The Byrd Park Pump House (1958)
The Byrd Park Pump House
Site Name: Byrd Park Pump House
Date Constructed: 1883
Reason for Construction: The Pump House was a major part of the city of Richmond’s water works operation from 1883 to 1924. It pumped water up the hill to the Byrd Park Reservoir from the James River. The Pump House was also used during the early 20th century as a place where Richmond’s elite hosted parties and other gatherings in the upstairs ballroom.
Site History: City engineer Colonel Wilfred Emory Cutshaw designed the Pump House and oversaw its development into the city’s first building with purpose as both a water pump and a social hall. For years, it was a hot spot for tourists, a must-see for people who came to Richmond. Sunday afternoons at the Pump House were a popular time for picnics and gatherings during the spring and summer. Construction began in 1880 and the pump house was fully operational as of 1883. Its open-air ballroom hall was used extensively in the early 1900’s, and the pump house was fully operational throughout this time. Richmonders would board a boat and travel upriver to dine at the pump house and eventually take the boat back downstream. The pump house originally contained three pumps which totaled a daily water capacity of four million gallons. The building could withstand the pressure of so much water because of its strong stone foundation and walls.
During the course of its operation, the pump was expanded multiple times to meet the needs of the city. This demand continually increased until the city of Richmond finally adopted a metering system to control the flow of water, which cut the consumption by forty percent. The city became much less dependent on the extreme pumping capacity of the Pump House, and the pump house was shut down in 1924 because a newer more modern pump house was built right next to it. During World War II, much of the scrap metal from the old pump and pipes was sold or repurposed for the war. Currently it lies unused, though many have advocated for its restoration, and there are plans in the works to restore the old building to once again be used for social gatherings and other events. Some rumors have arisen that the old pump house is haunted, and in 2010 the city opened up the pump house to the Foundation for Paranormal Research and members of the public for what the foundation called “the three mile lock experiment - conquest,” though witnesses claim that they “didn’t see anything paranormal.”
Area History: Byrd Park was originally founded in 1874 when the city of Richmond purchased 60 acres of land, with the intent to construct a new reservoir. A reservoir was constructed and a pump house was built to supply water to the reservoir. Later, the city would purchased another 240 acres for the expansion of the park, and construct three new lakes named Shield, Swan, and Fountain lake. Shield and Swan Lake originally functioned as swimming pools. Both are 10 feet deep and at one time were outfitted with diving boards for public swimming. Fountain Lake functioned as a boating lake and also had a carousel next to it for children to ride.
What about the site has changed?: Since its construction in 1883 many different things have happened to the pump house. After many of its parts were sold of as scrap metal for World War II, the city of Richmond sold it to a Presbyterian Church for a dollar. Since then, it has been sitting in a state of decay. It was originally slated for destruction in the 1950’s, but that never happened, and it has sat in relative disrepair since that time. In the past couple of years the city of Richmond has attempted to restore the site, and in the future they hope to use it as an office building for the Parks Service.
What about the surrounding area has changed? Byrd Park was originally only for whites. The area during the early 1900’s was primarily Caucasian and only whites were allowed in the park. As the area became increasingly African-American, the carousel was taken out and the diving boards were torn down. This led to a long period of decay from the 1950’s through the 1980’s, after which things began to turn around. There were a lot of problems with drug dealing and loitering, and by the 1980’s it had reached an all-time high. The area is still working to eliminate crime, but as of today the Byrd Park area has become increasingly diverse and safe. Now, things such as the boating lake and Dogwood Dell are very popular Richmond tourist attractions and serve as local hang out spots.
Reflection: The pump house’s looming stone structure was always at the bottom of the hill, but I was always more concerned with the hill and running up it quickly. We would run by the pump house but I never really knew what it was or why it was there. All I knew was that we would have to trespass to use the bridge over the creek. I knew there was a ballroom after someone suggested we have prom there as a joke. Learning about its history was actually a really cool experience, because its a place that I see so much, but I never really knew what it was. I learned a great deal about Byrd Park too, when my interest was sparked by my friend Rachel doing a Richmond History project at Rice University. Taking the pictures was exciting because I shot it with film originally which I really like the quality. Now, I can’t wait until the building is restored so that future classes at Maggie Walker can maybe have prom in the “haunted” old building.
Sources:
"Byrd Park Pump House." National Parks Service US Department of the Interior.
Nps.gov. Accessed February 20, 2014. http://www.cr.nps.gov/Nr/travel/
richmond/ByrdParkPumpHouse.html.
"Comprehensive History of Richmond's Water Supply." In Chronicling America,
compiled by Library of Congress. Previously published in Richmond Times
Dispatch, June 8, 1901. Accessed February 23, 2014.
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85034438/1902-06-08/ed-1/seq-24/.
Riggin, Phil. Phil Riggin to NBC12 newsgroup, "PHOTOS: Ghost hunting at the Pump
House," March 8, 2010. http://www.nbc12.com/story/12101550/
photos-ghost-hunting-at-the-pump-house.
Nate Ashburn & Lindsay Lickers
Nate Ashburn & Lindsay Lickers
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