Piedmont, Liggett & Myers, and ATC: A Clarification

[Abravefan11]

Jason - There are two railway bridges running from Manchester across the river to Richmond. I believe pictured on the postcard is the one just north of 14th Street.

On the postcard two easily identifiable Richmond buildings are the State Capitol building and the old City Hall. The tallest building in the photo is the new City Hall, which will help as a reference point.




On the following map I placed red sight lines for the postcards image using the buildings and railway as reference points. Of course we can move the vantage point north or south on the Manchester shoreline, but it won't have a drastic effect. That is unless we move it so far that the image itself would be completely different.

Further south on the map is a red box. This is the location of tobacco row in Shockoe Bottom. Based on the site lines I believe you will see how it's not possible for those buildings to be pictured in the postcard.



Here is a photo I took today from the 14th Street bridge. Notice it is looking across the river turned slightly north. The new City Hall and railway are visible in similar positions as on the postcard.



This is a photo from the opposite side of the bridge looking back at tobacco row. Notice how much further south down the river the angle is. The tallest smoke stack on the right still has Lucky Strike painted on it.



One of the most iconic Richmond Landmarks is Main Street station. If the postcard image included both the Capital and tobacco factories in the Bottom, Main Street Station would be right between the two. Anyone ever traveling north or south on 95 through Richmond has driven right past it.



I have not definitively identified the address of ATC Factory #25. Finding any documentation that uses this factory tax number is difficult. The period addresses for ATC factories in Richmond that I have found are located within the red box on the map.

I do love the Richmond postcard and want to do some more research on some of the buildings pictured in it.

[t206blogcom]

Tim - Good pictures and research. I see what you mean about the angles and how Shockhoe Bottom is out of view. If that is in fact the Piedmont factory in the postcard, then it wasn't in Shockhoe Bottom.

With that said, I just recalled a conversation I had with a long term resident of the greater Richmond area. There's a hole in the wall card shop in Williamsburg that I frequent a few times a year. The last few times I was there, the owner and I talked at length about t206s. During one of our conversations, he mentioned the old Piedmont factory was torn down years ago. I had completely forgotten about that conversation until my wife mentioned it (we were talking about this during dinner and she was with me when the shop owner was talking about the old factory).

I have no proof his comments are accurate or not, but he seemed knowledgeable. If his comments are accurate and if the Piedmont factory was in Shockhoe Slip and not Shockhoe Bottom, then the brown smoke stack and building in Ted's postcard could have been the Piedmont factory.

I wish we could find some sort of property records or address of the original Piedmont factory. It would be interesting to see what's in its place today.

[Abravefan11]

Jason-I stop in that card shop in Williamsburg once every few months just to check in. Next time I'm in their I'll be sure to ask the owner about it.

I've been working on locating Factory #25 off and on for a while and this has given it a shot in the arm. I've come across some new information (new to me anyway) tonight that may be a step in the right direction. It cold lead to the factory being pictured in Ted's postcard, but I still don't think it would be the brick building in the lower left. We'll see where it goes.

[t206blogcom]

Tim - The shop owner's name is Guy. He used to go to the show in Chantilly, but hasn't been in years. I guess my secret little card shop isn't as secret as I thought.

Keep us posted if you unearth anymore information.

Do you live down in that area? I'm in NoVa (Loudoun County).

[Abravefan11]

Originally Posted by t206blogcom

Keep us posted if you unearth anymore information.

Do you live down in that area? I'm in NoVa (Loudoun County).

Yes, I live in the Richmond area. I have family that live in Loudoun County as well.

The original brick building you thought may be a tobacco factory wasn't at the time the postcard was produced, but it would become a tobacco building eventually.

According to a magazine article and a few other sources, it was built in 1901 for the Union Envelope Company. Last to occupy the building was R.J. Reynolds. After they left the building remained vacant for years. Renovations are currently converting the building into apartments. A before shot of the building from a few years ago, and another I took today are below.

The smoke stack was part of the power plant owned by the Virginia Passenger and Power Company. Also still standing.

This research has led to the location of Factory 25. More on that soon when I have it all together.

[t206blogcom]

Great stuff Tim! When you find factory 25, I'll have to make a trip down to Richmond to check it out.

[Mountaineer1999]

What ever happened with this? Was this in fact the Factory 25 building? Have any of the factories been identified and are they standing today?