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Kujo17 t1_j2cdmwk wrote

Wtf this should be it's own post lol had no idea

>Many Richmonders have probably heard of the “beer vaults” that are somewhere under the park, but few know of their history or how extensive they are. A pencil and ink plan from the City Engineer’s office records in the archives of the Library of Virginia shows the position of the vaults and describes their considerable dimensions: six chambers, ranging from 30 to 60 feet long and arranged in a “L” pattern. The vaulted ceilings are approximately twenty feet tall. Considering a GRTC bus is about forty feet long, the large scale of these underground rooms is truly impressive.

>An octagon sketched in pencil over the vaults presumably indicates the position of the park house directly above the brick rooms, which are drawn in red. An elaborate stairway with landings once served as access to the two entrances. The plan also notes the locations of a public spring (which still exists) below the park house, and a horse trough, both of which were to provide refreshment to horses and men making their way up the switchback road that wound between Fulton and Broad Street. The road is labeled “30 Foot Road Leading to Tunnel,” a reference to the famous Church Hill railroad tunnel which collapsed in 1925.

That really does sound massive

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