Shockoe Slip

Shockoe Slip earned its unusual name from the creek that once flowed through it. "Shacquohocan" was the Indian word for the large, flat stones at the mouth of the creek, and "slip" refers to the area's position on the canal basin where boats loaded their cargo. Founded as a small trading post by William Byrd in the early 1600's, Shockoe Slip was the commercial center of Richmond and most of the Western part of the State. A young George Washington surveyed The Kanawha Canal that ran west and became the super waterway for goods until the Civil War. Shockoe Slip literally rose out of the ashes after retreating Confederate troops burned most of downtown. Railroads and highways in the next century replaced the canals and waterways as major routes of commercial transportation. In the early 1970's an eclectic group of entrepreneurs and architects sparked the area's second rejuvenation. Shockoe Slip’s neighborhood has become a prime example of urban restoration and historic preservation. The predominantly Italianate style brick and ironfront buildings, with the ornamental renaissance-style fountain create a European flavor. What was once the only trading area in Richmond is now the City's most fashionable shopping and dining district. The Slip's restored warehouses and taverns house a unique assortment of exclusive apparel stores, galleries, restaurants and hotels.