Celebrate Women's History Month by honoring the remarkable women who have shaped the Richmond Region. From groundbreaking leaders to inspiring activists, these women made lasting impacts throughout the course of history. Their legacies live on through their contributions to education, civil rights, business, and the arts. Discover the stories of trailblazing women from the Richmond Region whose achievements continue to inspire generations.
(Photo sourced from Library of Virginia)
Mary Randolph
August 9, 1762 - January 23, 1828
Mary Randolph, born at Ampthill in Chesterfield County, was a culinary pioneer known for authoring the 1824 cookbook, The Virginia House-Wife. The highly influential housekeeping and cookbook blended Virginia-grown ingredients with African, American Indian, and European influences, shaping Southern cuisine for generations.
Maggie L. Walker
July 15, 1864 - December 15, 1934
Maggie L. Walker was a trailblazing businesswoman and civil rights leader that called Richmond’s historic Jackson Ward neighborhood home. In 1903, she became the first African American woman to charter and preside over a bank, founding the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank. Visit her former Jackson Ward home, now a National Historic Site, and the Maggie Lena Walker Memorial Plaza featuring a monument preserving her enduring legacy located at the corner of West Broad Street and North Adams Street.
(Photo sourced from Library of Virginia)
Theresa Pollak
August 13, 1899 - September 18, 2002
Theresa Pollak was a visionary artist and educator who is largely credited with the founding of the VCU School of the Arts, now one of the top arts programs in the nation. A 1921 graduate of the University of Richmond, she became the first drawing and painting instructor at the Richmond Division of the College of William and Mary, which later evolved into VCU. Pollak’s legacy is commemorated with a building in her name and an honorary degree recognizing her contributions to arts education.
(Photo sourced from Library of Virginia)
Anna Whitehead Bodeker
July 26, 1826 - October 26, 1904
Anna Whitehead Bodeker was a pioneering women’s rights activist and suffragist. She founded the Virginia State Woman Suffrage Association, leading the state’s first organized effort for women’s voting rights. In 1871, Susan B. Anthony selected her and 33 other women to serve on the National Woman Suffrage Educational Committee. A longtime Church Hill resident, Bodeker is buried in Richmond’s historic Hollywood Cemetery.
(Photo sourced from Virginia Women's Monument website)
Virginia Estelle Randolph
May 1870 - March 16, 1958
Virginia Estelle Randolph was a pioneering Black educator from Henrico County whose innovations transformed education. Named the first Jeanes Supervising Industrial Teacher in 1908, she spent over 40 years improving rural schools for African American students. She founded the Virginia Randolph Training School in Henrico County, which would later become a museum in 1970, while the school program would live on as the Virginia Randolph Education Center. Her legacy earned national and international recognition for advancing education.
(Photo sourced from Virginia Women's Monument website)
Martha Washington
June 2, 1731 - May 22, 1802
The first First Lady of the United States, Martha Washington, was born at a plantation house called Chestnut Grove in New Kent County. She married George Washington in 1759 and was known to visit the battlefields with him during the American Revolution. When George Washington was elected as the first president, Martha set the tone for the President’s partner to be a public figure in the years to come. Legend has it that George and Martha Washington were married at St. Peter’s Church in New Kent, the oldest parish church in the Diocese of Virginia and a National Historic Landmark.
(Photo sourced from Virginia Women's Monument website)
Dr. Sarah G. Jones, MD
February 1866 - May 11, 1905
Richmond-born Dr. Sarah G. Jones MD broke barriers when she became the first known Black woman to pass Virginia’s Medical Examining Board exam in 1893. As one of only three female physicians and one of only six Black physicians in the city at the time, Dr. Jones co-founded a free clinic for women and children and created spaces for African American doctors to practice and thrive. The Sarah G. Jones Memorial Hospital, Medical College, and Training School for Nurses, named in her honor in 1922, would later become Richmond Community Hospital, located in the Church Hill neighborhood.
DIVE INTO RICHMOND REGION HISTORY
Plan a visit to the Virginia Women’s Monument at the Virginia Capital Building, where you’ll find statues honoring some of these inspiring trailblazers and other influential women from Virginia. Ready to dive deeper into even more historical sites, landmarks and captivating stories of the Richmond Region? Explore more, HERE.
