H. Clay Earles (1913-1999) opened Martinsville Speedway in 1947 with seating for 750. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) first raced here in 1948. Martinsville Speedway was one of eight tracks to host the inaugural 1949 . . . — — Map (db m7741) HM
North Carolina. North Carolina was one of the original thirteen states. The first settlement was made on Roanoke Island, 1585, but was not permanent. Settlers from Virginia occupied the Albemarle region before 1663, in which year the colony . . . — — Map (db m304867) HM
Near here, on Matrimony Creek, William Byrd pitched his camp, November, 1728, while determining the Virginia-North Carolina boundary line. — — Map (db m58372) HM
Henry County. Area 444 square miles. Formed in 1776 from Pittsylvania, Governor of Virginia. Henry lived in the county 1779-1784.
Patrick County. Area 485 square miles. Formed in 1790 from Henry, and . . . — — Map (db m290185) HM
Henry County's first courthouse stood near here, either on the land that became Edgewood or in the area that became Stanleytown. In 1777, the first court of Henry County acquired land from Henry Barksdale and decided to build a courthouse. Completed . . . — — Map (db m205769) HM
Fort Trial, constructed in 1756, once stood nearby overlooking the Smith River. It was one in a series of forts authorized by the General Assembly to be built on the frontier to protect settlers from Indians during the French and Indian War. The . . . — — Map (db m63197) HM
Martinsville named in his honor
Served as Indian agent for VA, NC, GA and Continental Congress, 1777 - 1789
First General Officer appointed from Henry County, VA, 12th Brigade, VA militia 1793. Served in VA, NC, and GA . . . — — Map (db m172169) HM WM
As with other rail lines, the Dick & Willie made posssible for subsistence farmers in Appalachia to earn much-needed cash selling chestnuts to buyers in cities throughout the east. Early 20th century newspapers often showed train cars, overflowing . . . — — Map (db m205786) HM
The Dick & Willie was the first railroad to Henry County and was in full operation by 1884.
Originally, the railroad was a narrow gauge, but within a decade, the textile mills in the hamlets of present-day Eden were thriving. The narrow gauge . . . — — Map (db m205813) HM
The Dick & Willie Railway linked the rural counties with the urban worlds of Martinsville and Danville in a new and exciting way. "Dick & Willie" was the popular name for the Danville & Western Railway. At a time when most travel was made by horse, . . . — — Map (db m205817) HM
Local historians remember that the train earned its nickname from two early train workers: Richard Hundley and William Martin. The Dick & Willie was vital to the people, communities and industries it linked together — a partner and an important . . . — — Map (db m205816) HM
The nearby structure, commonly known as a silo, was in reality an incinerator for the DeShazo Lumber Company taht was located on this site.
George Napier "Nappy" DeShazo [1901-1991] began his sawmill job in 1922 as a bookkeeper with G.M. . . . — — Map (db m205819) HM
Henry County opened a new Dry Bridge School just south of here in 1928 after the School Improvement League, an organization of African Americans living east of Martinsville, campaigned under the leadership of the Rev. W. F. Geter to replace the . . . — — Map (db m205807) HM
Since the late 19th century, Fayette Street has
been a gateway to the business, social, and
Cultural life of African Americans here. Institutions such as Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church (founded
in 1870), St. Mary’s Hospital (1926-1952), . . . — — Map (db m104550) HM
Gloria Victis
1861-1865
Henry honors her heroes
Defeated yet without scar
Erected by Mildred Lee Chapter.
No. 74, U.D.C.,
To the true Confederate soldiers of Henry — — Map (db m66089) WM
In honor of those citizens of Martinsville and Henry County who courageously participated in these wars
American Revolution 1776-1789
War of 1812 1812-1814
Civil War 1861-1865
Spanish American War 1898
World War I 1917-1918
World War . . . — — Map (db m66090) WM
Martinsville's oldest public cemetery was established as a part of First Episcopal Church on land given by Mr. Marshall Hairston in 1847. The original location was on the corner of Moss and Church Streets. Around 1885 the church cemetery was . . . — — Map (db m172180) HM
Named for Joseph Martin, pioneer who settled here in 1773. In 1793 the courthouse of Henry County was moved here and the town was established, Patric Henry, for whom the county was named, lived near here once. In 1865, Stoneman, moving south to join . . . — — Map (db m64658) HM
Here in 1949, six all-white, all-male juries convicted seven black men of the rape of a white woman. All seven men were sentenced to death. On appeal, NAACP attorneys submitted the first petition to the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that capital . . . — — Map (db m302144) HM
A Rich Heritage in Textiles Began Just Across the Street
The building directly across from you, now known as the Clocktower Building, was once home to one of Martinsville's early textile mills—Martinsville Cotton Mill. Rucker & Whitten Plug . . . — — Map (db m205820) HM
On March 24, 1865, Union Gen. George Stoneman led 6,000 cavalrymen from Tennessee into southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina to disrupt the Confederate supply line by destroying sections of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, . . . — — Map (db m66013) HM
The Town of Martinsville chartered Oakwood Cemetery in 1883 and deeded it to the Martinsville Cemetery Association in 1887. Buried here are about 80 Confederates soldiers, at least one Union soldier, and veterans of World Wars I and II. Also . . . — — Map (db m172170) HM
The Dick and Willie Trail is 4.5 miles in length and runs along a portion of the former Danville and Western Railroad track. Once part of the Norfolk Southern Railroad, the Danville and Western was affectionately nicknamed the "Dick and Willie." . . . — — Map (db m205783) HM
The Dick and Willie Trail is 4.5 miles in length and runs along a portion of the former Danville and Western Railroad track. Once part of the Norfolk Southern Railroad, the Danville and Western was affectionately nicknamed the "Dick and Willie." . . . — — Map (db m205799) HM
The Dick and Willie Trail is 4.5 miles in length and runs along a portion of the former Danville and Western Railroad track. Once part of the Norfolk Southern Railroad, the Danville and Western was affectionately nicknamed the "Dick and Willie." . . . — — Map (db m205814) HM
The Dick and Willie Trail is 4.5 miles in length and runs along a portion of the former Danville and Western Railroad track. Once part of the Norfolk Southern Railroad, the Danville and Western was affectionately nicknamed the "Dick and Willie." . . . — — Map (db m205815) HM
Southerners share a love of celebrations, particulary at the end of harvest time. During the fall the Dick & Willie ran special trains that transported local residents to the fairs held in Danville, Leaksville (now part of Eden, N.C.), Martinsville . . . — — Map (db m205791) HM
Richard Kennon of Mecklenburg served as an officer in the 5th Virginia Regiment, 1776-1778 and later in the State Militia. He served in both houses of the General Assembly and was Presiding Officer of the Senate, 1800-1802. He died in 1805. — — Map (db m30909) HM
Alexander Boyd, Sr., a businessman and founder of Boydton, erected the core of this tavern about 1785. The hostelry thrived, and its presence was a major reason for the selection of Boydton as the Mecklenburg County seat. By the mid-19th century, . . . — — Map (db m30900) HM
Mecklenburg County was established March 1, 1765, and named for George III’s consort, Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The first court met on March 11, 1765, at the home of Mr. Richard Swepson in the new county seat, Mecklenburg . . . — — Map (db m30902) HM
Boydton Academic and Bible Institute was opened in 1879 in building that had been abandoned by Randolph-Macon College when it moved to Ashland in 1868. Dr. Charles Cullis, a humanitarian from Boston, purchased the property in 1878 and opened . . . — — Map (db m30917) HM
Boydton Academic and Bible Institute was opened in 1879 in what had been the main building of Randolph-Macon College, before the college abandoned it and relocated to Ashland in 1868. Dr. Charles Cullis, a humanitarian from Boston, purchased . . . — — Map (db m180592) HM
The Boydton and Petersburg Plank Road, built between 1851 and 1853, was the first all-weather route connecting Southside Virginia’s tobacco and wheat farms with the market. Pine and oak planks, 8 feet long, 1 foot wide, and 3-4 inches thick were . . . — — Map (db m31857) HM
The Boydton and Petersburg Plank Road was built between 1851 and 1853 and was funded by stock bought by the state as well as the public. The all-weather toll road increased the transportation of crops to market and also carried stagecoach traffic . . . — — Map (db m30912) HM
The Presbyterian Meeting House was built around 1820 on land owned by Alexander Boyd the Younger of Boydton, Virginia. In 1824 the church property was deeded to the church elders for the sum of one dollar. In times of need, the Presbyterians have . . . — — Map (db m31859) HM
James Solomon Russell was born enslaved on 20
Dec. 1857 on the nearby Hendrick Plantation.
After emancipation, he attended Hampton
Institute and St. Stephen’s Normal and Theological
School and was ordained in 1882. As a religious
missionary, . . . — — Map (db m107457) HM
Mecklenburg County Virginia. Area 669 Square Miles. Formed in 1764 from Lunenburg, and named for Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen of George III. Bacon, the rebel, defeated the Indians near the present town of . . . — — Map (db m107451) HM
This is the original campus of Randolph-Macon College, the oldest Methodist-affiliated college still operating in the United States. Chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1830 and named for Congressmen John Randolph of Roanoke, Charlotte . . . — — Map (db m30910) HM
Seven miles south. There a detachment of Virginia militia crossed the Roanoke River in February, 1781, on the way to join Greene in North Carolina. There Baron Steuben, commanding the forces in Virginia, had a depot of supplies. — — Map (db m30911) HM
The presence of Boyd tavern, built in the eighteenth-century, greatly influenced the selection of Boydton as the Mecklenburg County seat. A major mid-nineteenth century renovation expanded the original tavern into a 35-room structure that included . . . — — Map (db m31872) HM
The Boydton LOVEwork was created for the 40th Annual Boydton Day Festival by the 2016 Boydton Day Committe and designed by Brooks Lenhart with assistance from Shirley Bowen, Michelle Gregory Gordon, & Donna Ober. . . . — — Map (db m182461) HM
Early History
In 1728, a survey party led by William Byrd II visited these springs. In his diary he wrote that the spring water was: “…what Adam drank in Paradise … by the help of which we perceived our appetites to mend, our slumber to . . . — — Map (db m30929) HM
Buffalo Springs Resort
On the other side of the county road was the resort area of Buffalo “Lithia” Springs. Spring #1 was located here, as were the hotels, cabins, a pavilion, tennis court, bowling alley, game room, barbershop, post office, . . . — — Map (db m30930) HM
Springhouse and Gazebo
The gazebo in front of you sits over the cistern and springhouse for Spring #2. Of the three springs that were considered to have medicinal attributes, Spring #2 was the most famous. Bottled water from this spring was . . . — — Map (db m30931) HM
Between 1817 and 1949, nearby Buffalo Springs hosted guests from across the country, promising good health from its mineral waters. The springs prospered after Thomas F. Goode (1825-1905) acquired ownership in 1874, improved the resort, and . . . — — Map (db m30925) HM
Mecklenburg County. Area 669 Square Miles. Formed in 1764 from Lunenburg, and named for Princess Charlotte, of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of George III. Bacon, the Rebel, defeated the Indians near the present town of . . . — — Map (db m30932) HM
In June 1864, to deny Gen. Robert E. Lee the use of the South Side Rail Road and the Richmond and Danville Rail Road, Gen. U1ysses S. Grant sent Gen. James H. Wilson and Gen. August V. Kautz south of Petersburg on a cavalry raid to destroy track and . . . — — Map (db m20166) HM
In June 1864, to deny Gen. Robert E. Lee the use of the South Side R.R. and the Richmond and Danville R.R., Gen. Ulysses S. Grant sent Gen. James H. Wilson and Gen. August V. Kautz south of Petersburg on a cavalry raid to destroy track and rolling . . . — — Map (db m20170) HM
Born in Powhatan County on 18 Oct. 1897, Earle D. Gregory enlisted in 1914 at Chase City in the Virginia Volunteers (Virginia National Guard). He served in the 116th Inf. Regt., 29th Inf. Div., in WWI. On the first day of combat near Verdun, France, . . . — — Map (db m20204) HM
Thyne Institute was established by Rev. J.Y. Ashenhurst, United Presbyterian Church, and a group of local citizens to provide an opportunity for African Americans (known as “freedmen” in the late 1800s) to obtain an education. In 1876 73 . . . — — Map (db m31003) HM
Thyme Institute was established by the Rev. J.Y. Ashenhurst, the United Presbyterian Church, and a group of local citizens to provide an opportunity for African Americans (known as "freed men" in the late 1800s) to obtain an education. In . . . — — Map (db m180594) HM
In 1876 the United Presbyterian Church and the Rev. J. J. Ashenhurst, first principal, formed Thyne Institute, the only facility in Mecklenburg County offering courses for blacks until 1923. Two years after opening in a small building that had been . . . — — Map (db m31870) HM
The Occaneechi Indians once lived nearby on an island in the Roanoke River. Well known for trading goods with other Indians nations and colonists, the Occaneechi resided close to several Indian paths. They also hunted, fished, and raised crops that . . . — — Map (db m40771) HM
The Occaneechi Indians once lived nearby on an island in the Roanoke River. Well known for trading goods with other Indians nations and colonists, the Occaneechi resided close to several Indian paths. They also hunted, fished, and raised crops that . . . — — Map (db m30923) HM
Born enslaved on one of William Sydnor’s
plantations in Halifax County, Patrick Robert
“Parker” Sydnor became literate at a freedmen’s
school after the Civil War. A preacher and farmer
in his youth, he began crafting grave . . . — — Map (db m107460) HM
The second William Byrd obtained land here about 1730 and named the place "Blue Stone Castle." The estate extended ten miles along Roanoke River. Before the Revolution Sir Peyton Skipwith came into possession and built the present house, which he . . . — — Map (db m31866) HM
Educational opportunities for White women in Virginia expanded during the 19th century as female institutes taught academic subjects as well as the arts. Some women supported themselves by opening schools. After the Civil War, when demand for . . . — — Map (db m245877) HM
La Crosse became the junction of the Atlantic and Danville Railway and the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900. Surveyed as early as 1748, the area was known as Piney Pond by 1767, for a body of water that no longer exists. When a post office was . . . — — Map (db m94356) HM
Just to the east is the former West End High
School, which served African Americans during
the segregation era. With the help of Matilda M.
Booker, Mecklenburg County’s Jeanes Fund
supervisor of education for blacks, local parents
first . . . — — Map (db m107471) HM
Brunswick County. Area 557 Square Miles. Formed in 1720 from Prince George, Surry and Isle of Wight. Named for the House of Brunswick, which came to the throne of England in 1714, when George I was crowned king. Colonial Fort . . . — — Map (db m180054) HM
In 1915, four influential African American residents of South Hill—the Rev. J. H. Simmons,
Mary E. Simmons, Robert Walker, and James E.
Skipwith—established the Mecklenburg County
Training School for black students. The school
operated in the . . . — — Map (db m107443) HM
A mile south is the site of Salem Chapel, one of the pioneer Methodist churches of the state. Of it Francis Asbury wrote, "the best house we have in the country part of Virginia." There he held four sessions of the Virginia Annual conference: . . . — — Map (db m30879) HM
In 1889 South Hill's founding fathers laid out the town's boundary in a circle radiating 5/8s of a mile from a point within the intersection of the Atlantic and Danville Railway tracks and the Boydton Plank Road (now U.S. Rt. 1). South Hill was . . . — — Map (db m30878) HM
This memorial park is dedicated to all veterans who served their country honorably and especially to those who paid the supreme sacrifice. — — Map (db m180540) WM
This pattern is taken from "The Big Book of Civil War Quilts".
Bold interplay of darks and lights brings to mind images
of Civil War battles fought in fields divided by rail fences.
Carol Hopkins dedicated this quilt to all soldiers who . . . — — Map (db m162892) HM
"His dear lady did not suffer me to quit the house until I had promised to watch over her husband in the hour of battle." The words of Maj. Heros von Borcke, one of Stuart's most famous staff officers, describe Flora's admonition to him as he and . . . — — Map (db m99882) HM
Maj. General Stuart's concept of command focused on one word - attack. If the enemy was before him, on his flank, or behind him, he had one response - attack. A saber in its scabbard was useless. It must be drawn and used to strike a blow, and . . . — — Map (db m99880) HM
"Jeb never says, 'Go boys,' but always 'Come, boys.'" In writing these words George Cary Eggleston of the 1st Virginia Cavalry summed up his commander's philosophy of leadership. Stuart never sent his men where he could not go and never asked them . . . — — Map (db m99881) HM
"Raiding with General Stuart is poor fun and a hard business. Thunder, lighting, rain, storm, mud, nor darkness can stop him when he is on a warm fresh trail of Yankee game." Horse artilleryman George M. Neese's opinion of Stuart following the . . . — — Map (db m99878) HM
He never brought me a "fat" piece information." Robert E. Lee's words, uttered upon his hearing of Stuart's death, were a fitting epitaph for "the eyes of the army." General Joseph E. Johnston, on his transfer to the war's western theater, wrote to . . . — — Map (db m99879) HM
Hanover County, Virginia
In the darkness of predawn on May 9, forty miles from Richmond, a section of Sheridan's cavalry under Custer's command raided the railroad station at Beaver Dam, in Hanover County. The station was being used as a . . . — — Map (db m295648) HM
Civil War armies consisted of three major components: infantry, artillery, and cavalry. The Cavalry's primary role was to support the infantry and artillery, gathering intelligence, scouting, screening the movements of the army, and serving as . . . — — Map (db m295645) HM
Local and oral tradition says that the large boxwoods before you were planted by Elizabeth Pannill Stuart, mother of J.E.B. Stuart. The Stuart's moved to this land about 1825 and lived here for a few years before building their home Laurel Hill, . . . — — Map (db m162904) HM
One of the enduring mysteries in the preservation of Laurel Hill has been finding the location of William Letcher's home. Recent discoveries have shed some light on that question. In June of 2009, a number of students from Radford University, led by . . . — — Map (db m162907) HM
The Historical Roadbed that you see before you dates from the earliest colonial times of what is now Patrick County. This road may have been in use as early as the 1750 period. Approximately one thousand feet of this historic road forms the eastern . . . — — Map (db m99841) HM
The home of Archibald and Elizabeth Pannill Stuart was constructed on this site c. 1830. It was in this house that their most famous son. James Ewell Brown was born on February 6, 1833. Six other Stuart children would also be born in this house. Of . . . — — Map (db m99843) HM
"This son of Virginia"
Born on February 6, 1833, James Ewell Brown, "Jeb" Stuart was the eighth child of Archibald and Elizabeth Stuart. Stuart's birthplace, "Laurel Hil," was located on the fringe of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Patrick . . . — — Map (db m295644) HM
Laurel Hill, the 1,500-acre farm of Archibald and Elizabeth Letcher Pannill Stuart, was the birthplace of their seventh child, James Ewell Brown Stuart, at 11 a.m. on February 6, 1833. The house burned to the ground during the winter of 1847-48. . . . — — Map (db m54713) HM
Entered on the National
Register of Historic Places
on September 24, 1998
Entered on the Virginia
Landmarks Register on
January 23, 1998 — — Map (db m162893) HM
Young James
1845
Allen F. Weldhaas
2000
LAUREL HILL
"Although everyone deems his own
home, a spot supremely blest,
a dearer sweeter spot than all the rest."
"Yet experience has taught me it is
necessary to be deprived of it awhile
in order . . . — — Map (db m169381) HM
After the murder of William Letcher in 1780, the history of the fifteen-hundred-acre farm that would become the birthplace and boyhood home of James Ewell Brown Stuart is complex, in some instances vague and uncertain. Shortly after her husband's . . . — — Map (db m267763) HM
More than 100,000 well fed and well armed Union soldiers advanced into Virginia during the months of May and June for the Overland Campaign. Grant's objective was to draw out and destroy the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The total . . . — — Map (db m295646) HM
In the 19th century, Mountain Road consisted of mostly large and small farms. In 1857, the Hopkins family purchased Walkerton on approximately 250 acres. Two other substantial homesteads on Mountain Road at this time belonged to the Sheppards and . . . — — Map (db m295649) HM
The investigation of the Laurel Hill property by the College Of William and Mary's Center for Archaeological Research in 1993, revealed the presence of Native American activity on the crest during the Archaic and Woodland periods (c. 12000 BC to 900 . . . — — Map (db m99845) HM
North Carolina. North Carolina was one of the original thirteen states. The first settlement was made on Roanoke Island, 1585, but was not permanent. Settlers from Virginia occupied the Albemarle region before 1663, in which year the colony . . . — — Map (db m54712) HM
The hand dug water-well before you is believed to date to the Stuart occupancy which began about 1825 and ended in 1859. The well which still contains water, is rock lined and about twenty feet deep. This well was described in a 1935 Richmond Times . . . — — Map (db m162908) HM
A short distance west is the site of the home of Archibald Stuart, Jr., a statesman of a century ago. There was born, February 6, 1833, his son, James Ewell Brown Stuart, who became Major-General commanding the cavalry of the Army of Northern . . . — — Map (db m294743) HM
To the west stood Laurel Hill (built about 1830), where Confederate Maj. Gen. James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was born on 6 Feb. 1833 to Archibald Stuart, a lawyer and politician, and Elizabeth Letcher Pannill Stuart. The house burned in the winter . . . — — Map (db m54710) HM
This is the original roadside Virginia Historical marker that stood near the entrance to Laurel Hill for nearly seventy years. During that time this sign was the only indication of the historical significance of this site to passing motorists. . . . — — Map (db m299137) HM
This white oak tree is the offspring of the mighty white oak which stood in Hanover County, Virginia, for
more than 400 years before being destroyed by Hurricane Isabel in 2003
History relates it provided shade for Robert E. Lee and his staff . . . — — Map (db m99846) HM
Glen Allen, Henrico Courty, Virginia
On May 11, in the mists of the predawn, the combatants were assembling for the battle of Yellow Tavern, just six miles from the gates of Richmond. Stuart's cavalry raced south from Beaverdam to get ahead . . . — — Map (db m295650) HM
Fifth Virginia Cavalry
In an attempt to slow the Union assault, Lomax moved the rest of his brigade including Col. Pate and his Fifth Virginia Cavalry into position in a shallow cut of Telegraph Road. Stuart observed the action taking place . . . — — Map (db m295651) HM
The Battle of Yellow Tavern bought Richmond time. Enough Confederate reinforcements manned the interior line of defenses around Richmond to persuade Sheridan to cancel his goal of raiding the Confederate capital.
The ambulance carrying . . . — — Map (db m295656) HM
In March of 1949, Charlie Melton Dellenback Sr. became owner of the 169 acre tract that was a small part of the original Laurel Hill farm. This land included the farmhouse built in 1895 by William A. Mitchell and his son John. The farm contained . . . — — Map (db m241969) HM
The Grave of William Letcher is the oldest in Patrick County with an inscription that reads:
"In memory of William Letcher, who was assassinated in his own house in the bosom of his family by a Tory of the Revolution, on the 2nd day of August, . . . — — Map (db m162901) HM
In the years following his death, Stuart came to be a leading symbol of the Southern culture of the Lost Cause and of Virginia's Cavalier idolization. The poet Stephen Vincent Benet depicted Stuart in his epic poem John Brown's Body (1928) . . . — — Map (db m295660) HM
Looking through the trees across the Ararat River you will see the grave site of William Letcher, an American patriot. William Letcher was born about 1750, and died in 1780 at the hands of a Tory by the name of "Nichols", who was later apprehended . . . — — Map (db m162897) HM
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