A lifelong lover of liverwurst, Sue Fleming relished the smoked sausage her husband brought home every few weeks from the grocery store deli.
Sue Fleming, 88, who lives in High Ridge, Mo., was among more than 40 people sickened with listeria food poisoning tied to a deadly outbreak involving Boar’s Head deli meats.
Patrick Fleming always made sure to buy Boar’s Head braunschweiger, the type she liked best, even though it could be costlier than other brands.
“My whole family loves braunschweiger,” Sue Fleming said. “On bread with lettuce, a little mayo, a slice of pickle.”
But the 88-year-old from High Ridge, Missouri, is rethinking her favorite snack after she fell ill as part of a deadly listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to a nationwide recall of 7 million pounds of Boar’s Head deli meats.
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The retired psychotherapist and author said she spent nine days in a hospital and 11 in a rehabilitation center last month because of what doctors confirmed was a listeria infection. She and her husband are suing Boar’s Head and Schnuck Markets Inc., which sold the deli meat, according to court documents filed July 26 in a Missouri court.
As of early August, 43 people had gotten sick and three of them died — one in New Jersey, one in Illinois and one in Virginia.
“We wanted no one else to be harmed,” Fleming said in an interview.
Boar’s Head also faces a class action lawsuit filed Aug. 1 in federal court in New York. Rita Torres of Queens County alleges that the company improperly and deceptively marketed its products and that she would not have purchased it if the company had warned that it was contaminated with listeria.
Health officials in Maryland and New York detected listeria in unopened Boar’s Head liverwurst products and later confirmed it was the same strain of bacteria that was making people sick. The company issued an initial recall on July 25 and then expanded it on July 30 to include more than 70 products, made at its plant in Jarratt.
Fleming’s illness underscores the potential severity of listeria infections in vulnerable people, particularly older people, those who are pregnant or who have weakened immune systems. Victims in the outbreak range in age from 32 to 94 — with a median age of 74, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For most people, food poisoning caused by bacteria such as listeria is an inconvenience that may involve a few days of nausea and diarrhea. But for those most at risk, the infections can be more dangerous and even deadly, said Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University.
“The pathogen can cross from your gut into your blood and cause invasive illness,” Kowalcyk said.
Listeria infections cause about 1,600 illnesses each year in the U.S. and about 260 people die, according to the CDC.
Pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to contract infections caused by listeria than the general population, according to the CDC. Such infections can cause miscarriage or severe illness in babies after birth. One person who was pregnant was sickened in the outbreak, but did not lose the baby, the CDC said.
Ashley Solberg of Minnesota sued Boar’s Head on Aug. 7, claiming she “nearly lost her unborn child,” according to documents filed in federal court. She said she was 35 weeks pregnant with her second child in May when she bought deli meat produced by Boar’s Head and sold at a Publix market in Hollywood, Florida. After returning to Minnesota, Solberg became severely ill with a listeria infection that was confirmed to match the outbreak strain. She was hospitalized for six days and received antibiotics for more than a week, the lawsuit said.
In Missouri, Fleming’s doctors worried about sepsis, a dangerous blood infection, or whether the bacteria had spread to her heart or brain. As it was, the infection worsened Fleming’s previous health problems, including severe spinal arthritis. She was ill for weeks and too weak to walk, her husband said.
“I became very scared on Sue’s behalf and afraid of losing her,” he said.
Listeria is also dangerous for older people because they may eat less diverse diets and keep foods for longer periods of time. Unlike other germs, the bacteria survive and even grow during refrigeration, Kowalcyk said. Past listeria outbreaks involving cantaloupe, for instance, harmed a larger proportion of older people who bought pre-cut cantaloupe instead of whole melon.
It can take days or weeks for symptoms of a listeria infection to appear, making it hard to pin down what caused it. Because all listeria infections must be reported, county health officials called Fleming and asked her to fill out a detailed questionnaire that included “dozens and dozens” of foods, Patrick Fleming said.
The couple narrowed down possible culprits to pre-made tuna salad and chicken salad, pepperjack cheese — and the braunschweiger.
Boar’s Head urges consumers to throw away the recalled products or return them to the store for a refund. By now, deli meats affected by the Boar’s Head recall should be off the shelves of local stores, Kowalcyk said. Consumers should feel free to ask deli managers whether they have complied with the recall and sanitized deli slicers.
Heating deli meat to steaming, a temperature of about 165 degrees Fahrenheit, can kill the bacteria.
But if there’s any question, “throw it out,” Kowalcyk said. “Is throwing away a few dollars’ worth of deli meats worth preventing a serious illness?”
This image shows a label for Boar's Head liverwurst. The company recalled 7 million pounds of deli meats on July 30, expanding an initial recall on July 25 after a liverwurst sample collected in Maryland tested positive for listeria.
82 photos from The Times-Dispatch archives
View from Chimborazo Hill at twilight, looking South across Fulton and the James River.
In October 1954, Hurricane Hazel swept through Richmond and left its mark on the old Trinity Methodist Church on Church Hill. The steeple of the church, which by then was occupied by New Light Baptist Church, lost its top 25 feet. Despite pre-storm efforts to raise funds to restore the nearly 90-year-old spire, the hurricane damage was insurmountable, and the entire steeple was removed in 1955.
NL Published Caption: A visit to the Arena today, Saturday or Sunday wasn't practical for the young patients at Crippled Children's Hospital on Brook Road, but they got to see the circus anyway. The Pollack Bros. Circus came to them Thursday and staged a performance, complete with elephant act, on the hospital lawn. The circus, sponsored by Acca Temple Shrine, has scheduled performances at the Arena tonight at 8, Saturday at 10 a.m., 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 6 p.m.
In April 1937, several blocks of lower Hull Street, the main thoroughfare in South Richmond, were flooded so completely that it took rowboats and hip-waders to reach buildings. Three days of rains had caused the James River to crest at 27 feet. About 700 men worked around the clock for up to 36 hours to secure the dike. Total property damage in Richmond was estimate at more than $100,000.
Winter paints a striking picture on its first appearance here. Byrd Park's foundatin lake holds a mirror up to nature.
A Train comes in - A C&O steam-operated train pulls in at Main Street Station from the west.
Broad Street, including Thalhimer's and Miller & Rhoads.
This April 1951 image shows the Richmond skyline as seen from the south end of the Lee Bridge. The span in the foreground was a small automobile bridge to Belle Isle, mainly used by employees working on the island. The bridge was largely washed away in rains from the remnants of Hurricane Agnes in 1972, and now only the supports and a small portion on the island remain.
This March 1954 image shows Newt, the fire dog at the Henrico County Fire Department’s Station No. 7. The station was formed in 1948 as the Glenwood Farms Fire Department, serving the Mechanicsville Turnpike area. The next year, it was turned over from the Glenwood Farms Civic Association to Henrico County. This March 1954 image shows Newt, the fire dog at the Henrico County Fire Department’s Station No. 7. The station was formed in 1948 as the Glenwood Farms Fire Department, serving the Mechanicsville Turnpike area. The next year, it was turned over from the Glenwood Farms Civic Association to Henrico County.
In April 1986, under dark skies, a freight train made a southbound crossing of the James River on the Seaboard System Railroad bridge downriver from the Powhite Parkway. TONING COMPLETE: Lonely crossing of the James. Under dark, lowering skies yesterday, a freight train makes a lonely southbound crossing of the James River on the Seaboard System Railroad bridge downriver from the Powhite Parkway.
In April 1987, Juanita Wade walked down the flooded Main Street in Columbia, a James River town in Fluvanna County near Fork Union. A little farther upriver in Bremo Bluff, the James River crested at more than 33 feet following spring rains. In Richmond, it reached about 15 feet above flood stage.
In May 1950, Willie Bradby (left) and Pamunkey Chief Tecumseh Deerfoot Cook checked a shad net on their reservation in King William County. The tribe had a profitable year from fishing, so it made a donation to the Richmond Memorial Hospital building fund in memory of tribe member Charles Bush, who had been killed in World War II. The chief noted that sick tribe members were treated at Richmond hospitals, so the Pamunkey wanted to help the construction effort.
In October 1929, Thalhimers completed a large expansion at its downtown department store at Sixth and Broad streets. The $500,000 project more than doubled the retail space and included new and renovated entrances, using two kinds of marble and a new type of bronze. Photo taken 1929, no date. Stamped 4-28-1935. Caption from 1991: Thalhimers added a new entrance to its downtown store the same year of the 1929 stock market crash.
In December 1957, 2 inches of snow fell on Richmond, giving the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue a wintry outfit.
This November 1926 images shows the view down Grace Street, the “Fifth Avenue of Richmond,” near Third Street downtown. Merchants in the district were anticipating a number of large buildings, including a new Loew’s Theatre, for the thriving thoroughfare.
8/9/2015: This September 1987 image shows an illuminated Broad Street in Richmond from the City Hall observation deck during a series of torrential rains around Labor Day. The James River rose to 15½ feet above flood stage and filled 24 square blocks of the city with 6 feet of muddy water. More than 50 streets were closed downtown.
In June 1976, Elvis Presley performed for a full house at the Richmond Coliseum. This was the singer’s last concert in the city before his death in August of the next year.
In July 1937, a man napped on Cherry Isle in the James River in Richmond while his clothes and belongings dried on a line. An accompanying article reported that Cherry Isle was a popular gathering spot for train-hoppers – the illegal practice increased in the post-Depression era as thousands travelled from place to place looking for work.
On Valentine’s Day 1989, a 50-foot-wide heart hung from the columns of the state Capitol’s south portico in Richmond. The oversized valentine was created to mark the 20th anniversary of the “Virginia is for Lovers” advertising campaign.
In October 1959, the rain-swollen Rivanna River flooded the Albemarle County Fairgrounds, postponing the opening of a carnival. A pelican that was part of a wildlife exhibit for the event stayed dry while tents and vehicles were under several feet of water.
In July 1947, “The Soldier,” as many people called the patient of Central State Hospital near Petersburg, sat outside a sentry box he had built on the grounds. The psychiatric hospital dates to 1869, when a former Confederate facility known as Howard’s Grove Hospital was designated as a mental health facility for African-Americans.
This January 1940 image shows downtown Richmond near 13th and Main streets two days after a storm dumped 15 to 22 inches of snow across the area. Many workers in the area stayed in downtown hotels because it was too dangerous to travel home. Some last-minute guests slept in chairs or on the floor of some lobbies.
In September 1953, lightning flashed over South Richmond during a storm that brought heavy rain and stiff wind to the city.
In August 1955, Mrs. Burlee stood on her front lawn at Tree Hill Farm in Henrico County’s Varina area and admired the view of Richmond. The farm dated to the 1700s, and a large oak on the property, which was felled by a storm in 2012, was known as the “Surrender Tree” – legend says it is where Richmond Mayor Joseph Mayo surrendered the city to Union forces in April 1865 near the end of the Civil War. More recently, the farm served as a set for the 2015 film “Ithaca,” starring and directed by Meg Ryan.
In March 1949, high water on Dock Street in downtown Richmond followed a brief flood that caused no damage. The James River crested at 13.1 feet during the afternoon but receded by 5 feet within hours.
In September 1944, dwellers of Richmond-area houseboats endured nature’s wrath as the James River swelled after a storm. The boats often were secured to trees or pilings, but rising floodwaters put them in jeopardy.
In June 1977, youths cooled off in the new Bellemeade Community Center swimming pool in South Richmond. The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation had just dedicated it as well as the Chimborazo community pool, bringing the number of permanent city public pools to nine.
In November 1975, a lunar eclipse decorated the skies of Richmond – for the second time that year (the first was in May). According to the Science Museum of Virginia, it was not uncommon to have two eclipses within six months. This composite image merged photos of the eclipse with a skyline shot from South Richmond.
In January 1969, Kimberly Farmer mixed a drink at Michael’s, a restaurant on Fifth Street in Richmond. Liquor by the drink had become legal in Richmond the month before, and she was among about a half-dozen women who had recently taken local bartending jobs. Farmer previously worked as a bartender in Miami and New Orleans. “A lot of people who have read too many paperback novels think of a bartender as a low-class person without morals, but 90 percent of the girls I’ve ever worked with at a bar are happily married women with families,” she said.
In December 1935, the pets of Mrs. A.J. Nocka of Richmond enjoyed a feast to celebrate Bill the cat’s 21st birthday. Bill, at the head of the table to the right, was joined by his cat, dog and rooster pals.
In January 1951, chef C.W. Beard of the Hotel Richmond measured ingredients for spoonbread. The hotel, adjacent to Capitol Square and formerly site of the St. Clare Hotel, was established in 1904 by Adeline Atkinson at after she fought for a more equitable tax arrangement with the city. The hotel was acquired by the state in 1966 for about $2 million and became its Ninth Street Office Building.
In May 1957, a man read a newspaper while waiting for a train at Broad Street Station in Richmond. The train station, built in 1917, ceased passenger service in 1975 and later became the home of the Science Museum of Virginia.
In February 1970, a line of umbrella-toting women waited for the bus on East Broad Street in downtown Richmond on a rainy day.
In September 1958, a Chesterfield County farmer welcomed the sight of rain clouds, though they didn’t yield any rain. The area was enduring a three-week dry spell at the time.
In October 1961, models showed off new fall fashions available at Richmond department stores Thalhimers and Miller & Rhoads. The faux fur coat (left) was moth- and mildew-proof. The stylish raincoat (right) featured a leather collar. “Raincoats no longer must look like something a steamship captain would wear,” the accompanying article said.
In May 1946, a passenger train pulled out of Broad Street Station in Richmond and headed to Washington. At the time, a potential labor strike was threatening service.
In February 1947, children hit the sleds at Bryan Park in Richmond to take advantage of a snow day. Snow and sleet had covered Virginia – some areas of the state received as much as 27 inches.
In November 1971, Barbara Smith warmed up with a cup of hot coffee on her way to work on a cold day in downtown Richmond.
In July 1970, a group of children took a break from playing and sat on the bench at Chimborazo Park in Richmond.
Richmond's triple railroad crossing 4th time in history 3 trains lined up TD Oct 13, 1958 p 1
In March 1956, jazz trumpeter Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong and his All-Stars played a concert at the Mosque, along with Woody Herman and his Third Herd. Ticket prices were $1.50, $2 and $2.50. Four days later, the Mosque was scheduled to host two shows by an emerging star, the day before his self-titled debut studio album was released. His name: Elvis Presley.
In August 1969, Main Street Station in downtown Richmond sparkled in the floodwaters left by Hurricane Camille. The James River peaked at 28.6 feet in the storm.
5-8-63 Arthur Ashe - On Davis Squad National Interscholastic Champ Arthur Ashe - His well-placed shots won at Charlottesville
400 block East Broad St. Trolley
In April 1952, Mrs. M.S. Jackson, one of Richmond's first full-fledged female traffic officials with full police authority, worked at Seventh and Grace streets downtown. Her duties included pedestrian education and enforcement when the “walk/don't walk” lights began operation on Broad Street, as well as car tagging and intersection assignments.
In February 1963, Richmond taxi driver William E. Tyree took a call on East Broad Street in Richmond. The dashboard sign reads: “You are a professional driver. Set a good example for the amateur.” At the time, cab companies were more carefully screening their drivers. In addition to pre-employment checks by the companies, drivers were undergoing police and DMV background checks.
In March 1959, postman Sam H. Mellichampe delivered mail in a long line of boxes at a trailer park near Petersburg. He said the row of mailboxes was the longest on his route. Mellichampe previously was a sergeant for 10 years on the Prince George County police force.
In March 1967, Richmond police officer Glenwood W. Burley took a moment away from his patrol work to play baseball with youths in the Fulton neighborhood. Burley turned up the volume on his car’s police radio so that he could still monitor calls. (In 2016, long retired from the department, Burley completed his efforts to relocate a neglected Richmond police memorial from downtown to Byrd Park.)
In November 1953, Minnie Alderson sewed mattress ticking at the Zaban Mattress & Box Spring Co. The company's retail store was at the intersection of Foushee and Cary streets downtown.
July 1952, Richmond policewomen Martha Jackson (from left), Thelma Wilkinson, Dorothy Tyler, Mary Berry and Virginia Galyano practiced their skills in the Mosque. In that era, Richmond police used one of the building’s subterranean floors as a police academy, converting what had been a three-lane bowling alley into a shooting range.
In July 1985, Tom Thomas kicked back on his Harley-Davidson outside Newgate Prison, a bar in the 900 block of West Grace Street in Richmond. The bar was popular with bikers; other businesses in that stretch, including an adult theater, attracted a diverse clientele that could make the area a hot spot for police. The Newgate Prison site was later home to the Virginia Commonwealth University police headquarters for more than a decade.
In March 1977, Charlotte Swann, manager of the Williamsburg SPCA kennel, held a litter of puppies. She noted at the time that 7 of 10 dogs didn’t find a home in the first month after they were brought to the kennel.
In June 1949, a worker carried potatoes from a field on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. An accompanying article said about 14,000 migratory workers reached farms on the Shore for the harvest season; some journeyed from Florida, to which they would return in winter. Fast workers could fill 125 hundred-pound bags in six hours.
In April 1972, J.J. Phaup, a 92-year-old farmer in Buckingham County, plowed his 550-acre farm. Although farming technology had improved over the years, Phaup preferred his horses over a tractor – even if he could cover only about 8 acres per day. He said he had been working since he was 10 years old.
In June 1934, teenagers enjoyed swimming and diving off rocks at the Bryan Park quarries in Richmond. Three quarries were once located on the edge of the North Side park, and they were popular swimming holes.
In April 1952, Linda Boos (left) and Irene Stallings picketed outside Western Union’s main office in downtown Richmond. Local employees had joined a strike that virtually shut down the telegraph service nationally; it lasted 53 days.
In December 1965, Frederick Pease observed a large crack in the Falling Creek Bridge in Chesterfield County. The state Highway Department said the bridge was shifting – not falling down, as some people assumed at the time. Officials closed northbound traffic to repair the roughly 2-inch drop on part of the bridge, which was built in 1941.
In October 1988, Eddie Van Halen of the rock band Van Halen performed a 15-minute guitar solo to a concert audience of almost 10,000 at the Richmond Coliseum.
In April 1977, a cat seemed unfazed as farrier Dwight Usry (left) shoed a horse at Rocketts Mill Farm in Doswell. He was assisted by T. Wesley Sheldon. Rocketts Mill Farm housed several award-winning racehorses.
On Halloween 1976, young reveler Christopher Gibbs held a balloon while thousands wandered Shockoe Slip in Richmond at the Great Pumpkin Party. The celebration, sponsored by the Shockoe Slip Neighborhood Association, included an auction and a costume contest. About 10,000 people attended the event.
In December 1978, J.C. Penney employee Janet McCabe modeled a timely trend – plastic jeans – at Regency Square mall in Henrico County. McCabe said the jeans were a bit stiff, but with a leotard or tights underneath, they could turn heads at the disco. Penney stores in Richmond carried the pants, which were originated by La Parisienne.
In March 1966, Richmond Safety Department supervisor B.W. Carver examined a parking meter downtown. The city was starting a monthlong campaign against meter feeding, which officials said was hurting business. According to an accompanying story, about 15 percent of downtown parking spaces near government offices were occupied all day by meter feeders – and the figure was 28 percent in the financial district. Officials said that on average, $22 in gross retail sales was lost for every 75 minutes a car remained parked at a meter.
In March 1942, residents of the Lakeside area took down their Rural Free Delivery mailboxes, which had given way to new, smaller metal boxes on porches. Richmond delivery would be beginning as a result of annexation, in which the city added portions of Henrico and Chesterfield counties (about 16 square miles covering 22,000 residents).
In July 1957, George Seay delivered ice to residents of Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood. Seay, an independent seller, had bought the historic wagon from the Richmond Ice Co. years earlier as he began his own venture. Pulling her share of the load was his horse, Nelly.
In July 1965, a boy leaned against the screen porch door in his eastern Henrico County home and watched dark clouds roll in ahead of a summer storm.
In January 1962, 14-year-old Curley Parker stood in a field of peanuts harvested by his parents in Sussex County. Peanut picking usually was completed before then, but cold and wet weather had delayed the work.
This photo shows houses in Oregon Hill in 1986.
In March 1962, Nancy Beth Heller took a break from her duties at the Wickham-Valentine House in Richmond to enjoy the garden. Westfield was a fine-arts major at the Richmond Professional Institute; for school credit, the museum trainee spent about 12 hours each week conducting tours and helping with exhibitions.
In August 1976, at Glendale Drive and Henrico Avenue in western Henrico County, neighborhood boys showed off their headstand and skateboarding skills. From left were Robert Rice, Bill Robertson, Rusty Hamilton and Kenny Rice. The boys spent the summer practicing headstands, wheelies and other stunts.
In March 1959, postman Sam H. Mellichampe delivered mail in a long line of boxes at a trailer park near Petersburg. He said the row of mailboxes was the longest on his route. Mellichampe previously was a sergeant for 10 years on the Prince George County police force.
In July 1975, children sat around the small Statue of Liberty in Chimborazo Park in Richmond. In the early 1950s, the Boy Scouts of America erected about 200 mini-versions of the Statue of Liberty around the country as part of the organization’s 40th anniversary. The 8½-foot tall, 290-pound copper statues were made in Chicago by Friedley-Voshardt Co. The Richmond statue was erected on Feb. 11, 1951, and rose nearly 17 feet, including the base. The project’s total cost was about $1,000.
In November 1983, toppled mannequins on the sidewalk added an eerie element to the scene as firefighters responded to an explosion that damaged the Wise Fashions department store on East Broad Street in downtown Richmond. Eleven people were injured in the blast, which was believed to be a natural gas explosion. A six-block area around the store was evacuated during the response.
In June 1958, a crowd gathered near the Broad Street interchange for a ceremony to dedicate the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike, which is now primarily a stretch of Interstate 95. About 30 of the turnpike’s 35 miles were set to open, with nearly 20 interchanges, a top speed limit of 60 mph and a 70-cent toll for drivers traveling the full length.
In May 1957, a man read a newspaper while waiting for a train at Broad Street Station in Richmond. The train station, built in 1917, ceased passenger service in 1975 and later became the home of the Science Museum of Virginia.
In July 1983, the legendary Ramones performed at the Much More Club on West Broad Street (which is now the Broadberry music venue). The American punk rock band entertained an audience of about 450 people. The opening act was the Violent Femmes, a prominent folk punk band.
In June 1944, Richmond street sweepers wielded brooms along Adams Street. They were among the first 28 African-Americans hired by the city for the previously all-white field of employment.
In February 1953, the James River was nearing a post-storm crest of 12 feet as waters surrounded Sharp’s Island near downtown Richmond. The island, named after original owner Russell Sharp, is part of an archipelago of islands adjacent to Mayo Island. In the 1950s, Sharp family friend Fred Hastings was the resident and caretaker of the home. 9/16/2018: Thompson DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD Thompson DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD Andy Thompson, co-creator of the RVA Osprey Cam and the website Richmondoutside.com, is in the process of buying Sharp's Island (foreground), a 1-acre piece of land in the James River. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/Times-Dispatch Andy Thompson, co-creator of the RVA Osprey Cam and the website Richmondoutside.com, is in the process of buying Sharp's Island (foreground), a 1-acre piece of land in the James River. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/Times-Dispatch Andy Thompson, who helped create the RVA Osprey Cam & works on Richmondoutside.com, is in the process of buying Sharp's Island, foreground, a one-acre unimprovable piece of land in the middle of the James River. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD Andy Thompson, who helped create the RVA Osprey Cam & works on Richmondoutside.com, is in the process of buying Sharp's Island, foreground, a one-acre unimprovable piece of land in the middle of the James River. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD Built around 1895, Sharp's Island house, shown here in March 1963, stood for 75 years. Staff photo In February 1953, the James River was nearing a post-storm crest of 12 feet as water inundated Sharp's Island near downtown Richmond. A house stood on the island, which is prone to flooding, for 75 years before it was burned down in 1970. Times-Dispatch In February 1953, the James River was nearing a post-storm crest of 12 feet as water inundated Sharp's Island near downtown Richmond. A house stood on the island, which is prone to flooding, for 75 years before it was burned down in 1970. Times-Dispatch This July 1950 photo shows Sharp's Island
In July 1942, manpower and a cart were a means of transporting new books to the Rosa D. Bowser Branch of the Richmond library during the gas-rationing days of World War II. Bowser was a prominent African-American educator and social activist in Richmond from the 1880s to the 1920s. The branch was the city library’s first that was opened to African-Americans.
In October 1963, Sussex County peanut farmer J. J. Lilley Sr. highlighted how that year’s severe drought had affected his crop. At left are damaged vines from that season, compared to normal ones at right. The first commercial peanut crop in the U.S. was grown in Sussex in the 1840s, according to an industry marketing association.
In March 1988, Helene Kahn stood in her GiGi Hats shop on East Grace Street in downtown Richmond. Kahn, who opened the store in 1950 and operated it until her death in 1996, offered hats, wedding veils and other millinery. In 1968, she was the first woman to lead the Downtown Retail Associates trade group.
In December 1991, wrestlers Hulk Hogan (left) and Ric Flair battled in front of a huge crowd at the Richmond Coliseum. During the match, Flair snuck in brass knuckles and got on the bad side of referee Earl Hebner.
In June 1983, a woman entered Sacred Heart Cathedral in downtown Richmond. Drapes were hung as a symbol of mourning.
