W. W. Browne
Photo Credit: Encyclopedia Virginia
About Richmond's Honorary Street Name Designations
Honorary street names can be found throughout Richmond, and are intended to memorialize individuals for their civic, cultural, humanitarian, or historically significant contributions to the Richmond Community. These designations typically apply to a portion of a street, such as a city block, and are designated by Richmond City Council via the passing of an Ordinance. Honorary street names do not replace the existing name of a street and do not require an alteration to maps or addresses.
William Washington (W. W.) Browne
William Washington Browne, known as W. W. Browne, was born enslaved in Habersham County, Georgia. During the American Civil War, W. W. Browne escaped his bondage and joined the Union Army. In the years after the war, W. W. Browne came to Richmond, where he founded the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, an African American fraternal organization focused on temperance.
As Reconstruction ended and the era of Jim Crow segregation began, W. W. Browne sought to create an independent, all African American economy of goods and services that could function independently from dwindling government assistance and segregationist policies. Under Browne’s leadership, the True Reformers organization pivoted to become an insurance company that provided its members with sick and death benefits. Profits from the insurance business financially supported other enterprises, including property and real estate purchases, and a newspaper called The Reformer. On March 2, 1888, the organization received a state charter for the Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of the True Reformers, which has been recognized as the first Black-owned and operated bank to be chartered in the United States.
Designation Area:
The intersection of Chamberlayne Parkway and Jackson Street has been given the honorary designation of W. W. Browne Road.
Download the Council Ordinance:
Learn more about this Honorary Street Designation by downloading a copy of the legislation. The Council Ordinance below is in PDF format:
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