Shed Town

Shed Town
Neighborhood of Richmond
A shotgun-style house in Shed Town.
Coordinates: 37°30′55″N 77°24′50″W / 37.51528°N 77.41389°WCoordinates: 37°30′55″N 77°24′50″W / 37.51528°N 77.41389°W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
City	Richmond
Settled	1819
Time zone	Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00)
ZIP code	23231
Area code(s)	804
ISO 3166 code	1
Website	rockettsvillage.com

Shed Town is a neighborhood in the East End that overlaps Church Hill and Union Hill, Richmond, Virginia.

History

The origin of the name “Shed Town” is unknown. It has been suggested that the name comes from early houses build in the neighborhood, which were occupied by shad-fishers, alluding to the name shed town. Others have suggested that the area received its name as it was used for storage sheds for bricklayers in Richmond. The first documented report of the town came in 1819 when George Winston and his brickyard workers of 26 identified themselves living in a town entitled "the shed town" in 1819 Richmond directory.^[1]

Only four buildings from the original shed town remain standing, primarily buildings located alongside North 32nd Street in the city.^[2] Shed Town has been described as the area inside of East Leigh Street, North 35th Street, P Street and N 29th Street.

Most residents in the area of Shed Town do not like to associate their community as "Shed Town" due to the negative connotation it receives.^[3]

References

1. Scott, Mary Wingfield. "Shed Town". Old Richmond Neighborhoods (PDF). pp. 3–16.
2. Moore, Josiah Stanton. "Richmond in Ye Ancient Times". Google Books. Richmond Freemasons. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
3. "Whatever Happened to Shed Town?". Richmond Better Housing Coalition Blog. Retrieved 13 April 2016.