Brown’s Island

Brown’s Island is located south of Tredegar Street between Fifth Street and 12th Street on the James River. It was formed by the Haxell Canal and is part of the 1.25-mile Riverfront Canal Walk.

The island is named after its first settler, Elijah Brown, who acquired the land in 1826. During the Civil War, the Confederate States Laboratory produced ammunition and other military supplies on the island. From the late 1800s to the 1970s, the island was home to several power plants and a paper mill.

Today, it is part of the James River Park and is the popular venue of a large number of outdoor concerts and festivals including the Friday Cheers concert series, Dominion Riverrock, and the Richmond Folk Festival, which attracts 200,000 people to the riverfront. There are historical exhibits and public art on the island.

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