Please join us at the Library for a presentation on a compelling artifact of Virginia’s urban planning history. In 2015, the Library of Virginia acquired a plat of an unnamed location that staff members originally described as a “mystery town.” Research revealed, however, that the late-19th-century manuscript plan drafted by Petersburg civil engineer T. R. Dunn follows the precepts of Joseph Smith’s Plan for the City of Zion. Smith, who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), issued the Zion plan in 1833 as a set of instructions for how the faithful were to lay out future LDS communities.

Presented by Joseph W. Grubbs, who led the Library’s research into the Dunn plat, this talk will explore the extensive analysis that confirmed the plat’s adherence to Smith’s Zion plan, including land-use characteristics and the development pattern envisioned for the prospective settlement. 

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Klaczynski at elizabeth.klaczynski@lva.virginia.gov or 
804.692.3536.

This is a free event. Registration is suggested. Please register below if you would like to receive a reminder email the day before this event.

Special Pre-program Coffee and Conversation for Fry-Jefferson Map Society Members
9:45–10:30 AM | Orientation Room

Members of the Fry-Jefferson Map Society, please join us before the program for a cup of coffee and a chance to meet our speaker, Joseph W. Grubbs. To RSVP, please call 804.692.3813.

DID YOU KNOW?
With your gift of $100 or more, you can join one of the Library of Virginia Foundation's affinity groups like the Fry-Jefferson Map Society, which is for individuals interested in developing, enhancing, and promoting the cartographic collections of the Library. Make your gift at www.lva.virginia.gov/donate.