Martinsville Historic District--Virginia Main Street Communities: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary

Martinsville Historic District
Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

Martinsville, located in the southern Virginia Piedmont, was established in 1791 as the county seat of Henry County. The economy of the late 18th and early 19th century was based almost exclusively on tobacco as the main cash crop. With the arrival of the Danville and New River Railroad (later the Danville & Western) to Martinsville in 1883 and the Roanoke and Southern Railway (later the Norfolk & Western) in 1892, many of the tobacco factories that had operated throughout Henry County moved to Martinsville. Tobacco farmers no longer had to travel to markets in Danville and Lynchburg as tobacco could be sold, manufactured and shipped directly from Martinsville. The boom of the tobacco industry in Martinsville ended around 1905 when the "Tobacco Trust" of larger companies such as R.J. Reynolds began buying and consolidating the smaller, independent factories. Although tobacco continued to be the primary crop of Henry County, it was no longer processed in the county by the early 20th century.

[photo] Revitalization in the Martinsville Historic District
Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

Tobacco was replaced at the turn of the 20th century by the furniture industry. J.D. Bassett, Sr. established the Bassett Furniture Company in nearby Bassett. Ancil D. Witten, formerly of the Rucker-Witten Tobacco Company, and Charles B. Keesee, established the American Furniture Company in Martinsville in 1906. Other factories soon followed such as the Virginia Mirror Company. With the birth of the furniture industry in Martinsville, came a building campaign in downtown. A new post office was constructed in 1904, and by 1906, the town owned and operated its own water and electrical systems. The Sullivan Block along Franklin Street, which included Globman's Department Store, and the first block of East Main Street were constructed in the 1910s.

Following World War I, the textile industry began to expand in Martinsville. The Pannill Knitting Company was founded in 1925 with local capital and expanded to include the Sale Knitting Plant (9 Moss Street) in 1937 to manufacture shirts. The Jobbers Pants Company was founded in 1933 and occupied previous tobacco factory buildings on Fayette and Adele streets. In 1941, a Dupont nylon plant was established just outside of the city.

The Martinsville Historic District became a designated Virginia Main Street community in 1995
Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

During the 1970s and 1980s, many of the local industries began to be taken over by outside interests. The influential and close-knit local power base that had fostered the commercial development and protected the economic viability of Martinsville through most of the 20th century shifted. Martinsville had successfully repositioned its economy at the beginning of the 20th century and is repositioning it again in the 21st century. In 1995, Martinsville became a designated Virginia Main Street community. The Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association spearheads revitalization efforts in the community. A number of buildings have been rehabilitated.

Martinsville Historic District is bounded by VA 457, Danville RR tracks, Clay and Market sts. The Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association (MURA) is located at 58 W. Church St. For more information about shopping, dining and events in Martinsville call MURA at 276-632-5688.

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