Martinsville, Virginia: History
Martinsville was founded by American Revolutionary War general, Native American agent and explorer Joseph Martin, born in Albemarle County. He developed his plantation Scuffle Hill on the banks of the Smith River near the present-day southern city limits. General Martin and revolutionary patriot Patrick Henry, who lived briefly in Henry County and for whom the county is named, were good friends.
The Beaver Creek Plantation,John Waddey Carter House, Dry Bridge School, East Church Street-Starling Avenue Historic District, Fayette Street Historic District, Little Post Office, Martinsville Fish Dam, Martinsville Historic District,
Martinsville Novelty Corporation Factory, and Scuffle Hill are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Many African American churches, schools, and businesses were established along Fayette Street in the early 20th century. Dr. Dana Olden Baldwin, the area's first Black physician, moved to Martinsville in 1910. Baldwin's entrepreneurial vision expanded the number of businesses along Fayette Street, creating "Baldwin's Block" as an epicenter of African-American commerce and social life during the racial segregation of Jim Crow laws.
DuPont in 1941 built a large manufacturing plant for producing textile nylon filament, a vital war material. During the Cold War, the city was identified as a target for strategic bombing by the Soviet Union. This nylon production jump-started the growth of the textiles industry in the area.
In 1947, the round-end oval Martinsville Speedway opened. In use by NASCAR since its inaugural season in 1949, the oval is still in operation by the racing organization today. The speedway is the shortest oval in NASCAR.
For several years, Martinsville was known as the "Sweatshirt Capital of the World", and in the 1980s, it boasted of having more millionaires per capita than any city in America.
Business leaders in the mid-20th century, such as Whitney Shumate, worked to improve substandard housing in Martinsville. He helped clear out a portion of Martinsville called "Mill Town", which had substandard rental housing originally provided for 19th-century employees of a now-defunct cotton mill. New homes were constructed in the neighborhood, built with sound materials and all city services for the first time. What had originally been considered a depressed civic area rapidly became a center of progress, as middle class Black residents finally began to prosper. As an editorial in the local newspaper noted, "One of the projects which won him considerable attention and praise was the instigation of the redevelopment of what was once known as Martinsville Cotton Mill Village. He and associates purchased about 50 houses in North Martinsville, and using private capital rather than federal aid, rebuilt them into comfortably inhabitable homes, making it possible for many persons to purchase homes within their financial range."
In the early 1990s, changing global economic conditions and new trade treaties made Martinsville textiles and furniture manufacturing economically unsustainable. Many firms closed shop and laid off thousands of workers; the production moved to other countries. The city is repositioning itself long-term as a center for technology development and manufacturing.
MZM, Inc. …