Chatham in Pittsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Gilbert’s Restaurant

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, August 1, 2026

1. Gilbert’s Restaurant Marker

Inscription. The Rev. Robert G. Gilbert built Gilbert’s Restaurant here ca. 1945 as a café, store, gas station, and tourist home for Black patrons during Jim Crow segregation. He and his wife, Arzelia, ran the business until 1971, after which their son and daughter-in-law operated it primarily as a restaurant until its closure in 1999. Located on US Route 29, a major artery connecting the mid-Atlantic and the Deep South, the enterprise was a regional hub for the Black community and a haven for Black travelers. Among those who stayed or dined here were Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, the Singing Siamese Twins (Yvonne and Yvette McCarther), James Earl Jones, and defense attorneys for the Martinsville Seven case.

Erected 2025 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number L-64.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1945.

Location. 36° 50.141′ N, 79° 23.622′ W. Marker is in Chatham, Virginia, in Pittsylvania County. It is at the intersection of Main Street (Business U.S. 29) and Peach Street,

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on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 Main Street, Chatham VA 24531, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Virginia,

specifically in the Piedmont,

and in Southside 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 walking distance of this marker: Hargrave Military Academy (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hargrave World War II Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Richard A. Potter Memorial (approx. half a mile away); The Onishi Davenport Aquatics Center (approx. half a mile away); Emmanuel Episcopal Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bilhartz Hall Munitions Plant (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bilhartz, Hall & Co. (approx. 0.6 miles

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, August 1, 2026

2. Gilbert’s Restaurant Marker

away); Pittsylvania County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chatham.

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, August 1, 2026

3. Gilbert’s Restaurant Marker

Gilbert’s Restaurant can be seen in the background.

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, August 1, 2026

4. Gilbert’s Restaurant Marker

Prior to its unveiling on August 1, 2026. A member of the Gilbert family is addressing the crowd.

Gilbert’s Restaurant image. Click for full size.

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, August 1, 2026

5. Gilbert’s Restaurant

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, August 1, 2026

6. Gilbert’s Restaurant

Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 1, 2026, by C. Ryan Dodson of Danville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 26 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 1, 2026, by C. Ryan Dodson of Danville, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.