The Richmond Vampire and Hidden Train Under Church Hill

September 12, 2025 · 4:18 read

Category: Arts & Culture

Show: Unscripted RVA

At the beginning of the 20th century, hundreds of workers spent months expanding an existing tunnel in Richmond’s Church Hill so more trains could bring supplies to the growing city. The old tunnel ha

At the beginning of the 20th century, hundreds of workers spent months expanding an existing tunnel in Richmond’s Church Hill so more trains could bring supplies to the growing city. The old tunnel had collapsed several times since its construction in the 1870s before the project was abandoned, and tragically, it collapsed again on October 2, 1925 during its revival.

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An estimated 200 workers escaped by crawling under the flat cars and climbing up the tunnel. There was a nine-day rescue effort to try to unbury the train and other trapped workers by digging down through Jefferson Park. At the end of the search, only the body of engineer Tom Mason was found. Benjamin F. Mosby, was severely scalded by steam from the locomotive’s boiler. He crawled out and reached the eastern entrance. However, he would eventually pass away that night in the hospital.

Additionally, six Black laborers were unaccounted for, although the missing number of men was scaled down to two. They were identified as day laborers Richard Lewis and “H. Smith.”

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