This is truly an incredible find... bordering on astounding. Lost to history for 150 years this original pre 1867 painted trade sign surfaced to the market for the first time this year. 15 years after the Tredegar Foundry closed in 1957, a college student in Richmond discovered it in an abandoned storage area along with numerous rusty iron products and castings from the early 20th century that had been washed away from the foundry in a flood. He used this sign as a cool decoration in every apartment and house he lived in for the next fifty years. He displayed it on his wall always. Now in retirement he decided it was time to downsize and clean house. When he contacted me this Spring I could scarcely believe what I was looking at. This magnificent sign is the one that hung at the Tredegar Iron Works Office in Richmond, Virginia during the 1860s.

It is a great large piece of art measuring almost six feet in width. It is one piece of wood and one inch thick or a little better. It retains 95% of the original red and gold paint and it is signed by the artist who painted it. WM. H. KING is painted at the lower left. 73 WALL STREET is painted on the bottom right. I know there was a Wall Street in Richmond in the 1860s, but up to this point I don't know anything about artist King. His story may help pin down the date of this sign.

Shown in the image gallery is a newspaper clipping from July 13th 1866 which gives some company history.

Established in 1837, Tredegar Iron Works at Richmond was the only southern facility capable of producing heavy ordnance and munitions and was critical to the Confederate war effort. The owner was Confederate General Joseph R. Anderson. The last I knew my friends at The Horse Soldier had an autographed CDV photo of Anderson for sale. He resigned his commission in 1862 to return to Tredegar and produce ordnance for the Confederacy. The company supplied everything from armor for the CSS Virginia to well over a thousand cannon. With an eye not only to his own financial future, but rebuilding the south, Anderson made sure the foundry was guarded during the evacuation of the Confederate Capital in 1865. It not only survived the fires that ravaged the area, but opened again for production by the end of 1865.

The names on the sign are a who-s who of blue blood Richmond Confederates. The Anderson and Archer families were connected by marriage. The inclusion of Archer Anderson on the sign may date the sign to immediately after the war. He was still in the field in North Carolina in March of 1865, and he joined or re-joined the J.R. Anderson Company when he returned to Richmond. Assuming his employment began in 1865 this would date the sign 1865 to 1867. I do not know if he had been a company officer prior to 1865. If so, the sign could date earlier. He is clearly listed as part of the company as of July 1866 in newspapers. The company name of -J.R. Anderson & Co.- positively dates it before February 27, 1867, when the two Andersons, the two Archers, and John F. Tanner announced the dissolution of that company, stating that, -its name will only be used in settlement of its affairs.- All of this cleared the way for reorganization as a joint stock company titled simply -The Tredegar Company- to run the iron works. This dating is additionally confirmed by the presence of John F. Tanner on the sign: he went to New York City as the company representative in 1868 and left the organization by 1870.

Excellent Outstanding Wonderful