Richmond’s Living Legends

“Rosie the Riveter” is the iconic symbol of female independence and strength, celebrating the female workers who played a pivotal role in World War II shipbuilding. The museum, operated by the National Park Service, features photographs, films and educational exhibits all about the welders and other skilled trades taken up by women after the men went off to war duty.

Morrison was one of the “Rosies,” and they are still contributing. Now, they tell first-hand accounts of working at the shipyards just a few yards away.

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The historical uniqueness of a city in transformation

Richmond is a record breaker. Known for many years to host the largest oil refinery in the country and as the most productive World War II shipyard, Richmond also once hosted the biggest winery in the world. The city’s historical legacy has been recognized in some respects. The transformation of a 1930s Ford assembly plant, a beacon of the industrial age, into a conference center and museum complex is one example. However, there are still some major historic assets in Richmond standing idle — or even crumbling into disrepair.

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Retrospective: Archives show difficult road for Richmond middle class

As Richmond prepared to enter the 1960s, the city was about to encounter an era of rapid change. In November of 1959, readers opened the pages of the city’s daily newspaper, the Richmond Independent, to be confronted with Thanksgiving sales and headlines about next fall’s presidential race (“State GOP Supports Nixon”). The advertisements reflected an…

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Popular ranger draws crowds to Richmond national park

Richmond’s Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park has been doing brisk business thanks to one of its employee’s international exposure during the 16-day shutdown of the federal government. Visitors are coming to see Betty Reid Soskin, the 92-year-old park ranger that has become an international celebrity. During the federal shutdown, Soskin…

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Volunteers work to restore historic war ship built in Richmond

The SS Red Oak Victory

The SS Red Oak Victory has a long history of carrying cargo. After being commissioned in 1944, it transported ammunition during three wars. The Richmond Museum Association took ownership of the vessel in 1998, and now the ship is being restored in the same port where she was built: the Richmond Kaiser Shipyards. A group of…

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Richmond National Park visitor center to open Saturday

Since it was established in 2000, the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park has been a local gem that preserves the city’s legacy as a booming shipping hub during the war years. But the sites are spread throughout the city, and the park has lacked a central location where visitors can start their…

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Crews continue cleaning oil from sunken tugboat

Responders are still cleaning oil leaking from the Tug Tiger, a World War II-era tugboat that sunk on Sunday in the Point Richmond harbor. Although there is no estimate of how much oil was onboard the Tiger, the Coast Guard reported that 590 gallons of oil and water were collected as of Wednesday. Thousands of…

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