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[Photo]
View of South Boston

Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

From its modest beginnings as a depot on the Richmond and Danville Railroad in 1854, South Boston, located on the Dan River, became the second largest bright leaf tobacco market in the United States by the beginning of the 20th century. Preserved in the historic district is a wealth of tobacco warehouses, factories and prizeries, as well as related commercial and residential buildings associated with South Boston’s golden age of tobacco trading.

Prior to the completion of the railroad in 1854, the area contained only a few scattered residences. However, during the Revolutionary War the area experienced action as General Nathaniel Greene retreated from General Cornwallis at a ferry site, close to present day downtown South Boston. The 1781 “Retreat of the Dan” is regarded as a turning point in the war and a prelude to the battle fought at Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina.

[Photo] South Boston Town Hall
Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program


The arrival of the railroad in Halifax County opened the county’s rich agricultural lands to the promise of eastern markets. In 1855, Capt. E.B. Jeffress, along with builder Josiah Dabs, constructed a brick storehouse and began a general merchandise business at “South Boston Depot” as the town became known. The following year, Capt. Jeffress erected a hotel. In 1870, W.B. Ellison built the town’s first tobacco auction warehouse, and the following year a second warehouse was constructed by W.L. Wade. Shortly thereafter, the construction of a number of other tobacco warehouses established the town as a tobacco trading center. In 1884, the town’s population had grown to 187, warranting its incorporation by the General Assembly.

The prominence of the tobacco industry in South Boston stemmed from a number of factors. Halifax County, prior to the Civil, was a top tobacco growing county, and was also home to the Slate Seed Company, which for many years was the largest producer of tobacco seed in the world. With the growth of the Danville tobacco market after the Civil War, South Boston’s position on the Richmond and Danville Railroad linked the town with Virginia’s busiest market. This dominance in the tobacco industry would see a decline starting with the Great Depression.

A number of tobacco-related buildings survive from South Boston’s boom period, including the former R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Prizery that is being converted to a state-of-the-art theater, museum and meeting facility, using historic rehabilitation tax credits. Next door to the Prizery in the former Export Leaf Tobacco Building is the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, a distance learning hub for eight different colleges and universities in Virginia. High-style commercial buildings also survive from the tobacco boom era. Main Street includes excellent examples of late 19th- and early 20th-century commercial buildings, including the E.L. Evans Building, which now includes upscale upper story housing, and the former Planters and Merchants Bank.


[Photo]
South Boston at Christmas
Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

Destination Downtown South Boston is spear-heading revitalization efforts in South Boston, which became a designated Main Street community in 2004. It is a shining example of how a small community is restructuring its downtown economy for the 21st century through such innovative projects as the Prizery and the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center.

The South Boston Historic District is located along Railroad Ave., Main, Ferry and Factory sts. Destination Downtown South Boston is located at 455 Ferry St. and is open 9:00am to 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday. For more information about shopping, dining and events call Destination Downtown South Boston at 434-575-6246. The Halifax County Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee also developed a virtual walking tour of downtown at: www.oldhalifax.com/county/SBWalkingTour.htm


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