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

Ringgold Rail Trail History

(also known as the Richmond and Danville Rail Trail)

— Ringgold Rail Trail —

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, September 18, 2026

1. Ringgold Rail Trail History Marker

Inscription. The route of the Richmond and Danville Railroad began as a long-delayed dream for Whitmell P. Tunstall, a Pittsylvania County native. This attorney first proposed the construction of this line in 1838. It took almost a decade before Tunstall received a charter. Later, as the railroad was under construction, Tunstall died on February 19,1854—a victim of typhoid fever.

In 1856, the first trains steamed into Danville, after having first rolled past Ringgold, where a train station of the 1850's remains standing - a lucky survivor of the Civil War. Legend says the name Ringgold comes from a nearby gold prospect that produced enough gold to make one ring. Yet another story credits the place to being a namesake of Major Samuel Ringgold, a hero of the Mexican-American War.

Today, the Ringgold Depot marks the western gateway to the Richmond and Danville Rail-Trail—what's sometimes called the "Ringgold Trail." Open since 2001, this passage follows the fabled but long-abandoned rail bed of the "Danville Train" that was immortalized in the song "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down" and also the same route that was followed

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

by Confederate President Jefferson Davis, during 1865, in his retreat from Richmond.

- Excerpted from author Joe Tennis's "Virginia Rail Trails: Crossing the Commonwealth," published by The History Press. 2014 Joe Tennis

(captions)
Ringgold Train Depot circa 1920
Caboose at Ringgold Train Depot
Sandy Creek Bridge
Photo courtesy of Matt Bell

Erected by Pittsylvania County.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1856.

Location. 36° 37.473′ N, 79° 12.002′ W. Marker has been damaged. Marker is in Sutherlin, Virginia, in Pittsylvania County. It is on Kerns Church Road 0.1 miles south of Kerns Mill Road, on the left when traveling north. Located at the Kerns Church Road Trailhead. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4269 Kerns Church Road, Ringgold VA 24586, 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

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, September 18, 2026

2. Ringgold Rail Trail History Marker

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 6 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Carter's Tavern (approx. 5 miles away); Ringgold Freight Station (approx. 5½ miles away); a different marker also named Ringgold Rail Trail History (approx. 5½ miles away); Pittsylvania County / North Carolina (approx. 5.8 miles away); Fairview (approx. 5.8 miles away in North Carolina); Walker House (approx. 5.9 miles away in North Carolina); Clay-Lewis-Irvine House (approx. 5.9 miles away in North Carolina); African American Cemetery Site (approx. 5.9 miles away in North Carolina).

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, September 18, 2026

3. Ringgold Rail Trail History Marker

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, September 18, 2026

4. Ringgold Rail Trail History Marker

The Marker is located along the Ringgold Rail Trail.

Ringgold Rail Trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by C. Ryan Dodson, September 18, 2026

5. Ringgold Rail Trail

Credits. This page was last revised on September 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2026, by C. Ryan Dodson of Danville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 15 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 18, 2026, by C. Ryan Dodson of Danville, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.