Accidental Tourist: Boatman on Brown’s Island

Usually when I’m on Richmond’s Brown’s Island it’s with thousands of other people for a concert or festival like the annual Richmond Folk Festival each October. But riding bikes there this Sunday on this sunny, 60-degree January afternoon, I saw something I’ve never noticed before. 

This sculpture, “Headman” by Paul di Pascuale (same artist who did the controversial Arthur Ashe statue on Monument Avenue) commemorating the African-American  boatmen whose skills helped downtown Richmond develop.  Also in the above shot is Richmond’s Federal Reserve Building to the right and the still-being-built, blue-glass Mead Westvaco building. (The paper packaging company just announced last month it was laying off 10 percent of its global workforce but construction on its headquarters looked to still be a go.)

Here’s another view of the bronze-wood-rock sculpture with the former Ethyl Corp. headquarters on the hill in the background.