The James River Association broke ground on the James A. Buzzard River Education Center Monday, May 8, at 2825 Dock St. along the James River. Attending the ceremonial groundbreaking was Virginia Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Travis Voyles, left, James River Association President and CEO Bill Street, Mayor Levar M. Stoney and Richmond City Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille. The state-of-the-art facility will serve as a catalyst for river education, environmental awareness and community connection, said Mr. Street. However, there was no mention of the James River’s Indigenous name, Powhatan, nor the Native Americans, the Powhatan tribe, who lived below the Fall Line (Richmond) when the Jamestown colonists arrived in 1607. The Powhatan River then was named the James River after King James I of England. Mayor Stoney, in his remarks, did note the James River’s “instrumental role” in Virgina’s history. “We know a number of great stories about how the river brought Abraham Lincoln down here, but also we know the story it played in the slave trade here as well. The good, the bad and the ugly. It’s my hope that every child in this city learns about the river and has a healthy respect for the river and the power of this natural resource that we have right in our backyard.”
