Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 04/22/1998
NRHP Listing Date 10/30/1998
NRHP Reference Number 98001317
The Martinsville Historic District encompasses the historic core of the city, a tobacco, furniture, and textile manufacturing center in the southern Virginia Piedmont and the seat of Henry County. Martinsville’s historic buildings date from the 1820s through the post-World War II period. The first boom of development occurred when the Danville & Western Railroad (completed in 1883) and the Norfolk and Western Railroad (completed in 1892) allowed greater access to Martinsville’s commercial and industrial potential. The 45-acre downtown historic district features the Henry County Courthouse, historic retail establishments, professional businesses, banks, hotels, theatres, social lodges, factories, and warehouses. Reflecting the city’s position and prosperity as the center of regional government, commerce, industry, and transportation, the buildings were designed in a range of popular late-19th- and 20th-century architectural styles and building materials.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: February 26, 2021
