Martinsville, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Continued Connections

The Dick & Willie Passage

— Smith River Trail System —

Continued Connections Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, September 8, 2022

1. Continued Connections Marker

Inscription.
Local historians remember that the train earned its nickname from two early train workers: Richard Hundley and William Martin. The Dick & Willie was vital to the people, communities and industries it linked together — a partner and an important part of daily life. So it's not surprising that it was given human characteristics. As one memoir put it: "Dick and Willie was and is a merry little train, with many pleasant associations ... the train as a whole was thought of by the people as a personality ... and a personality it was."

Though rail passenger service on the Dick and Willie ended in 1949, just as diesel engines began to serve the line, portions of the railroad are being traveled again as a recreational trail, connecting communities and families to each other and to the landscape.

(captions)
Dick & Willie with passenger car Photo from the collection of Kenney Kirkman<
Employee rail passes Images courtesy of Bassett Historical Center

Erected by City of Martinsville Department of Parks & Recreation, Henry County Parks & Recreation, Dan River Basin Association, the harvest foundation.

Topics. This

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historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars.

Location. 36° 41.301′ N, 79° 50.116′ W. Marker is in Martinsville, Virginia. It can be reached from the intersection of Fisher Street and Fishel Street (Virginia Route 174), on the right when traveling east. Access the trail from the Fisher St parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 815 Fisher St, Martinsville VA 24112, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Connecting Communities (approx.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, September 8, 2022

2. Continued Connections Marker

half a mile away); Dry Bridge School (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Dick & Willie Passage (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different marker also named The Dick & Willie Passage (approx. 1.3 miles away); Changing With Industry (approx. 1.6 miles away); DeShazo's "Silo" (approx. 1.8 miles away); Traditions to Celebrate (approx. 1.9 miles away); Martinsville's Early Textile Mills (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Martinsville.

Also see . . .
1. Dick & Willie Passage Rail Trail. Official Tourism Site for Martinsville-Henry County, Virginia (Submitted on September 9, 2022.)

2. Dick & Willie Passage Rail Trail. TrailLink by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (Submitted on September 9, 2022.)

Mulberry Creek Overlook image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, September 8, 2022

3. Mulberry Creek Overlook

Credits. This page was last revised on August 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2022, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 215 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 9, 2022, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.