Monroe Park

In 1851 the City of Richmond planned a series of parks including Western Square now known as Monroe Park. In the 1850s it served as grounds for what became the state fair organized by the Virginia State Agricultural Society. During the Civil War it was the site of a Confederate instructional camp, and in 1864, a military hospital. In 1866, some of the city's earliest baseball games were played here. Its development as a park began in 1869 in one of Richmond's emerging fashionable neighborhoods. The park contains a pattern of walks radiating from an elaborate four-tiered, cast-iron fountain. A portion of it once was a playground and it has been the scene of political rallies, protest demonstrations, and concerts.