2240 Rivermont Ave / 2200 Miller-Claytor Lane
Categories
- Middle Rivermont
- Misc.
Address
2240 Rivermont Avenue/2200 Miller-Claytor Lane
Property Name
Riverside Park/Miller-Claytor House
Date Built
1922/1790s
Architect
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Contractor
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Function
Park / Historic House
Style & Architectural Description
The 47-acre Riverside Park contain 11 structures including the 1924 stone bandstand and bathhouse, the 1790s Miller-Claytor House, which was moved to the park in 1936 with a small garden which was designed by Charles F. Gillette, the rusted hull of the 1861 packet boat "John Marshall" which was placed in the park in the 1920s, two ca. 1970s picnic shelters, the steam train made up of cars from the C & O, N & W, and the Southern Railroads that was placed in the park in the 1960s, and the Fink Truss Bridge. In addition to these structures, numerous trails and overlooks extend throughout the park. More recent additions to the park include tennis courts, a playground, and a statue honoring Dr. Robert Walter Johnson.
Owners
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Anecdotal Information
Riverside Park is the original site of the city's old smallpox hospital. The site of the park dates back to the original 1891 plans of the Rivermont Company. The park was not actually laid out by the city until 1922. The city developed this 47-acre site with winding paths, a swimming pool (now gone), a popular "alpine walk" along the bluff overlooking the James River with a rock overlook and, in 1926, a stone bandstand and bath house. Riverside Park gained in popularity in the 1920s with the decline in popularity of Rivermont Park at 2931-2935 Rivermont. The statue memorializing Dr. Walter Johnson, commemerates Lynchburg's well-known tennis coach who operated a tennis camp for black youths adjacent to his home on Peirce St. The metal hull of the packet boat "Marshall", which once plied the James River and Kanawha Canal rests in the park. A railroad engine and caboose dating to the early 1900s are located downhill from the packet boat.
The Miller-Claytor House is Lynchburg's sole remaining 18th century town house. The 2-story frame home was originally built at the corner of Eighth and Church Streets, the house was taken down and re-erected in Riverside Park. It opened to the public during the city's sesquicentennial in 1936. Charles F. Gillette landscaped the yard which was and continues to be maintained by the Lynchburg Garden Club. The house was listed on the national Register of Historic Places in 1976. It is owned by the Lynchburg Historic Foundation.
