Founding the Town of Hurt

Founding the Town of Hurt. . , Although several houses were near U.S. Business 29's Staunton River crossing in the early nineteenth century, the Town of Hurt did not become a commercial center until after the Civil War. “Major” John L. Hurt, regionally famous for making gunpowder throughout the Civil War, began building houses in the 1870s within the vicinity of his Clement Hill estate nearby. By that time, the Southern Railway (now Norfolk Southern Railway) included a stop here before continuing north to Lynchburg or south to Danville. , A major landholder by the end of his life, Major Hurt left the land that became Hurt to his nephew, Mr. John L. Hurt, Jr., along with the vision to create a town. John Hurt, Jr. continued developing the town that was named after him. , The town was methodically planned. John Hurt, Jr. divided land into lots that were between a half acre and one acre crossed by streets that were 50 feet wide. Area families purchased lots for $200 and had two years to build a house. Should a house not be completed in two years, John Hurt, Jr. would re-purchase the land for the same $200 in an effort to encourage construction. He also donated property for community buildings, including schools and churches. , By 1954, the Virginia Record, a state-wide periodical, reported that John Hurt, Jr. had “watched his dream of a community of homeowners come true.” The town had grown to 1,250 residents when John Hurt, Jr. passed away in 1964. The town of Hurt was formally incorporated in 1967, honoring his wish for the community to become an independent town. , The Staunton River Community , The Town of Hurt began as Staunton River, a small community near Ward's Road in the late eighteenth century. Traveling to Staunton River from Lynchburg along Ward's Road took nearly six hours by road, and the arrival of the rail travel cut the journey to two and a half hours. The introduction of the railroad after the Civil War provided a regularly maintained connection between the Staunton River community and the farmland immediately north of the river.