Glen Allen, a suburb of Richmond, began as a farming community and today is rich in history and legend.

Walkerton, a famous tavern, was built around 1825. Rail service arrived in the 1830s, and the previously unnamed settlement became known as Mountain Road Crossing, Allen’s Station, and finally Glen Allen. Then came John Cussons, an English adventurer, soldier, and entrepreneur. In the 1880s, he built Forest Lodge, a magnificent hotel and 1,000-acre park where celebrities reveled in splendor. In 1892, Virginia Randolph, a visionary African American educator, established a school that served generations of Black youth. With fascinating scenes of daily life, Glen Allen traces the community’s history from its early rural years to the crisis it faced in the 1980s; its landmarks were in decline and its future at stake. Yet Glen Allen emerged with thriving new cultural, recreational, and tourism venues–a triumphant retake on its renowned hospitality of two centuries ago.

Cary Holladay writes short stories, novels, and essays. Her work has won an O. Henry Prize and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Images in the book have been gathered from museums, libraries, the files of Henrico County, and private collections and include rare photographs of Forest Lodge and the Virginia Randolph Training School.