The Quarterly

Park NewsNational Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

Richmond National Battlefield ParkMaggie L. Walker National Historic Site

The official newsletter for Richmond National Battlefield Park and Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site • Issue 23, May 2007

Letter from the Superintendent

Maggie Walker House Gets “Special” Treatmentssave for some sheers andshades. Long-time ParkRanger Celia Suggswhole-heartedlyapproves of the results,stating that the windowtreatments “provide avibrant atmosphere andhighlight the luxury ofMrs. Walker’s home.”

For some time now, theHarper’s Ferry Center’sHistoric Furnishings

Maggie Walker’s house is a rare glimpseinto Richmond’s upper-middle classAfrican American community duringthe early 20th century. With such statelyarchitecture and decorativecontrivances, one can wander aroundthe house in awe for hours. However,the house isn’t completely furnished—yet. Hard at work in the parlor is alively pair, Judy Radford and KennyTinsley of Elegant Draperies. The NPScontracted the local company to installwindow treatments for the house tofurther enhance its 1930’s appearance.Until recently, the windows were bare

Before: Judy Radford and Kenny Tinsely of ElegantDraperies remove sheers from the windows of MaggieWalker’s front parlor. See page 4 for the results oftheir efforts.

The National Park Service wasfounded in 1916 and will celebrate its100th anniversary in nine years. Presi-dent Bush’s proposed 2008 budgetlaunched the National Park CentennialInitiative. If passed by Congress, thisbudget would provide up to $3 billionof public and private investment over10 years to prepare parks for anothercentury of conservation, preservation,and enjoyment. The President’s Cen-tennial Commitment says $100 millionper year for 10 years in federal spendingwill fund new levels of excellence inparks. These funds will hire 3,000

more seasonal national park rangers,guides and maintenance workers; repairbuildings; improve landscapes; andenroll more children in Junior/WebRanger programs. Richmond NBP isscheduled to have 6 seasonal jobsfunded from this initiative.

The President’s Centennial Challengeis designed as follows: each year for thenext 10 years, $100 million of annualmandatory federal spending will beavailable to match at least $100 millionin private contributions to nationalparks. This Centennial Challenge con-

tinues the legacy of leveraging publicand private investment for the benefitof national parks and their visitors.Parks now receive about $20 millioneach year in cash gifts. The Centen-nial Challenge will increase the levelof giving and help pay for signatureprograms and projects identifiedthrough a public, open, and transpar-ent process.

The NPS held a Listening Session inRichmond at the Tredegar Iron Workson March 26, at which over 100 par-ticipants discussed ideas for the future

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Employee Profile: Klydie ThomasThis issue of the Quarterly we welcomeKlydie Thomas to Richmond NationalBattlefield Park and Maggie L. WalkerNational Historic Site. Klydie is ournew museum curator and officiallybegan here on October 30, 2006. Shedescribes her job this way: “I am thesteward for the museum collection. Irepresent the collection and do what ittakes to make sure it will be preserved forus and future generations to see.”

Prior to Klydie’s appointment toRichmond National Battlefield Park andMaggie L. Walker National HistoricSite, she worked at Colonial NationalHistorical Park as well as at Glacier BayNational Park and Preserve in Gustavus,Alaska. In addition she has worked atthe Smithsonian National Museum ofAfrican Art in Washington, D.C.

Klydie was born in Baton Rouge,Louisiana and while she currently hasno kids, spouse or pets, sometime inthe next ten years she hopes to start afamily. She loves dancing, fashion,running and chocolate.

Welcome, Klydie!

Klydie Thomas, Museum Curator,Richmond National Battlefield Park andMaggie L. Walker National Historic Site

CleanUp at Totopotomoy CreekEagle Scout, Michael Dawson, and hisMechanicsville Troop 535 providedmuch needed assistance in the park’sattempt to protect and manage itsrecently donated Totopotomoy Creekproperty. Last winter, Michaelorganized and carried out a project toclean up a large, unsightly dump site ofmodern household garbage on theproperty. This included securing theuse of a bobcat and hauling vehicle,donated by Collision One, as well as aplace to dump the garbage.

Michael and his troop removed twolarge trailer loads during the course ofthe project and then returned duringtheir Christmas break to haul off onemore load. The troop also installed atrailside bench, and several posts to

Special thanks go to Eagle Scout Michael Dawson and Boy ScoutTroop 535 of Mechanicsville for their hard work in clearing adump site and beautifying the Totopotomoy Creek battlefieldsite.

Cynthia MacLeod

of the NPS. Multiple other ListeningSessions were held in March andApril all over the country, gatheringideas from the public. Followingthese sessions and with informationfrom career NPS staff, Secretary of theInterior Dirk Kempthorne and NPSDirector Mary Bomar will presenttheir recommended goals and actionsto the President by May 31, 2007.

This is an exciting time for theNational Park Service in general andfor Richmond National BattlefieldPark and Maggie L. Walker NationalHistoric Site in particular.

exclude damagingATV’s entering theproperty from anadjacentneighborhood. Allof the materialTroop 535 usedwere donated byHome Depot andDominion Salvage.

In these tightfinancial times, itwould have beennearly impossiblefor the park toacquire the funds

The Superintendent’sLettercontinued from page 1

or supply the staff to complete this veryimportant project. However, thanks tothis large scale clean up effort, the

environment is cleaner and the parkunit is that much closer to beingopened up to visitors.

The Quarterly 3

Stewardship Recipe for a New Generation

Richmond National Battlefield Park was estab-lished in 1936 to commemorate the battlefieldsaround Richmond, Virginia, Capital of theConfederacy, 1861-1865.

Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site wasestablished in 1978 to preserve and protect thehome of the first woman to found and bepresident of a bank.

Richmond National Battlefield ParkMaggie L. Walker National Historic Site3215 East Broad StreetRichmond, VA 23223

Phone804 226-1981

E-mailsusie_sernaker@nps.gov

The National Park Service cares for thespecial places saved by the American peopleso that all may experience our heritage.

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA™

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

How do you get 850 students excitedabout learning and help them gain abetter understanding and appreciationof our national parks? That’s easy.Take the teacher of the year at TwinHickory Elementary School, Deborah

Gribben and mix in her creativeideas; add Education Specialist PatFerrell from Richmond NationalBattlefield Park and schedule someinvigorating meetings: Bam! Youhave a project called “Blazing TrailsThrough Our National Parks” thatbrings students, teachers and parkrangers together in an excitinglearning adventure that supportstoday’s curriculum-basededucation.

Next, you give each of the 40 classesat Twin Hickory Elementary School

accomplishing the SOL goals in a funway. Have each classroom send aschool mascot (Blazer the Dog) on ajourney equipped with a disposablecamera, a journal, postcard money,return postage for the Blazer box to besent back to the school, letters to parkrangers and a scavenger hunt listgenerated by the students. In April,during National Park Week, have eachclassroom represent their national parkfor people to visit, display studentprojects and interpret the contents ofthe returned box.

Voila, a stewardship recipe for a newgeneration of students that are usingnational parks to experience theirAmerica!

a national park that fits well with thestandards of that grade level. Let thestudents use technology, write letters,do research, construct 3-dimensionalobjects, become WebRangers, and workcollaboratively with others while

Education Specialist Pat Ferrell and TwinHickory teacher Deborah Gribben with boxesthat were mailed out for the “Blazing TrailsThrough Our National Parks” project.

Mark Your Calendars!Below are a few of Richmond National Battlefield Park’s upcoming events. Call(804)226-1981, ext. 30 for details. All programs are free unless otherwise noted.

May 19 and 20--Drewry’s Bluff Anniversary Program. Living history en-campment, with park ranger guided tours and historical talks. Saturday 10 am-5pm, Sunday 10 am - 4 pm.

May 28--Memorial Day Program at Fort Harrison National Cemetery.Noon, with guest speaker and wreath laying ceremony.

June 2 and 3--Cold Harbor Anniversary Program. Living History encamp-ments, artillery and rifle firing demonstrations, and ranger guided walking tours.Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday 10 am - 4 pm. Evening program Saturday 7 pm.

June 23 and 24--Gaines’ Mill Anniversary Program. Living history encamp-ment, rifle-firing demonstrations and walking tours throughout the weekend.Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday 10 am - 4 pm.

July 7 and 8--Malvern Hill Anniversary Program. Union artillery and Con-federate infantry demonstrations; park ranger guided walking tours offeredthroughout the weekend. Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday 10 am - 4 pm.

EditorsDave RuthSusie Sernaker

SuperintendentCynthia MacLeod

ContributorsKristen AllenPatrice FerrellKlydie Thomas

NPS PhotographersJanet BlanchardKlydie Thomas

Other PhotographersBoy Scout Troop 535Linda Livingston(Twin Hickory Elementary School)

Comments? Write to:SuperintendentRichmond National Battlefield Park3215 East Broad StreetRichmond, VA 23223

This newspaper is printed on recycledpaper.

4 The Quarterly

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

Richmond National Battlefield Park/Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site3215 East Broad StreetRichmond, VA 23223

Printed with funds donated byEastern National, a not-for-profitpartner of the National ParkService and other public trusts.

The Quarterly

Locations of front page images (left to right): Chimborazo Medical Museum; Cold Harbor battlefield;Drewry’s Bluff battlefield; Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site; The Parsonage at Malvern Hillbattlefield; Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works.

Tinsley and Radford were commendedfor exercising extreme caution in thehouse and around the furnishings,Tinsley’s reply was, “We have to be,we’re preserving a big part of history!”

Department, Maggie L. Walker NHSand Elegant Draperies have beencoordinating to reproduce the house’soriginal curtains and draperies. InRadford’s opinion, enhancing thewindows for the 22-room house is “apiece of cake.” Tinsley explains thatunlike their modern counterparts, olderfabric prints are easier to find. “They’vebeen around for over a hundred years.”While he brings expertise in draperyinstallation, Radford coordinates withdesigners and Draperies staff to developa finished product.

Thanks to these experts who’ve beenwith Draperies for more than 10 years,the house is even more dynamic. When

“Special” Treatments, continued

After: The new and improved front par-lor, with draperies recreating the originallook of curtains from Mrs. Walker’s era.

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