This past Saturday a 16-man team from the Misdemeanor Community Service Program participated in the cleanup of Ancarrow’s Landing. The efforts included landscaping and trash collection at the popular fishing spot located just south of Shockoe Bottom along the James River.

“The Misdemeanor Community Service Program is a wonderful way for non-violent offenders to serve out their sentence by doing good works for the communities in which they live,” said Sheriff C.T. Woody. “They become stakeholders in their environment. They can readily see the results of their work, and being that Ancarrow’s Landing is such an important historical landmark, they can take immediate pride in their labor.”

Ancarrow’s Landing is an important historical landmark in Richmond. It was one of the busiest  ports in the South and was an arrival point for African slaves as well as British goods. It was also the site of the Confederate Naval Yard, and construction of the Confederate Ironclads, which protected the City of Richmond from naval invasion, began here. Today, the small park located near Rockett’s Landing marks the beginning of the Richmond Slave Trail and has access to the Manchester Docks. It is also a favorite of local fishermen and those enjoying the scenic waters of the James River via boat. Ancarrow’s Landing was named for Newton Ancarrow, a 20th Century scientist turned master boat builder, who was a pioneer for the conservation of the James River.