Tradegar was by far one of the most important factories making weaponry namely canons for the civil war effort. There is not much left of the original factory, but the original brick building has been transformed into a civil war museum filled with interesting relics and amazing large scale photos.
The first thing we noticed was the large gear wheel at the front which we learned about about a Hagley was used to harness the water power of the river. Tradegar was originally founded as an iron manufacturer and was the largest of it's kind in the South. In fact, it's location was one of the main reasons the capital of the Confederacy was moved to Richmond from Montgomery, Alabama. During the Civil War it experienced many difficulties running out of supplies as well as skilled labor to build much of the needed artillary and locomotives that the Souther war effort required.
original canon made at the site and used in battle.
Knowing that his factory was a huge target of Northern forces coming to burn the city of Richmond, it's young manager Joseph Reid Anderson hired 50 guards to protect it the night the city was invaded and as a result it is one of the few preserved structures to survive destruction of the war.
The main visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park opened at the Tredegar Iron Works site in June 2000. The Civil War Visitor Center at Tradegar Iron Works is located in the restored pattern building and offers three floors of exhibits, an interactive map table, a film about the Civil War battles around Richmond, a bookstore, and interpretive NPS rangers on site daily to provide programs and to aid visitors. We enjoyed our visit but sadly we arrived too late to check out the American Civil War Museum (and of course...the gift shop). Give yourself some time, it's definitely worth a look!!
