Name: Belle Isle : Richmond, VA
Item: Belle Isle : Richmond, VA
Rating: 5
Author: Rich

Belle Isle is a rocky island in the middle of the James River(which flows through the center of the City of Richmond) that is also inhabited by forests, trees and more. The island was initially purchased in 1676 by William Byrd, the founder of Richmond, who kept the site in the family for over a century. After it was sold in 1776, it later became a nail factory in 1814 and a mill in the same decade. The island continued to produce nails, bar iron, boilerplate, and other works of iron for a number of years until becoming the Old Dominion Iron & Nail Works, which by 1860 was one of the premier nail manufacturers in the country. The remains of an historic iron foundry are still visible.

Union Prision Belle Isle (April 1864)

Belle Isle Civil War

The most interesting piece of history on the land occurred during the Civil War, where the island was home to the Confederacy’s largest military prison, which housed captured Union prisoners in tents surrounded by a stockade. At its maximum capacity in 1863, the prison held 10,000 Union soldiers, with tents for only 3,000. With no barracks for the prisoners, exposure to the elements was a large factor in what would prove to be a staggering death toll on the island.

Belle Isle Graves (1872)

Today the island is used for tourism, as well as a popular location for exercise enthusiasts who want to bike, run, walk or more. But, because of the extensive history of the island, many tourists also feel the presence of the supernatural. This has included hearing voices, seeing spirits of soldiers or natives and feeling strange cold spots, especially during the warm summer months. The island is in fact so filled with energy that daily runners claim to see and hear the spirits on a daily basis.

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Haunted Places, Legends and Ghosts

Belle Isle : Richmond, VA

Belle Isle : Richmond, VA

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