Poplar Lawn Park

Once known as Central Park, Poplar Lawn Park is a historic four-block green space at the heart of Petersburg’s nationally registered Poplar Lawn neighborhood. It has seen key moments in the city’s past, from the War of 1812 to the Civil War, and today welcomes visitors with open lawns, mature trees, walking paths, and room for community events. During the late 19th century, some of the city’s grandest homes rose around the park in Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles, making the area one of postbellum Virginia’s premier Victorian communities. The park is also home to the Pocahontas Basin, a historic stone artifact where, according to legend, Princess Pocahontas once washed her face. Today the stone rests safely behind an iron fence, a quiet reminder of the neighborhood’s rich history.