Bertha’s Country Lane

From Councilman Baliles’ March 2013 newsletter: It was my privilege to honor Bertha Burke at the City Council Meeting on March 11 for her dedication to the creation and maintenance of her “country lane” alley in the Museum District, which she began in 1954 when a roofer left behind an extra pile of pea gravel. […]

March 23, 2013; 9:51 AM • by West of the Boulevard News

From Councilman Baliles’ March 2013 newsletter:

It was my privilege to honor Bertha Burke at the City Council Meeting on March 11 for her dedication to the creation and maintenance of her “country lane” alley in the Museum District, which she began in 1954 when a roofer left behind an extra pile of pea gravel. Mrs. Burke’s outstanding dedication to creating and maintaining this community treasure for six decades has created many admirers and earned her the appreciation of her entire neighborhood.

Mrs. Burke has lived on Belmont Avenue for nearly 70 years with her husband Mr. Milton Burke, who passed away in 2012. The house was purchased for Mr. Burke’s family when he was five months old as a gift from the Police Department, local merchants, and residents who donated it to his mother and her children soon after his father, a Richmond Police Officer, was killed in the line-of-duty in 1925.

Having for some time been referred to lovingly by neighbors as Bertha’s Country Lane, on February 25, 2013, Richmond City Council unanimously approved to officially name the alley, Bertha’s Country Lane, in her honor. You can read the official proclamation here and view the video.