Free walking tour highlights Ashland Trolley Line on April 29th

A free walking tour on Saturday, April 29th, will help people understand the historic Ashland Trolley Line’s impact on the Richmond region today.

From 1907 to 1938, the Ashland Trolley Line connected the city of Richmond to the town of Ashland. The 14.8-mile streetcar line route played a major role in the development of local neighborhoods.

The corridor represents a significant portion of the upcoming Fall Line trail, a multi-use trail stretching across seven localities from Ashland to Petersburg.

Organized by PlanRVA and its partners, the walking tour starts at the L. Douglas Wilder Library & Learning Resource Center on the Virginia Union University campus at 9 a.m.

On-campus parking is available by the library or the Perkins Living and Learning Center. VUU is also accessible by GRTC bus route 1 Chamberlayne/Downtown. Registration is encouraged.

Experts will discuss the Ashland Trolley Line’s impact on the development of communities in North Richmond and northward through Henrico and Hanover counties to the town of Ashland.

Presenters will include Bill Martin of The Valentine, historian Kim Chen of the City of Richmond Department of Planning and Development Review, radio personality and historian Gary Flowers and staff members from PlanRVA and the National Park Service’s Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.

The event supports a public history project by PlanRVA and the National Park Service, which is working to collect stories about the historic streetcar line and the neighborhoods that emerged around it. Collected stories will be featured along the Fall Line route.

PlanRVA representatives will also participate in an informational booth at the 19th annual Ashland Train Day festival on the same day, which runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

To contribute stories to the Ashland Trolley Line history project, contact [email protected].