—Baths: Shower, Needle and Sponge Baths are supplied with hot and cold water.”

[RVCJ93]

The new YMCA quickly became a busy place. It remained one for the next 25 years. One measure of this was the usage. By 1893, 92,608 people came to the facility annually. Some came for spiritual reasons. The Y offered Bible study, prayer meetings and referred members to local churches.

[RYMCA] — YMCA front steps

Library visitation was high. Classes proved popular, too. Young men could learn about a variety of subjects at the Y. The best attended courses were those applicable to work. These included bookkeeping, commercial law, telegraphy and commercial arithmetic. The value of professional classes for hardworking, ambitious young men cannot be over-estimated. Testimonials confirming this appeared frequently in newsletters of the period. For example, in 1902, a new Richmond YMCA member told how night school classes at the 23rd Street YMCA in New York had allowed him to succeed in industry after previously being unemployed.

[RYMCA] — fitness class in progress

The most popular activities at the Richmond YMCA were those associated with sports and fitness. Y members enthusiastically embraced “muscular Christianity” on the baseball diamond, tennis court and floor. Workouts in the latter were executed under the careful eye of the new gymnasium superintendent, Thomas Cornelius, formerly of the Baltimore YMCA. Apparently, Cornelius was a firm advocate of bodybuilding, a term that originated at the Boston YMCA. Cornelius even encouraged members to skip learning gymnastic routines, a much-promoted pathway to fitness in the nineteenth century.

[RYMCA] — showing Dr. James Naismith, inventor of basketball

In the realm of sports, though, the warmest enthusiasm existed for the recently invented game of basketball. James Naismith, a physical education instructor, created basketball under the guidance of Luther Gulick, then director of the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Gulick wanted a fast-paced indoor game for winter. Naismith began work on the project in December 1891. Naismith’s early experiments involved mounting peach baskets in the gym. Initially, basketball had just 13 rules. Students loved the game. Naismith developed more detailed rules and published them on January 15, 1892. The first formal basketball game occurred five days later at Springfield College.

[RYMCA]

It is unclear when basketball arrived at the Richmond YMCA. However, by 1898, documents show basketball was a centerpiece of local Y sports programs. Leagues and championship play were permanent features by the early 1900s. The Richmond YMCA’s first home was thoroughly a product of its time, the movement and its community. For the better part of three decades, it would serve well the needs of Richmonders’ spirits, minds and bodies.

March 2019 — 514 (or 530?) East Main Street today

Boy, it'd be interesting to see today's NCAA basketball getting by on just 13 rules. How different the game is with the shot clock violation, the 10-second rule, the 5-second rule, and the 3-point shot.

The original YMCA was replaced the by Central YMCA in 1909 when it relocated to Seventh & Grace Streets. The old building was demolished in 1912 when the Eskimo Pie Building was constructed. This was a pity; a true loss to Richmond’s architectural portfolio.

Even though the Sanborn map shows the old Y’s address as 514 East Main Street, the Eskimo Pie Building is at 530 East Main Street, and it says so right on the entrance. It even says so on the Sixth Street entrance, which is a little confusing, but let’s just roll with it.

(Original YMCA is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)

Print Sources

[RVCJ93] Richmond, Virginia: The City on the James: The Book of Its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests. G. W. Engelhardt. 1893.