Broadnax

Broadnax. . , A community of mills, warehouses, homes and stores sprang up with the construction of the Atlantic and Danville Railway in the 1890s. A combination freight and passenger station was located at Brodnax shown here in 1948. Bales of cotton, timber and other commodities shipped from Brodnax by rail until the 1950s. An abundance of cucumbers and peaches grown nearby were graded, packed and shipped from the town. One of the old grading stations is located at the Whitby Produce market which continues to provide an outlet for local produce., For many years prior to its decimation by the boll weevil, cotton was a major crop in the region and the Dugger Cotton Company had the largest cotton market in Virginia. The Brodnax Cotton Mill established in the 1930s has evolved into Brodnax Mills, which now produces specialty yarns of natural and synthetic materials., The town was bustling in the 1950s with a post office, hardware stores, three furniture stores, five grocery stores, lunch room, numerous shops, a department store, clothing, and two general merchandise stores; five gas stations; service establishments for plumbing and heating, shoe repair, barber; and a pulpwood center, saw mills and a planing mill to support the booming wood industry., (captions) , Top to Bottom: , Brodnax circa 1905 A&D Crossbars visible at end of Main St Carolyn D. Spencer , Brodnax Freight and Passenger Station William E. Griffin Jr. , Dugger Cotton Company