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Contact: Mike Andrus, 804 226-1981 x. 30
Richmond National Battlefield Park announces the temporary closing, until further notice, of two of its units during the course of paving and construction work. Drewry's Bluff, ten miles south of Richmond in Chesterfield County, will be closed beginning April 21. Workers will remove the current parking lot and build a new lot closer to the site's entrance. The purpose of the work is to eliminate the extensive erosion problems that have injured the natural and historical resources at the site in recent years. The special anniversary events planned for the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Drewry's Bluff on May 17-18 have been affected by this work. The scheduled living history event has been cancelled. The parking lot at the park's Chickahominy Bluff unit on Route 360 west of Mechanicsville also is being repaved, and the site will be closed to the public begin April 15. Both projects are designed to repair the worn asphalt surfaces, and address the long term stability of the sites while protecting the resources the National Park is charged with safeguarding. Chickahominy Bluff is the first stop on the recommended driving tour of the Civil War battlefields outside Richmond. From that high ground Robert E. Lee watched the beginning of his June 1862 campaign that drove the Union army away from Richmond. Drewry's Bluff, sometimes called "The Gibraltar on the James," repulsed a foray by the U. S. Navy in May 1862. It also served as a key link in the chain of Richmond defenses between 1862 and 1865. For updates and other details, visit www.nps.gov/rich, or call 804-226-1981. |
Last updated: February 26, 2015