Joseph Bryan Park, located on the northside of Richmond, VA, was given to the city in 1910 by Belle Bryan and her sons. They intended the public park to be a memorial to Joseph Bryan, her husband and publisher of the Richmond Times newspaper. An 1800 slave insurrection, led by Gabriel Prosser, was planned on land now part of the park.  Woods, streams, and open areas make up the 262 acres, along with picnic shelters, playing fields, trails, a Keeper’s House built in 1911, and a tourist auto camp house built in 1922. The park is registered on the National Register of Historic Places, and as a Virginia Historic Landmark.  In 1952, city parks employee Robert Harvey created a 17-acre azalea garden, also rich in native trees, that was a major attraction for visitors in the 1960s and 1970s and is currently being restored.

            A unique character of this city park is the presence of many acres of undisturbed woods. This includes open woods and dense woods, each offering habitat to wildlife and to more than 150 birds (based on a 1994 study).  Oaks, pines, hickory, and tulip poplar are interspersed with understory trees: holly, dogwood, and sassafras. Eastern red cedar and sweet bay magnolia add to the color and texture palettes of our forest.