Collectively, the Hicksford-Emporia Historic District and Belfield-Emporia Historic District tell the story of the evolution of Emporia from two small early-19th-century crossroads to a merged, active city in Southside Virginia’s Greensville County. Geographically separated by the Meherrin River, the neighboring towns of Hicksford and Belfield merged in 1887 to form Emporia. Belfield was established north of the river in 1798, while Hicksford was established one year later, and the county courthouse was built here in 1830. The Hicksford-Emporia Historic District is located along South Main Street, and the courthouse square is its nucleus, with the town laid out around the governmental center. Both districts benefited from the construction of the Petersburg Railroad in 1832, but were aided substantially in their post-Civil War recovery by the completion of the Norfolk and Danville Railroad, which allowed goods to be transported easily to the newly formed city of Emporia. The majority of the buildings constructed along South Main Street were built in the late 19th century or early 20th century (such as the Old Merchants and Farmers Bank Building), when Hicksford-Emporia began to evolve from a small agricultural outpost to a large commercial and governmental center. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel damaged many buildings, and several were demolished as a result of the devastation.