The Richmond Theatre fire occurred in Richmond, Virginia, United States, on Thursday, December 26, 1811. It devastated the Richmond Theatre, located on the north side of Broad Street between what is now Twelfth and College Streets. The fire killed 72 people, including Virginia's governor George William Smith, former U.S. senator Abraham B. Venable, and other government officials in what was the worst urban disaster in U.S. history at the time. The Monumental Church was erected on the site as a memorial to the fire.
Richmond, Virginia, theatre fire of 1811
Gilbert Hunt, who helped save numerous lives on the night of the fire, became the subject of a biography published to provide an income for him during his old age
Monumental Church was built on the site of the destroyed theatre to commemorate the victims of the fire
New Richmond Theatre, as photographed in 1858
George William Smith (politician)
George William Smith was a Virginia lawyer and politician who served several terms in the Virginia House of Delegates and was twice the acting governor of the state before then being elected as the 17th Governor of Virginia. His term as elected governor was short and ended with his death in the Richmond Theatre fire of 1811.
George William Smith (politician)
