On Tuesday, October 2, 2025, the City of Richmond participated in the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Church Hill Tunnel collapse, hosted by the Friends of Jefferson Park and the Church Hill Association. Mayor Danny Avula has also issued a formal proclamation commemorating the event; text can be found in full below:

WHEREAS, on October 2, 1925, a section of the Church Hill Tunnel catastrophically collapsed during a railway upgrade project, tragically entombing a steam locomotive, work cars, and an unknown number of laborers; and 

WHEREAS, this disaster reveals a significant and somber chapter in the history of the City of Richmond, a permanent reminder of the risks undertaken in the building of our infrastructure and the profound cost of progress; and 

WHEREAS, the tunnel was subsequently sealed, leaving a piece of our city's industrial heritage and the final resting place of those lost, preserved beneath the ground of what is now Jefferson Park; and 

WHEREAS, the Friends of Jefferson Park and the Church Hill Association have taken the lead in organizing this commemoration to honor the memory of those lost and to educate the public on this significant historical event;

 WHEREAS, NOW, THEREFORE, I, Dr. Danny TK Avula, Mayor of the City of Richmond, do hereby recognize October 2, 2025, as a day of commemoration for the "100th Anniversary of the Church Hill Tunnel Collapse."

I urge all citizens to pause and remember this event and the individuals whose lives were lost, and I commend the Friends of Jefferson Park and the Church Hill Association for their dedication to preserving this important part of our shared history. 

Dr. Danny TK Avula

Mayor, City of Richmond