1952 Map of Dutch Gap

About this map

Richmond National Battlefield Park anchors this landscape in eastern Henrico County, preserving a complex of fortifications like Fort Harrison and Fort Brady along the strategic bluffs of the James River. This 1952 study documents the area just before significant suburban expansion, showing a river-oriented economy defined by historic holdings like Varina Plantation and Curles Neck Plantation. The river's path is marked by engineering works including the Dutch Gap Channel and the Meadowville Channel, which bypassed the dramatic loops of Jones Neck. Further inland, the map captures a rural network of country roads such as Darbytown Road and Charles City Road, dotted with local landmarks like Second Bethel Ch, the Varina Agricultural High Sch, and the Richmond Municipal Airport at the northern edge.