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Tredegar Visitor Center Receives Powell Award The new visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park at Tredegar Iron Works was awarded the John Wesley Powell award from the Society for History in the Federal Government. This biennial award recognizes excellence in the fields of historic preservation of records, artifacts, buildings and historic sites and for historical displays that can include a museum exhibit, film, or any other form of public interpretive historical presentation. The letter of notification from the Society of History state, "All of this year's nominees are fine examples of historical display about the federal government or by a federal agency. But for comprehensiveness, scholarship, and effectiveness, we thought the Richmond Visitors Center deserved first place." The award is named for John Wesley Powell (1834-1902), an important American ethnologist, geologist, and explorer of the Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain region. Powell was also a veteran of the Civil War, and lost his arm while serving with the Illinois Artillery at the battle of Shiloh. Richmond National Battlefield Park's Superintendent, Cynthia MacLeod and Assistant Superintendent David Ruth accepted the award on behalf of the National Park Service on March 15, 2001, during a ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Superintendent MacLeod noted that this award is wonderful recognition of the partnership between the National Park Service and Richmond Historic Riverfront Foundation that resulted in a visitor center that all Americans can be proud of. "Visitors of all backgrounds can find interest in the military and civilian stories of Richmond during the Civil War, including the causes of the war and special contributions of the Tredegar Iron Works." |
Last updated: February 26, 2015