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113-682: The Exchange Building , also known as the Merchant's Exchange Building or The Exchange , is a historic commercial building in at 15-19 West Bank Street in Petersburg, Virginia . Built in 1841, this Greek Revival style building is one of the least-altered examples of a 19th-century market hall. It now houses the Siege Museum commemorating the Siege of Petersburg . It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971. The Exchange Building

226-663: A James River bateau in Farmville and shipped to Petersburg, Virginia . The canals were used until railroads were constructed in this area. Many of the boatmen who worked near Farmville were free people of color . They lived in the Israel Hill community. Israel Hill was home to both White people and free African-American laborers, craftsmen, and farmers freed from the end of the Revolutionary War to around 1810. People of African and European descent worked for

339-538: A rescue-squad . The department's fleet also contains an Emergency Medical Services quick response pick-up truck, and a support pick-up truck, along with a hazmat , decontamination, and spill/leak supply trailer. Farmville's water and sewer services are publicly owned and operated by the Town of Farmville work crew. The town's water treatment plant draws its water supplies from the Appomattox River. Water from

452-710: A Democratic politician in the Jim Crow South, Arnold promised to "deal with all Virginians fairly", whatever their ethnicity. He was endorsed by Arthur Wergs Mitchell , the first black American to be elected to the United States Congress as a Democrat. Arnold ultimately lost the Democratic primary to John S. Battle , who won the gubernatorial election. Even after the Great Migration of many blacks to northern jobs and cities, Petersburg

565-494: A concern due to high amounts of heterotrophic bacteria and Escherichia coli , classified as coliform bacteria they live within the intestines of warm blooded animals. The strain of E. coli which is of most concern is the 0157 H7 strain because it can produce dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, and in extreme cases even death. There are a couple of drains which are located within Farmville and its neighboring counties which are of concern, including Gross Creek, which usually exceeds

678-435: A few years later, possibly before any coal was mined. The Farmville Coal & Iron Company did bring positive change. They requested that the town build an electric power plant and a waterworks . Designation of the power plant was established in 1890 and the water works were designated in 1893. Farmville Lithia Springs bottled and sold mineral water from Farmville from 1884 to 1901. The lithia springs were considered as

791-463: A fraction of its stock price. The Norfolk and Western Railway , since 1883, had been bringing in coal from a new coal mine. The Pocahontas Coalfield which could provide coal more cheaply and ship the coal on a larger standard gauge, class one railroad. This decreased to the economic viability of mining coal in the Richmond and Farmville Basins . The Farmville Coal and Iron Company went bankrupt

904-402: A group of Petersburg businessmen as a meeting place where locally produced wares, predominantly tobacco and cotton, could be sold, and as a place to hold public auctions. The building was designed by an architect named Berrien from New York City , and was completed in 1841. It is a locally rare example of high-style Greek Revival architecture, and is one of the nation's least-altered examples of

1017-414: A household in the town was $ 26,343, and the median income for a family was $ 33,000. Males had a median income of $ 30,974 versus $ 20,764 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 13,552. About 19.9% of families and 22.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over. Since 2016 there has been an Amish community living in

1130-532: A kind of blueprint for the national civil rights movement. Beginning in the 1950s black Americans in Petersburg struggled to desegregate public schools and facilities. In 1958 the City Council closed Wilcox Lake, a popular swimming hole in Petersburg to prevent the lake's public recreational area from being racially integrated. It never re-opened to swimming. Through sit-ins in the bus terminal in 1960,

1243-608: A market building. It now houses the Siege Museum, which displays artifacts and history relating to the American Civil War Siege of Petersburg . The Siege Museum was closed about 2016. The Exchange Building now houses the Petersburg Visitor's Center on the first floor. In September 2021 a new museum, telling the 400 year history of Petersburg, will open. It will have various exhibits telling

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1356-691: A mostly agricultural state with few major cities. Starting in 1813, the city paved its streets, which helped attract business. In 1816 the Upper Appomattox Canal Company completed the Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System to bypass the Appomattox Falls, which facilitated traffic up and down river to Farmville as well as powered cotton and flour mills. Petersburg responded to the silting-up of its Appomattox River port by building

1469-399: A new campus there. This is the site of the present-day Central State Hospital , which provides a variety of mental health services. In 1894 a fireworks factory exploded killing eleven people. The limitations of Petersburg's small geographic area and proximity to Richmond are structural problems that have hampered it in adapting to major economic changes in the 20th century. Other forces in

1582-718: A peninsula on the north shore of the Appomattox River ) became the area's free black residential area. With access to waterways and a population sympathetic to refugee slaves, this neighborhood was an important site on the Underground Railroad . During the Antebellum period Petersburg became the slave states' eleventh largest city, and 49th among all American cities in industrial development. Commission merchants (39 firms by 1860) bought agricultural products from nearby Dinwiddie County as well as points to

1695-423: A possible destination for tourists but the investors decided to bottle the water and ship it. The water was tested and found to be superior to waters from Carlsbad, Germany. Lithia Springs Water from Farmville was shipped domestically and internationally for water cure . The springs were just north of the Appomattox River from Farmville. Lithia Springs water contained the following minerals naturally occurring in

1808-904: A school bus parked outside. The school's requests for additional funds were denied by the all-white school board. Students had protested against the poor conditions. As a result of the Brown decision, in 1959 the Board of Supervisors for Prince Edward County refused to appropriate any funds for the County School Board; in massive resistance, it effectively closed all public schools rather than integrate them. Wealthy white students usually attended all-white private schools ( segregation academies ) that formed in response. Black and poorer white students had to go to school elsewhere or forgo their education altogether. Prince Edward County's public schools remained closed for ten years. When they finally reopened,

1921-774: A strong presence in the town of Farmville. Piedmont Regional Jail, serving a six-county area, is located in Farmville. The portion within Prince Edward County is in the Prince Edward County Public Schools school district. The school district operates all of its schools within Farmville. The portion within Cumberland County is in the Cumberland County Public Schools school district. Private schools: The Farmville Volunteer Fire Department

2034-608: A substantial business community, based on manufacture of tobacco products, cotton and flour and banking. At the time of the American Civil War , Petersburg was the second-largest city in Virginia after the capital, Richmond, and the seventh-largest city in the Confederacy. Petersburg's population had the highest percentage of free black Americans of any city in the Confederacy and the largest number of free blacks in

2147-694: Is capable of producing up to 3 million gallons. The water is used by the majority of the town and the Prince Edward schools. The town of Farmville is located within the Piedmont Region and has many tributaries which filter into the Appomattox River. After the water reaches the Appomattox River it drains into the James River and then is distributed into the Chesapeake Bay . Within Farmville there are several different areas which are

2260-493: Is designated as Company 1 in Prince Edward County after being the first fire department established in the county in 1870. The FFD provides services to nearly 10,000 people in their first due, which comprises the entire town of Farmville, and into the immediately surrounding area of Prince Edward County, Buckingham County , and Cumberland County . Firefighting apparatus include an engine , ladder truck , and

2373-502: Is located between Petersburg and Lynchburg on U.S. Route 460 . Petersburg is 67 miles (108 km) to the east, and Lynchburg is 48 miles (77 km) to the west. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Farmville has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. As of

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2486-418: Is located in Petersburg's Old Town , at the northeast corner of West Bank Street and Exchange Avenue. It is a two-story, five bay by five bay, building with a hipped roof. It features a four-column Doric order portico in front, and five pilastered bays on the sides. At the building's center is a large circular domed room, the dome supported by piers and an entablature. The Exchange was created in 1839 by

2599-501: Is located in northern Prince Edward County, with the town center situated south of the Appomattox River . A portion of the town extends north across the river into Cumberland County. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town covers a total area of 7.3 square miles (19.0 km ), of which 7.2 square miles (18.7 km ) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km ), or 1.77%, is water. Farmville

2712-724: The 18th Corps , attacked the Dimmock Line , a series of defensive breastworks constructed to protect Petersburg. General Robert E. Lee arrived with his Army of Northern Virginia , and the 292-day Siege of Petersburg began. Due to botched Union leadership and arrival of Confederate General William Mahone , the Union forces suffered a disastrous defeat at the Battle of the Crater , suffering over 4,000 casualties. In early April 1865, Union troops finally managed to push their left flank to

2825-491: The American Civil War (1861–1865), because of this railroad network, Petersburg became critical to Union plans to capture the Confederate States national capital established early in the war at Richmond. The 1864–65 Siege of Petersburg , which included the Battle of the Crater and nine months of trench warfare devastated the city. Battlefield sites are partly preserved as Petersburg National Battlefield by

2938-589: The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the final British drive to regain control of the colony led to the Battle of Blanford in April 1781, which started just east of Petersburg. As Virginia militia retreated north across the Appomattox River, they took up the planks of the wooden Pocahontas bridge to delay the enemy. Although the British captured Blanford and Petersburg, they did not regain

3051-518: The Brown decision, the Davis case was the only one involving student protests. R.R. Moton High School , an all-black school in Farmville named for Robert Russa Moton , suffered from terrible conditions due to underfunding by white officials in the segregated state. The school did not have a gymnasium, cafeteria , or teachers' restrooms. Teachers and students did not have desks or blackboards, and due to overcrowding, some students had to take classes in

3164-568: The Farmville and Powhatan Railroad , later named the Tidewater and Western Railroad , was important to Cumberland County residents for markets and transportation and the telegraph. The owners hoped that the line could ship products all the way to the end of the line in Chester, Virginia and docks in the Tidewater region to make the railroad profitable. The line had trouble competing with

3277-607: The Hampton Roads harbor and the Atlantic Ocean ). In 1645, the Virginia House of Burgesses ordered Fort Henry built, which attracted both traders and settlers to the area. The Town of Petersburg, chartered by the Virginia legislature in 1748, incorporated three early settlements, and in 1850 the legislature elevated it to city status. Petersburg grew as a transportation hub and also developed industry. It

3390-729: The Mid-Atlantic . This was part of a drive to improve public education that started with the Reconstruction legislature. In 1888, its first president, John Mercer Langston , was elected to the US Congress on the Republican ticket, the first black American to be elected to Congress from Virginia. In 1882, the state legislature also authorized moving the mental asylum facility to the Mayfield Farm and developing

3503-636: The National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior . Petersburg rebuilt its railroads, including a connecting terminal by 1866, although it never quite regained its economic position because much shipping traffic would continue to the Norfolk seaport. After the consolidations of smaller railroads, both the CSX and Norfolk Southern railway networks serve Petersburg. Petersburg has

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3616-671: The National Register of Historic Places . Farmville made headlines in September 2015 after being selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates to host the 2016 vice-presidential debate. The debate was held at Longwood University on October 4, 2016. The town is crossed by the High Bridge Trail State Park which extends 4 miles (6 km) east to the historic High Bridge . Farmville

3729-515: The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad in 1835, and three years later it opened between Petersburg's Pocahontas neighborhood and Richmond's Manchester neighborhood, proving a more convenient and cheaper link than the Manchester Turnpike. The legislature in 1846 chartered Southside Railroad to Farmville and Lynchburg to the west. It would run 124 miles westward and supersede the technologically outdated Upper Appomattox Canal and acquire

3842-574: The Standard gauge Southside Railroad . It was rumored that the coal near Farmville would draw the Orange & Keysville Railway which was chartered, graded and the right of way was purchased, between Farmville and Hampden Sydney. However, the rails were never laid down. The coal field was idle until 1891 when the Farmville Coal and Iron Company began leasing land, selling stock and reopened

3955-852: The Union Army . Farmville was the object of the Confederate Army 's desperate push to get rations to feed its soldiers near the end of the American Civil War . The rations had originally been destined for Danville , but an alert quartermaster ordered the train back to Farmville. Despite an advance of the cavalry commanded by Fitzhugh Lee , the Confederate Army was checked by the arrival of Union cavalry commanded by Gen. Philip Sheridan and two divisions of infantry. General Robert E. Lee 's Army of Northern Virginia found itself soon surrounded. He surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The Prince Edward county seat

4068-661: The United States Army 's Sustainment Center of Excellence , and the Army's Logistics Branch, Ordnance, Quartermaster, and Transportation Corps. Archaeological excavations at Pocahontas Island found evidence of a prehistoric Native American settlement dated to 6,500 BCE , the early third of the Archaic Period (8,000 to 1,000 BCE). Succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples lived in the area for thousands of years before European exploration and colonization. When

4181-517: The census of 2010, there were 8,216 people, 2,634 households, and 1,162 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,140.3 people per square mile (x379.2/km ). There were 2,885 housing units at an average density of x329.3 per square mile (x127.1/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 72.3% White , 23.8% African American , 0.4% Native American , 1.2% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.6% from other races , and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of

4294-630: The 1880s was worked on the W.W. Jackson property. The coal from this small pit was used to fuel his blacksmith shop on the same property." The coal deposits are part of the Farmville Basin , one of the Eastern North America Rift Basins west of modern-day, Virginia State Route 45 . In the 1850s, the Southside Railroad from Petersburg to Lynchburg was built through Farmville. The route, which

4407-483: The 1880s, a coalition of black Republicans and white Populists held power for several years in the state legislature. This resulted in two major public institutions in Petersburg, as the legislature invested for education and welfare. In 1882, the legislature founded Virginia State University in nearby Ettrick as Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. It was one of the first public (fully state-supported) four-year historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in

4520-639: The 1950s, Petersburg became the southern terminus of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike , predating the U.S. Interstate Highway System . Since that time, Petersburg has struggled in competition with nearby Richmond, as the capital has grown to dominate the region in a changing economy as industries restructured. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Virginia's Democratic Party –dominated legislature approved constitutional changes that effectively disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites. Those disfranchised suffered major losses in

4633-541: The 1960s, many middle-class families moved to newer housing in the predominantly white suburbs. They also moved to the Richmond metro area, where the economy was expanding with jobs in new fields of financial and retail services. Some companies shifted industrial jobs to states further south, where wages were lower, or overseas. The declining economy increased the pressure of competition and racial tensions in Petersburg. These flared from 1968 until 1980, when black members of

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4746-527: The 20th century, these and other black churches were leaders in the national Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-1960s. Richard Bland College , now a junior college , was originally established here as a branch of Williamsburg's famed College of William and Mary . Petersburg remains a transportation hub. Area highways include Interstate Highways 85 , 95 , and U.S. Route highways with 1 , 301 , and 460 . Both CSX and Norfolk Southern rail systems maintain transportation centers at Petersburg. Amtrak serves

4859-598: The 8 mile long City Point Railroad , which linked the city to City Point on the James River, reachable by larger Chesapeake Bay and Norfolk -bound ships. During the same decade Petersburg became a railroad center. The Virginia and North Carolina legislatures authorized the 65-mile long Petersburg and Weldon Railroad , in 1830 (three years after the first American railway, the B.& O. ) and its "Southern depot" began handling (mostly freight) traffic to Weldon, North Carolina in 1833. The Virginia legislature authorized

4972-655: The Appomattox Railroad in 1854. Petersburg business interests for years managed to block a charter for the last major line, the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad , which was completed in 1858. It connected Petersburg to the Atlantic Ocean port of Norfolk and would foster more growth in that city than Petersburg itself. In 1851 the city introduced gaslights and by 1857 installed a new municipal water system. All these civic improvements helped attract and hold

5085-500: The Arnold Pen Company, at the time one of the largest manufacturers of fountain pens , launched a campaign for Governor of Virginia. As a Petersburg city councilman, Arnold had pushed through a budgetary increase earmarked for equality and fair access for public housing and recreational facilities for everyone, including people of color, and increased budgetary considerations for the black schools in Petersburg. Unusually for

5198-643: The COVID-19 Pandemic, the Heart of Viriginia Festival moved to a date in September coinciding with Longwood University's Family Weekend . First Fridays, held on the first Friday of every month from May to September, features bands and family events at Riverside Park. Services include the Farmville Police Department, Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office, and Longwood University Police Department. The Virginia State Police also has

5311-522: The City Council accused the white Mayor of racism over a re-districting plan which they and the ACLU alleged was designed to allow whites to maintain white supremacy in the city. For decades, the city government was run by a small group of white businessmen and bankers. Most were wealthy enough to own homes in the exclusive Walnut Hill neighborhood and their interrelated families had been established there for generations. In 1980 one black councilwoman described

5424-601: The English arrived in Virginia in 1607, the region was occupied by the Appamatuck , a significant tribe of the Powhatan Confederacy . They were governed by a weroance , King Coquonosum , and by his sister, Queen Oppussoquionuske . This Algonquian -speaking people later had a town at Rohoic Creek (formerly known as Rohowick or Indian Towne Run). Present-day Petersburg developed to the east. Petersburg

5537-595: The Farmville area. Just three years after its founding it had already two church districts. These Amish come from the Lancaster Amish settlement in Pennsylvania and its daughter settlements and thus belong to the Lancaster Amish affiliation . In 2020 there were 195 Amish living there. Established in 1978, The Heart of Virginia Festival happens in Farmville annually. Pre 2020, the festival occured

5650-415: The Lynch and Callender mills at Ettick and Matoaca and Battersea across the Appomattox river, and the Merchant's Manufacturing Company had another mill at Campbell Bridge near Ettrick. Together those cotton mills constituted approximately a third of that industry in the state. The town also had three water-powered flour mills by 1860, and five iron foundries. The city became an important industrial center in

5763-432: The Mid-Atlantic region. When the Civil War began in 1861, Petersburg was strategic in supporting the Confederate effort. The city provided several infantry companies and artillery units to the Confederate Army, along with three troops of cavalry. In April 1861 more than 300 free black Americans of Petersburg volunteered to work on the fortifications of Norfolk, Virginia under their own leader. Slaveholders also contributed

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5876-500: The PIA gained agreement by the president of the Bus Terminal Restaurants to desegregate lunch counters in Petersburg and several other cities. Virginia officials strongly opposed school integration following the 1954 US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. They initiated the program of Massive Resistance . For instance, rather than allow schools to be integrated, then Governor of Virginia , J. Lindsay Almond ordered

5989-452: The Petersburg City Schools, which had become predominantly black due to whites sending their children to private schools or moving to suburbs. Projected industrial development of large tracts of farmland in the annexed areas failed to take place. In 1985 Petersburg again sought to annex more land from Prince George County. This time the nearby City of Hopewell , a city that already had huge amounts of taxable industry within its borders, joined

6102-442: The Petersburg Volunteers—who distinguished themselves in action at the Siege of Fort Meigs on the Great Lakes frontier on May 5, 1813. Fourth President James Madison called Petersburg "Cockade of the Union" (which later was applied to the town as a nickname "Cockade City"), in honor of the cockades which Volunteers wore on their caps. Petersburg Blacks established the First Baptist (1774) and Gillfield Baptist Church (1797),

6215-406: The Petersburg city government as "our own little version of the Byrd Machine ", comparing it to the political organization led by segregationist Democrat , Harry Flood Byrd , that controlled Virginia politics for decades. In 1968, following the April assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. , Petersburg was the first city to designate his birthday as a holiday; in 1983 it would be memorialized as

6328-400: The Piedmont mines. The company built a one and a half mile spur rail line from the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad to the mine. This railroad provided transport from the mine to the docks at Bermuda Hundred in the Tidewater region . On Jan. 24, 1891, an editor of “The Financial Mining Record” suggested that the Farmville Coal & Iron Company, did not have enough coal production to justify

6441-486: The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality before being released back into the Appomattox River downstream of Farmville. All residents of Farmville are required to use the public sewage line. The only exception is granted to residents who have been using a private septic system prior to being annexed to the town. Both the water plant and the water treatment plant undergo a consumer confidence test every spring and have never received any violations. Contamination levels in

6554-425: The ability to exercise their rights as citizens. The legislature also instituted Jim Crow laws, including imposing racial segregation . With many black Americans having served the nation and cause of freedom in WWII, in the postwar years they pressed for social justice, an end to segregation, and restoration of voting power. In 1949 Petersburg businessman and politician, Remmie Arnold , the president and owner of

6667-416: The advantage of local freight haulers) before the American Civil War . In 1860, the city's industries and transportation combined to make it the state's second largest city (after Richmond). It connected commerce as far inland as Farmville, Virginia at the foothills of the Blue Ridge and the Appalachian Mountains chain, to shipping further east into the Chesapeake Bay and North Atlantic Ocean . During

6780-450: The annexation suit to try to annex commercial areas of Prince George County, including Fort Lee and suburban neighborhoods near the base where many military families live. Many residents of Prince George had relocated to stay within the county after the previous annexation by Petersburg. They were strongly opposed to another attempt by the cities to annex their neighborhoods. The U.S. Department of Defense also expressed strong opposition to

6893-421: The black community, Israel Hill Hamlet was more stable, than other places because they owned their land. Farmville and Prince Edward County Public Schools were the source of Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County (1952–54), a case incorporated into Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the landmark case that overturned school segregation in the United States. Among the cases consolidated into

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7006-411: The citizens of Petersburg, black and white alike, since the mid-1960s, as a necessary measure to allow the city of expand its tax base and its potential for growth and development. The city argued to the counties that it was better prepared to provide municipal-type services than the predominantly rural counties and that the city needed more land for expected new development. The annexation was opposed by

7119-417: The city of Colonial Heights ) with Dinwiddie County for statistical purposes. The city is 21 miles (34 km) south of the commonwealth (state) capital city of Richmond . It is located at the fall line (the head of navigation of rivers on the U.S. East Coast ) of the Appomattox River (a tributary of the longer larger James River which flows east to meet the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at

7232-420: The city with daily Northeast Regional passenger trains to Norfolk, Virginia , and long-distance routes from states to the South. In the early 21st century, Petersburg civic leaders promote the city's historical attractions for heritage tourism, as well as industrial sites reachable by the transportation infrastructure. The federal government is also a major employer, with nearby Fort Gregg-Adams , as home of

7345-468: The city's largest manufacturer, closed a cigarette factory in town. De-industrialization, restructuring of railroads, and related national structural economic changes cost many jobs in the city, as happened in numerous older industrial cities across the North and Midwest. The post-World War II national construction of highways encouraged development outside cities and suburbanization added to problems. In addition, reacting to racial integration of schools in

7458-433: The clay of the Farmville Basin . In 1874, M.R. Murkland built a kiln for his hand-formed bricks . He made around 600,000 bricks each year. The Triassic clay of the Farmville Basin was mixable and plastic enough and would not shrink too much, which made it suitable for bricks. Rail Transport from Cumberland County helped Cumberland farmers sell fruits, vegetables and timber to Farmville markets. From 1884 to 1917,

7571-415: The compact core: these include indie restaurants, bars and coffee shops. The long-abandoned Walnut Mall, which closed in the early 1990s, has been demolished. The Army has expanded activities at nearby Fort Gregg-Adams, home of the United States Army 's Sustainment Center of Excellence . The Army's Logistics Branch, Ordnance, Quartermaster, and the Transportation Corps moved there from Fort Eustis following

7684-522: The county and city governments that have had negative impact on regional cooperation. Prince George County is predominantly white while the city of Petersburg is roughly four-fifths black. These strained relationships have slowed regional progress and eroded business confidence, hampering economic development in the region to the present day. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, numerous remaining retail merchants, including Thalhimers , JC Penney , and Sears Roebuck , left older shopping areas in Petersburg for

7797-435: The county governments, who lost most of their commercial tax base, as well as the residents of the annexed suburban areas. Following the annexation, blacks realized that the annexations had added 8,000 new white residents. City council members were then elected at-large, requiring majority approval for each seat. Black civil rights organizations challenged the annexations in court, saying these were motivated to illegally dilute

7910-447: The early 1950s when they were both in divinity school in New York state. In 1957 they co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an important force for leadership of the movement in the South. Walker also founded the Petersburg Improvement Association (PIA), modeled on the Montgomery Improvement Association in Alabama . According to Walker and other close associates of King, Petersburg had played an important role,

8023-402: The federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day , becoming a true national holiday when South Carolina became the last state to sign the observance into law. In an attempt to stem its economic decline, in 1971 the city completed steps begun in 1966 to annex 14 square miles of land from adjacent and predominantly white counties of Prince George and Dinwiddie. The annexation had been generally supported by

8136-562: The first and second oldest black congregations in the city and two of the oldest in the nation. These black churches were the first Baptist churches established in Petersburg. The Gillfield Baptist Church obtained title to its land in 1818 and in 1859 completed a $ 7000 brick structure; the Petersburg African Baptist Church also owned its own sanctuary and the community also organized burial and other benevolent societies. Many free blacks in Virginia migrated to

8249-520: The first weekend in May with all the traditional fare concluding with a fireworks show at the Farmville airport. "Heart of Virginia" refers to Farmville's location in the central part of the state. (The actual geographic center of the state is 20 miles (32 km) north at the intersection of Route 24 and 60 outside of Dillwyn in Buckingham County ). In 2022, after several cancelleations due to

8362-570: The following years to explore points to the west, as far as the Appalachian Mountains . Around 1675, Wood's son-in-law, Peter Jones, who then commanded the fort and traded with the Indians, opened a trading post nearby, known as Peter's Point . The Kennon and Bolling families, prominent tobacco planters and traders, also lived in the area and engaged in local politics. In 1733, Col. William Byrd II (who founded Richmond at

8475-536: The growing urban community, despite increasing legislative restrictions. Until 1860 Petersburg was a majority black American city, although the enslaved population had few legal rights. Between 1850 and 1860, Petersburg's free black community increased 24%, although industrial growth fueled an even greater increase in the white population. Of the 18,366 people counted in Petersburg by federal census takers in 1860, 9,342 were white, 5,680 were slaves, and 3,244 free blacks. Thus in 1860, nearly 26% of all free persons were black,

8588-550: The highest proportion in any Southern city. Free Black men worked as tobacco twisters, in iron foundries, and as draymen, boatmen and cabdrivers, or in the skilled trades of mason, wheelwright, coopers and blacksmiths. Free Black women worked in tobacco factories as stemmers, or as washerwomen or seamstresses or laborers. Plantation owners also brought slaves for hire into the city. As in many other upper South cities, many white households had slaves, but more than 40% were enslaving just one servant. Pocahontas Island (actually usually

8701-632: The labor of numerous black slaves. In 1864, Petersburg became a target during the Overland Campaign of Union General Ulysses S. Grant . Its numerous railroads made the city a lifeline for Richmond, the Confederate capital. After his defeat at the Battle of Cold Harbor , Grant remained east of Richmond, crossed the James River and moved south to Petersburg. Grant intended to cut the rail lines into Petersburg, stopping Richmond's supplies. On June 9, troops led by William F. "Baldy" Smith of

8814-410: The mayor of Colonial Heights, James McNeer, met with Harris and members of his board to discuss job opportunities for blacks in the mall area. McNeer later became President of Richard Bland College . In the late 20th century, Petersburg worked to restore historic buildings and attract different kinds of stores and businesses to its historic center. During the 1993 Virginia tornado outbreak , Petersburg

8927-585: The mid-20th century, such as industrial and railroad restructuring, reduced the number of jobs in the city. In addition, suburban development attracted people to newer housing outside the city. World wars led to major federal institutions being constructed near Petersburg, which created local jobs. Soon after World War I started, the US Army established Camp Lee just outside of Petersburg in Prince George County for training draftees. The facility

9040-568: The new Southpark Mall that opened in 1989 in adjacent, and predominantly white, Colonial Heights . A Miller & Rhoads store in Petersburg closed when the department store chain went out of business in 1990. The Ku Klux Klan had held marches in Colonial Heights. After the new shopping mall opened, blacks led by civil rights activist Curtis W. Harris and the SCLC boycotted Southpark Mall for about five years. The boycott ended after

9153-458: The new United States. After the war, in 1784 Petersburg annexed the adjacent towns of Blandford (also called Blanford), Pocahontas and the outlying town of Ravenscroft, which became neighborhoods of the larger city. An area known as Gillfield was annexed in 1798. Residents' devotion to the cause of America two decades later during the War of 1812 (1812–1815) led to the formation of the militia unit of

9266-444: The north, south and west and sold supplies. Petersburg's industrialists processed cotton , tobacco and metal, then shipped the resulting products out of the region. Richmond and Petersburg became the two largest tobacco towns in the world, with Richmond selling 61% of the state's tobacco in 1861, and Petersburg 23%. Petersburg's cotton industry relied on waterpower since its inception in the 1830s, and by 1860 towns had developed around

9379-488: The offshore naval Battle of the Capes at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay , forcing the British resupply and evacuation fleet to withdraw. In October 1781, Lord Cornwallis surrendered to the superior allied Continental Army 's General George Washington and French General comte de Rochambeau . After two further years of infrequent conflict and many treaty parlies, the Revolutionary War ended with Britain formally recognizing

9492-686: The oldest free black settlements in the state at Pocahontas Island. Two Baptist churches in the city, whose congregations were founded in the late 18th century, are among the oldest black congregations and churches in the United States . In the post-bellum period, a historically black college which later developed as the Virginia State University was established nearby in Ettrick in Chesterfield County . In

9605-444: The population. There were 2,634 households, out of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.0% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.9% were non-families. 49.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

9718-526: The proposed annexation. After five years of litigation, with attorney Richard Cranwell representing Prince George County, the Virginia courts, including the Virginia Supreme Court , unanimously ruled that the cities had not shown that annexation would benefit their cities, nor was it necessary to provide governmental services to Prince George residents. The prolonged annexation fight contributed to decades of racially tinged hostility between

9831-596: The railroad companies repaired the damaged railroads to the city. Saint John's Episcopal Church was founded in Petersburg in 1868. In 1870 the General Assembly incorporated the Central Lunatic Asylum as an organized state institution, as part of an effort by the bi-racial Reconstruction -era legislature to increase public institutions for general welfare. The legislature also founded the state's first system of free public education. During

9944-525: The railroad to Weldon, North Carolina and the Southside Railroad . With the loss of Petersburg's crucial railroad lines, the Confederate forces had to retreat, ending the siege in a victory for the Union Army. The fall of Petersburg meant that Richmond could no longer be defended. Lee attempted to lead his men south to join up with Confederate forces in North Carolina. Hopelessly outnumbered, he

10057-609: The river is treated to kill any waterborne pathogens . After that process all sedimentation is removed through a series of filtration tanks. The water plant sells a portion of this removed sedimentation to be mixed with topsoil and then to be made ready for farm use. The excess sedimentation is recycled back into the Appomattox. The water plant can store 200,000 gallons of fresh water which can be transferred to Farmville's water towers when needed. Currently Farmville averages 1 million gallons of water usage per day, and its water plant

10170-402: The round of Base Realignment and Closure actions in 2005. In 2016, Petersburg faced the prospect of large-scale cuts to public services after a state audit found a $ 12 million (~$ 14.9 million in 2023) budget shortfall and the prospect of insolvency by the end of the year. Farmville, Virginia Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox River in central Virginia;

10283-404: The same time) conceived plans for a city at Peter's Point, to be renamed Petersburgh . The Virginia General Assembly formally incorporated both Petersburg and adjacent Blandford on December 17, 1748. Wittontown, north of the river, was settled in 1749, and became incorporated as Pocahontas in 1752. Petersburg was enlarged slightly in 1762, adding 28 acres (110,000 m ) to "Old Town". During

10396-419: The same wages, built a church together, and could have resort to the court of law within the 350-acre town. John Flournoy was the first to mine coal near Farmville. He started in 1833 working on a seam, which was two feet thick. In 1837 the General Assembly granted a charter to The Prince Edward Coal Mining Company to mine and sell coal. This company was still in operation into the 1880s. Another coal pit in

10509-518: The schools in several localities including Warren County , Charlottesville and Norfolk , to be closed. The school board of Prince Edward County closed the public schools for five years, starting in 1959. In Petersburg, the Bollingbook School opened in 1958 as a segregation academy for white students. Retail and industry prospered until about the late 1980s. Petersburg was hit hard in 1985 when tobacco giant Brown & Williamson ,

10622-595: The standards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The wastewater plant covers a more extensive area which includes all residents of Farmville, Prince Edward schools, Hampden Sydney and north to the Cumberland County Court area. The plant treats approximately 1.7 million gallons a day and is capable of handling 2.4 million gallons. The wastewater undergoes an extensive treatment process based on parameters set by

10735-535: The story of Petersburg. [REDACTED] Media related to Exchange Building (Petersburg, Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census , the population was 33,458 with a majority black American population. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with

10848-575: The strategic advantage. Lord Cornwallis' forces coming up from the Carolinas into Virginia occupied Yorktown on the York River , waiting to meet a Royal Navy fleet. But a larger combined American-French army soon surrounded and besieged them. Cornwallis and his troops found themselves trapped and isolated when the French Navy's West Indies fleet under Admiral de Grasse sailed north and won

10961-492: The system was fully integrated. Prince Edward Academy was the longest-surviving of the segregation academies, still teaching students in 2019. Although technically integrated at that point, the school had few students of color. Prince Edward Academy was renamed the Fuqua School in honor of J. B. Fuqua , a wealthy businessman who was raised nearby and who has endowed the school. The former R.R. Moton High School building

11074-439: The town nearest to Hampden–Sydney College . Near the headwaters of the Appomattox River , the town of Farmville was formed in 1798 and incorporated in 1912. Between 1795 and 1890, Farmville was the end of the line for the Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System , built to improve navigation on the river. Enslaved African Americans built the canal system that allowed commodity crops of tobacco and farm produce to be loaded on

11187-495: The transportation cost of getting the coal to Farmville and then by rail to Richmond was too high to sell it at a competitive price. The coal was sold locally to people in the area for heating their homes. During the American Civil War , the mines continued to operate but then production fell off. Coal was still there, though, Daddow and Bannon documented seven or eight coal seams and anthracite in 1866. Confederate General Robert E. Lee retreated through Farmville as he escaped

11300-491: The voting power of blacks. A federal judge, citing provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, agreed and ordered the city to be divided into single-member districts , or wards, to enable blacks the opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. White flight from the annexed suburban neighborhoods began almost immediately. As residents of the city of Petersburg, their children would be required to attend

11413-589: The water. In 1897, economic conditions were different for African-Americans , and white people in Farmville. Even though there were twice as many black people as white people, white people owned ten times the value of real estate. Without land or inherited wealth, black people found it difficult to get established. There were black shop keepers, bricklayers, tobacco workers, the shop keepers got money to buy their stores as laborers in New York. Many black men left to go north to make money leaving women behind. Among

11526-400: The waterway was long its main transportation access to other markets. In the 19th century, a railroad was constructed here. Since the late 20th century, the former railway has been converted to the High Bridge Trail State Park , a more than 30-mile-long (48 km) rail trail park. US 15 , VA 45 and US 460 now intersect at Farmville. The town is the home of Longwood University and is

11639-429: Was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.90. The age distribution, strongly influenced by the presence of Longwood University, is: 12.9% under the age of 18, 46.1% from 18 to 24, 14.9% from 25 to 44, 14.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 68.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 64.9 males. The median income for

11752-607: Was 40 percent black in 1960. Under state segregation and Jim Crow laws, those citizens were barred from free use of public spaces and facilities. Major black churches, such as First Baptist and Gillfield Baptist, formed the moral center of the Civil Rights Movement in Petersburg, which gained strength in mid-century and was a center of action. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker , the pastor of Gillfield Baptist Church, had become friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in

11865-551: Was converted by Virginia Department of Parks and Recreation into High Bridge Trail State Park , based on a rail to trail project. The Virginia General Assembly chartered the Piedmont Coal Company for John Dalby in 1860. The mine was near Buckingham Plank Road , Virginia State Route 600 in Cumberland , a mile and a half west of Raines Tavern, Virginia . Without rail transportation close to Raines Tavern,

11978-625: Was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1998 for its significance to the Civil Rights Movement . It houses the Robert Russa Moton Museum , a center for the study of civil rights in education. In 2015, Longwood University and Moton Museum entered into a formal affiliation to advance understanding of the history of the struggle for civil rights. The First Baptist Church , Farmville Historic District , Longwood House , Robert Russa Moton High School , Sayler's Creek Battlefield , and Worsham High School are listed on

12091-641: Was founded at a strategic point at the fall line of the Appomattox River and settled by English colonists. By 1635 they had patented land along the south bank of the Appomattox River as far west as present-day Sycamore Street, and about 1 mile (1.6 km) inland. In 1646, the Virginia Colony established Fort Henry a short distance from the Appamatuck town, near the falls. It provided waterpower for mills and later industrialization. Col. Abraham Wood sent several famous expeditions out from here in

12204-476: Was moved from Worsham to Farmville in 1871. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery, also known as the Odd Fellows Cemetery, is in Farmville, Virginia. Several prominent state legislators and civil rights advocates who were African American are buried in the cemetery. The cemetery also has approximately 31 headstones from World War I. There was a brick-making industry in Farmville, using

12317-416: Was struck by an F4 tornado that swept through the downtown area, seriously damaging a number of restored historic buildings and businesses. The same tornado also touched down in Colonial Heights destroying a Walmart store. As of 2007, Petersburg has continued to evolve as a small city, and its commercial activities have changed. Downtown Petersburg, known as Old Towne, has had new businesses established in

12430-646: Was subsidized by a contribution from Farmville, required an expensive crossing of the Appomattox River slightly downstream, which became known as the High Bridge . This became the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad in 1870; the Norfolk and Western Railway took it over, and now the line is part of the Norfolk Southern Railway . The bridge and the rail line from Burkville to Pamplin City

12543-546: Was surrounded and forced to surrender at Appomattox Court House , Virginia, on April 9, 1865. In the years after the Civil War, many freedmen migrated to Petersburg, founding numerous churches, businesses and institutions. The Freedmen's Bureau established new facilities for freedmen , including a mental health hospital in December 1869, at Howard's Grove Hospital, a former Confederate unit. The U.S. Federal Government and

12656-498: Was the final destination on the Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System , which opened in 1816, to a city mostly rebuilt after a devastating 1815 fire. When its Appomattox River port silted up, investors built an 8-mile railroad to City Point on the James River, which opened in 1838 (and was acquired by the city and renamed the Appomattox Railroad in 1847). As discussed below, that became one of four railroads built (some with government subsidies) constructed (with separated terminals to

12769-530: Was used again during World War II . In 1950 the camp was designated as Fort Lee , and additional buildings were constructed to house the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps Center and School. During WWII Camp Pickett was established west of Petersburg near the small rural town of Blackstone , and the Defense Supply Center, Richmond opened in neighboring Chesterfield . In the postwar period, some of these installations have been reduced in size. In

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