Leigh Street Armory

Richmond (Ind. City) County · dedicated 2012 · 122 West Leigh Street

In 1895, the city of Richmond constructed the Leigh Street or First Battalion Virginia Volunteers Armory, the nation's only 19th-century armory built for an African American militia. Several decades of noteworthy performance by Virginia’s black militia combined with tireless lobbying by Richmond Planet editor John Mitchell, Jr., contributed to the city’s decision to fund the armory. After 1899, when Virginia’s governor disbanded black militia units, the armory served until 1981 primarily as a school for black children: Monroe Elementary School, Colored Special School, Graves Junior High School annex, and Armstrong High School annex. During World War II, it served as a reception center for black soldiers.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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On the National Register nearby

First Battalion Virginia Volunteers Armory60 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.