Chimborazo Park
Chimborazo Park
4.5
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4.5
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urbanguy
Richmond, VA5,010 contributions
Sept 2020
This 30+ acre park was created in 1874 on the site of the Chimborazo Hospital, a famous Civil War Hospital.
In addition to the terrific views, several interesting sites in the park deserve to be mentioned:
(1) the Powhatan Stone, commemorating the relationship between King Powhatan and the English settlers at Jamestown
(2) a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty
(3) the Chimborazo Roundhouse, built in 1915
(4) the Chimborazo Medical Museum in located at one corner (NW corner) of the park.
This is a neat place to stroll or just sit and relax.
In addition to the terrific views, several interesting sites in the park deserve to be mentioned:
(1) the Powhatan Stone, commemorating the relationship between King Powhatan and the English settlers at Jamestown
(2) a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty
(3) the Chimborazo Roundhouse, built in 1915
(4) the Chimborazo Medical Museum in located at one corner (NW corner) of the park.
This is a neat place to stroll or just sit and relax.
Written November 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maurene_K
Dover, NH12,323 contributions
Apr 2015 • Solo
Chimborazo Park is a city park adjacent to the Chimborazo Medical Museum, a unit of the Richmond National Battlefield Park.
They get their name from their location atop Chimborazo Hill, one of Richmond’s the seven hills. Both occupy the former site of the Chimborazo Hospital where some 75,000 Confederate soldiers were treated between 1861 and 1865.
No original buildings remain today. When the City of Richmond acquired the land in the late 1800’s, it created a 30-acre park.
At the time of my visit, tulips were in full bloom. It is a place where some people come to ride bicycles while others come to polish their cars, and many come for the commanding 180º view of the Richmond and the James River. It’s a good place to take a short walk along the river.
There is a likeness of the Statue of Liberty titled “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty.” The inscription says it was a gift from the Boy Scouts of America in 1951.
The park also has a gazebo, park benches, and a roundhouse.
Most parts of the park are wheelchair accessible.
A visit to this city park is worthwhile. It’s a good place to relax and take a break from touring and to get a good distant view of Richmond.
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They get their name from their location atop Chimborazo Hill, one of Richmond’s the seven hills. Both occupy the former site of the Chimborazo Hospital where some 75,000 Confederate soldiers were treated between 1861 and 1865.
No original buildings remain today. When the City of Richmond acquired the land in the late 1800’s, it created a 30-acre park.
At the time of my visit, tulips were in full bloom. It is a place where some people come to ride bicycles while others come to polish their cars, and many come for the commanding 180º view of the Richmond and the James River. It’s a good place to take a short walk along the river.
There is a likeness of the Statue of Liberty titled “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty.” The inscription says it was a gift from the Boy Scouts of America in 1951.
The park also has a gazebo, park benches, and a roundhouse.
Most parts of the park are wheelchair accessible.
A visit to this city park is worthwhile. It’s a good place to relax and take a break from touring and to get a good distant view of Richmond.
If you found this review helpful, kindly click YES below
Written May 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
goughf
Holland, MI28 contributions
Jun 2016 • Couples
When you find yourself in Richmond and want to acquaint yourself with the medical side of Civil War, this is the place for you. You visit the site of the original HUGE Confederate hospital with a 70% survival rate! On the site is also a NPS visitor's center complete with 17 minute film on Chimborazo as well as a small medical museum. The film is excellent and the museum is interesting if you haven't been well acquainted with Civil War medicine. The beautiful park-like setting features benches to enjoy the gentle breezes even on the hottest day! And on your way to the park, you'll see historic St. John's Episcopal Church where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech and fabulous row houses from the Civil War and before! Check out Chimborazo Park...you won't be sorry!
Written June 21, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1Souci
Washington DC, DC107 contributions
Sept 2015
Chimborazo park is beautiful, and there are a lot of places to sit and enjoy the views. The view of the river is one of the best in Richmond, and it's one of the most historic parks in the south. It once had the largest confederate hospital where confederate and union soldiers were treated.
The neighborhood around it is great...huge old victorian houses.
There's a dog park below the park proper so there aren't dogs wandering about as much as Libby park. It's just a great park...:-)
The neighborhood around it is great...huge old victorian houses.
There's a dog park below the park proper so there aren't dogs wandering about as much as Libby park. It's just a great park...:-)
Written October 24, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Taylor B
Chicago, IL8,498 contributions
Jul 2015
Richmond, Virginia, has so many historical sites related to the Civil War that Chimborazo often is overlooked. But there it is, located on a hill on South Broad Street at the far south end of Richmond. It has a wonderful view of downtown Richmond, just as there is a wonderful view of the city from Hollywood Cemetery on the far north end. But everybody knows about Hollywood Cemetery. Not so many know about Chimborazo, despite its catchy name. Named for a volcano in Ecuador, Chimborazo was the site of the largest medical facility in the Confederacy during the Civil War. It was an excellent site because its location near the James River was convenient for the transportation of supplies on the Kanawha Canal, fresh water was readily available from natural springs and steep slopes on three sides of the hill afforded good drainage. Opened in 1861, Chimborazo Hospital covered over 40 acres and operated between 75 and 80 wards with a capacity of over 3,000 patients. There were laundries, bakeries, kitchens, dairies and bathhouses. More than 76,000 Confederate sick and wounded were treated and Chimborazo had a patient mortality rate of 20 percent, dismal by today's standards but quite good when considering 19th century medicine, before the days of antibiotics, penicillin, antiseptic surgery and widespread understanding of germ theory. In those days, Chimborazo was innovative, pioneering and a forerunner of the ward system in modern hospitals. Because of shortages of basic foodstuffs, the hospital was forced to close in the winter of 1864-1865. It once baked 40,000 loaves of bread a day. Today, nothing is left of the massive facility. But a trip to the visitors center will give you a very clear view of what Chimborazo Hospital was all about. There is an excellent film explaining the medical practices and the work that was done at Chimborazo. The small museum contains a large model of what the original complex looked like and where they were located related to the neighborhood as it is today. Only one old picture of a bathhouse survives and it is displayed. There are displays of the medical instruments used during the period and information regarding Chimborazo's chief surgeon, Dr. James McCaw, a professor at the Medical College of Virginia before the war, who was an exceptional administrator. He rented land near the hospital to pasture cows and grow a garden, providing his patients with a steady stream of fresh vegetables, cheese and milk. When soap was scarce, Chimborazo made its own. Under McCaw's leadership, Chimborazo overcame most of its difficulties and provided the Confederacy with valuable service, an achievement that one historian wrote "may fairly be called one of the most noteworthy achievements in military medicine in American history." You ought to take the time to see it.
Written August 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ray
Richmond, VA307 contributions
Nov 2017
This is a beautiful park and an important part of the United States history. It is a fun place and great chance to see how we treated each other in our history.
Written October 31, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim H
Roanoke, VA1,585 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
Gorgeous views of the bend in the James River that gives Richmond its name. Small, older fountain adds a lot of charm. A few monuments, including an interesting trribute to Lady Liberty from the Boy Scouts and Pocahontas Rock, an antiquity from early exploration. Easy parking. On the mid -week evening of our visit, the park was also preparing for a free jazz concert. Close to Chimborizo National Park site (walkable).
Written July 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Big_bro_1_usa
Chicago, IL1,943 contributions
Mar 2018 • Family
Free, wide open spaces, plenty of street parking. Saw a few people walking with kids and their pets in the area as we visited the hospital. Looked like it gave you a good look of the city from it’s high vantage point.
Written April 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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