Danville, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Schoolfield
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, June 15, 2013
1. Schoolfield Marker
Inscription.
Schoolfield, established in 1903 as a textile mill village, was named for three brothers who founded Riverside Cotton Mills, later Dan River Mills. By the 1920s, this company town, complete with a school, churches, stores, a theatre, and other recreational facilities, was home to over 4,500 residents, mostly mill employees and their families, living in some 800 rental houses. A strike in 1930-31 ended a decade of employer/employee cooperation known as "Industrial Democracy," yet the community's tradition of neighborhood and family life continued to flourish. Danville annexed Schoolfield in 1951.
Schoolfield, established in 1903 as a textile mill village, was named for three brothers who founded Riverside Cotton Mills, later Dan River Mills. By the 1920s, this company town—complete with a school, churches, stores, a theatre, and other recreational facilities—was home to over 4,500 residents, mostly mill employees and their families, living in some 800 rental houses. A strike in 1930-31 ended a decade of employer/employee cooperation known as "Industrial Democracy," yet the community's tradition of neighborhood and family life continued to flourish. Danville annexed Schoolfield in 1951.
Erected 1988 by Department of Conservation and Historic Resources. (Marker Number Q-5K.)
Location. 36° 34.16′ N, 79° 25.481′ W. Marker is in Danville, Virginia. Marker is at the intersection of West Main Street (Virginia Route 293) and Baltimore Avenue, on the right when traveling west on West Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Danville VA 24541, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 23, 2021
6. Plaques on the Schoolfield Welfare Building
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 676 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 16, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 6. submitted on April 25, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
