Discover Southside Jan 2023

DISCOVER

STAFF

PRESIDENT

Chad B. Harrison

EDITOR

Diana McFarland

GRAPHIC DESIGN | LAYOUT

Jess Ingram

GRAPHIC DESIGN | ADVERTISING

Amanda Meadows, Jasmaine Motley, Susan Lambert, Mary Beth Wellborn

WRITERS

Drew Mumich, Sami Mirza

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Rachel Nanney

434-203-1058

advertising@chathamstartribune.com

OFFICE MANAGER

Louis Motley

To advertise in Discover Southside or any of our special publications, call Rachel Nanney at 434-203-1058

www.chathamstartribune.com

Cover Page: Wesley Francis, a hunter in the Pittsylvania County Hunt Club tracks his dogs. Drew Mumich/Discover Southside

YOUR “GO-TO” AESTHETIC INJECTOR

We specialize in Botox, fillers, laser hair removal, micro needling, and hair restoration.

We have an extensive knowledge of best practices and products to help you achieve your desired aesthetic goals.

308 Craghead St, Suite 102-D | Danville, VA Phone: 434-425-3545

www.premieraestheticsva.com

HOURS OF OPERATION

Monday 10am - 5pm, Tuesday 10am - 7pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm, Thursday 10am - 7pm

Happily serving the animals and citizens of Pittsylvania County and Danville since 1975 through:

Spay/neuter services

Sheltering services for all animals

Adoption programs

Transfer partnerships

Rescue efforts

Neglect and cruelty investigations

Humane education programs

Sheltering for animal victims of domestic violence

Like

Town of Gretna

Gretna is home to over 1300 people and encompasses 1.2 square miles. It has retained its charming small town atmosphere with one stoplight, restaurants known for their “home cooked” meals, and residents who are accommodating and friendly. The Town’s close proximity to the juncture of Routes 29 and Routes 40 offers potential economic growth for existing and future businesses and Industry. www.townofgretna.org

107 S. Shelton St. P.O. Box 602

6572

Gretna VA Fax (434) 656 - 6941

♥ Apparel

♥ Balloons

♥ Bath Bombs

♥ Bogg Bags

♥ Brumate Drinkware

♥ Candy

♥ Cards

♥ Corkcicle

♥ ENewton Jewelry

♥ Flags, Doormats

♥ Flowers

♥ Gretchen Scott

♥ Hobo Purses

♥ Jewelry

♥ Julie Vos Jewelry

♥ Lilly Pultizer Gifts

♥ Local Books, Local Gifts, & Virginia Souvenirs

♥ Mailbox Covers

♥ Music Boxes

♥ Nancy’s Homemade Fudge

♥ Nora Fleming Collection

♥ Puravida Jewelry & Accessories

♥ Puzzles

♥ Scout Tote Bags

♥ Simply Southern Collection

♥ Swig Drinkware

♥ Tervis

♥ Ty Plush

♥ Virginia Peanuts

♥ Willow Tree

♥ Yankee Candles

♥ Hallmark Movies

♥ Helium Balloons for All Occasions

♥ O Venture Key Rings

♥ Poppy Pop Corn

♥ Yeti www.karenshallmark.com

Danville Mall • Upper Level

Danville, VA Near Belk & Monk’s Pretzel 434-791-3737

Monday-Friday 10-8

Saturday 9:30-8 • Sunday 12-6

BIFF WATSON

STORY BY SAMI MIRZA

As a child growing up in early 1960s Chatham, Biff Watson loved music. He took piano lessons, played trumpet for the school band, and sang for the school choir — and was forever changed in the early months of 1964.

When the Beatles played on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” I was 11 years old,” Watson said. “I was just transformed, just amazed, and that was really when I decided to pick up the guitar.”

Today, Watson writes and produces music in Nashville through his company “Biff Bangs Productions.” He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Country Music Association, and as the musical director for the CMA Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony, and has a list of song credits a mile long.

“I have worked with just about everybody in the business,” Watson said. “For 30 years, I played with just about every popular artist in country music.”

Watson’s band experience started well before he recorded

sessions with names like Keith Urban and Garth Brooks, when he, his brother, and a couple friends played local gigs around Chatham as the, “Timekeepers.”

“We played sock hops and talent shows and openings of stores, and on radio shows; WMNA in Martinsville, a radio station in Gretna, and one in Chatham,” Watson recalled. “It was a wonderful experience and probably encouraged me to continue doing (music).”

Watson said he had always believed in his own ability — though he got a confidence boost from the uncle of his friend, who worked as a recording artist in New York.

“One time he came down to Chatham and listened to me play for a while, and he said that he thought I had a really good right hand,” Watson said. “That just reinforced my belief in myself.”

He also started exploring the technical side of music, borrowing a 2-track, reel-to-reel, sound-on-sound tape recorder from his music teacher and experimenting with

different instruments.

“I would go down to Watson Memorial Methodist Church, and play the organ,” Watson recalled. “Then I would take the tape back over to my house and play my brother’s drums, and record the organ and the drums onto the other side, and then take the drums and the organ and record while I was putting a piano on, and then I’d put a bass on, and I’d just keep flipping back and forth between tracks and building a track.”

Watson started high school with two years at Hargrave Military Academy, before getting sent for a brief stint at Northfield Mount Hermon, an elite preparatory school in Massachusetts. He returned to finish his schooling at Chatham High School where he took two classes a day, playing and teaching guitar the rest of his time.

“The day after I graduated from Chatham High, I told my parents I was going to hitchhike to Nashville,” Watson said. “My father thought I was crazy, and maybe I was. My mother said, ‘the least I can do is take you to Roanoke, so you can get on I-81.’ She drove me to Roanoke, where she let me off fully expecting me to get back in the car. And I hitchhiked to Nashville.”

The year was 1971, and Watson was 18. He entered Music City, USA, with just a clock radio — a graduation gift — and $100 in cash. With a borrowed guitar, Watson would stop in at saloons and play along with the house band, attracting the attention of Nashville’s lyricists.

“We’re also a very large publishing town — songwriters were probably here before musicians were,” Watson said. “People would hear me play at the Red Dog Saloon and they would ask if I would come play on their demo. For a number of years, I did that kind of work.”

Demo records — short for “demonstrative records” — show a songwriter’s skill and offer a potential song to producers. If a producer or record label likes the demo record, they produce the song as a “master record” and sell it to the public.

In addition to working on demo records, Watson also played with the band “Tennessee Pulleybone.” The group performed for non-commissioned officer clubs at nearby military bases before scoring a more permanent gig at a club back in Nashville called “Love’s.”

“One night, a gentleman named Allen Reynolds asked us to go back in the kitchen, and he asked if we would be interested in signing on to a record label,” Watson said. “It was JMI records — Jack Music International records. Jack was Jack Clement: he had come from Memphis, where he had worked with (the late) Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins.”

Reynolds would go on to work as a producer for such voices as Crystal Gale, Don Williams, and Garth Brooks, and Watson would go on to tour with those three artists.

On opposite page: Portraits of Biff Watson. Shown above (from the top): Watson with country star Garth Brooks (center) and musician Chris Leuzinger (right). Center: Watson (sitting, right) plays with singer-songwriter Bob Seger. Bottom: Watson at the Quadraphonics Studio in Nashville. Photos contributed.

“Allen really helped me get my foot in the door,” Watson said.

Watson’s demo work for songwriters also paid off; his performance on the demo version of Billy Dean’s “Somewhere in My Broken Heart,” attracted the attention of the producers creating the master record.

“I had played a pretty signature lick on the front of the demo that the producers of that song, when they did the actual record, wanted to base the record on the demo that I had done,” Watson said. “People began to realize that I was a good player, but also that I was very creative, that I could come up with signature hooks.”

This creativity, Watson said, is crucial to succeeding in the Nashville way of music.

“We don’t play what someone else has arranged or written; often, we’re hired and are asked to just come up with what we think fits,” Watson said. “I happened to have a talent for being able to fit into that kind of skill set.”

With this skill set, Watson has found himself in the recording booth and on tour with stars like Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Harry Connick Jr., Barbara Streisand, and Garth Brooks.

Despite their celebrity, Watson said that many of these big names are genuine, down-to-earth people.

“People, in general, think that these stars are all full of themselves and like to hang out in their ivory tower and just think they’re better than everybody else,” Watson said. “But in most cases, that’s not true. Quite often they realize it’s a team effort and they’re part of a team. So they’re really easy to get along with.”

Being a team player is key to successfully producing and working in Nashville, Watson said.

“If you think you’re going to come to town and show everybody how it’s done, there’s a likelihood you’re going to get ostracized pretty quickly,” Watson said. “It’s not your record. You are serving the song and serving the artist, the singer. No matter how good you are, you’re not trying to show everybody how good you are, or how much you know, you’re trying to support and accompany the singer and the songs.”

Watson added that if an aspiring musician needs to ask if they can be big, they are already missing a big component of being successful.

“Generally speaking, if someone asks me if I think they could make it in the music business or if I thought it would be good for them to come to town, I say no,” Watson said. “If you have to ask, you’re probably not going to make it. (It takes) a compelling, passionate drive that, regardless of what anybody says, you’re going to do it.” •

Hunting Deer with Dogs

A Virginia tradition

STORY & PHOTOS BY DREW MUMICH

It starts with one howl in the middle of the woods on a chilly morning in December. The howl goes from a solo sound to a full-on chorus as Wesley Francis, a hunter in the Pittsylvania County Hunt Club tracks his dogs on a monitor he is holding in his left hand, his rifle in his right.  Francis and the Pittsylvania County Hunt Club use dogs to track down and chase dear into the open, out of the brush and dense forest. They load the hunting dogs into trucks, drop them off in different areas, and then wait for the howling to signal a chase.

Due to the dense forest and large amounts of brush, Francis explained that using hounds is one of the only ways they can hunt. “Because of the places where we hunt, this kind of hunting is the only way to hunt deer,” Francis said.

“I’ve told (the other hunters) where I’m gonna let the dogs out and they are going to surround the block,” Francis said. “Hopefully, the dogs will get the deer up pretty quick; the quicker they can get together, the better.”

Francis lets the hounds out of his truck as they sprint into the woods, and while holding a radio, he watches as the dogs leave his sight. “We have radios and GPS and listen to the dogs barking to tell where they’re at,” Francis said.

Francis goes out with a team of seven dogs. His dogs are mixed breeds, with most being plott hounds or walker hounds with a few being july and walker hound mixes.

“Today, I’ve got Trip and Splitter. They’re eight years old. I’ve got RJ and Bear. They’re nine. And then I’ve got the three puppies. They’re a year and a half old. They are Ace, Boe and

Above: All hunting activities start well before dawn; as the sun rises, hunters start to release dogs and begin the day.

Braddy,” Francis said.

He has been hunting on his farmland since he was kid. Francis remembers going out into the woods with his greatgrandfather, tracking animals and mapping out the area.

“It’s always been like my vacation. My time to relax,” Francis said as he drove down a dirt road in his pickup truck heading to the next stop to let the dogs out. “This is relaxing to me. This was fun. For me, this is what I enjoy doing. “  Virginia is one of eight other states that allow hunters to use dogs during hunting season. About 29% (approximately 55,000) of deer hunters in Virginia used dogs at least once during the season; 44% of deer hunters used dogs in regions of Virginia where dogs may be used to hunt deer, according to a report on deer hunting with dogs written by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Hunters have to abide by certain rules known as the Right to Retireve. Jerry Brumfield, a hunter with the Pittco Hunting Club explained the law allows a hunter is allowed to retrieve his dog on posted land. “He can walk. He cannot carry a weapon. He goes and gets his dog and comes back out. He does not engage in hunting in any way,” Brumfield said.

The Right to retrieve Law has been the site of controversy for

a while with the most recent attempt being House Bill 1331 and House Bill 1344 from Del. James Edmunds, R-Halifax in 2022. The two bills that both failed would have prohibited anyone who racks up a trespassing conviction from exercising their right to retrieve for five years and would have required the hunter to attempt to notify a landowner prior to going onto their property to retrieve a dog if the property was posted with contact information.

Currently, the law prohibits hunters from driving a vehicle or bringing a gun onto another person’s property to retrieve their dogs, and requires them to provide identification if asked by the landowner.

This same law made it illegal to hunt deer with dogs in the counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In Virginia, hunting deer with hounds has been prohibited by state law west of the Blue Ridge Mountains since 1948 (§ 29.1-516) and in 11 counties east of the Blue Ridge Mountains This is called the “dog line,” according to a report on Deer Hunting with Dogs by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. There is a rich tradition of deer hunting with dogs in Virginia and it is deeply rooted within the state’s hunting culture going back to colonial times.  For the Pittsylvania  County

Hunt Club,

Above: After finding a spot to begin, the hunters with the Pittsylvania Hunt Club open the gates and let the hounds loose to pick up the scent of deer. Opposite Page (from the top): Hunters load the dogs into trucks before heading to a suitable location where they can release them. Bottom: Once loose, the dogs have free reign on the property to sprint and chase deer into clearings.

it started when a group of farmers got together in the 1960s and hunted with dogs outside a tobacco barn, according to Club President Tony Shelton.

“It’s always been a community thing. And it started with a few farmers in the area in a tobacco barn with just fellowship and a few hunting dogs to enjoy the day in the fall of the year,” said Shelton.

In that sense, little has changed over the last 60 years. After spending all morning in the woods chasing dear back and forth, Hunt Club members, sporting camo-print and bright orange safety gear, gather at their pickup trucks to laugh about

the near misses and cheer on the hits.

Frankie Nester, the secretary-treasurer with the Pittsylvania Co Hunting Club explained that hunting isn’t the important part it’s the fellowship.

“There is the thrill of the hunt at the end of the day when y’all get to sit back and talk about it, joke about it, and carry on with each other, that’s what matters” Nester said. “I can’t tell you what I learned in the sixth or seventh grade going through school but I’ll tell you about every day my grandfather and went out hunting, what’s important are the memories.” •

When the hunt is over, Francis calls his dogs back, and some need a bit of assistance.

11th annual Bluegrass Festival

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIANA MCFARLAND

The twanging, off beat notes of banjos, guitars, fiddles, mandolins and cellos got feet a’ stampin’ and hands a’ clappin’ during the annual Bluegrass Festival held at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in November. The festival is considered the signature event for the complex and featured musicians both locally and beyond. The annual festival is designed to celebrate what bluegrass music means to Southside and Southwest Virginia. The genre is the combination of English, Scottish and Irish traditions knitted together with southern string band music, blues, gospel and country to create a uniquely American acoustic sound.•

(from

lovers added a little traditional flat foot to their evening. Flat foot dancers dance alone and keep their feet close to the ground, unlike clogging, which is louder. Both are forms of dancing found

Shown above

top, left): Bluegrass

in Appalachia. Pictured are Lynn Wolf, Frances Anthony, Lynn Woods-Hill and Robert Slayton. Top, right: Bluegrass lovers clapped their hands to the beat. Bottom: Jus’ Cause Bluegrass Band performed at the 11th annual Bluegrass Festival the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Chatham. The evening featured several bands, including Shelton and Williams from Danville, the New North Carolina Ramblers, High Fidelity and Rhonda Vincent.

Shown above (from top): Kinney Rorrer of Blairs performed with the New North Carolina Ramblers, a tribute to his uncle, Charlie Poole, who was recently inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Bottom: The banjo is integral to bluegrass.

Inducted into N.C. Music Hall of Fame

Poole has local connections

STORY BY DIANA MCFARLAND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM FUNDERBURK

Banjo player Charlie Poole genuinely lived the life he sang about. Having grown up dirt poor in Alamance County, N.C., Poole never owned or drove a car, hopped freight trains or hoofed it to get around, slept in barns and bought an Orpheum #3 banjo with money he earned making bootleg whiskey in Franklin County.

What he loved most was music, and after years of playing coal camp dances, train depots and fiddler contests, Poole and his band, the North Carolina Ramblers, got their first break in 1925.

Bolstered by prize winnings won at a fiddler’s convention, the band headed to New York City and made its first

recordings with Columbia Music. The songs were a hit, and Poole and his band would go on to record another 76 sides for Columbia, as well as Paramount and Brunswick Records.

More than 90 years later, Poole would be honored for his contributions to bluegrass and country music when he was inducted Oct. 20 into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. His great-nephew, Kinney Rorrer of Blairs, attended the ceremony in Kannapolis, N.C. and accepted the award for his uncle.

“I was very, very pleased. He was, without a doubt, the first North Carolina recording artist to sell more than 100,000 records,” and that was in 1925, said Rorrer.

Above: Kinney Rorrer accepts the award for his uncle, Bluegrass musician Charlie Poole, at the North Carolina Musica Hall of Fame ceremony in Kannapolis, N.C. Opposite Page: Kinney Rorrer at his home in Blairs, where he has created a museum in honor of his uncle, Charlie Poole, who is in the framed photo holding a banjo. Rorrer is holding the award given when Poole was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

“He was a real pioneer,” said Rorrer, adding that he’s heard his uncle found his way to Chatham, Danville and Sandy Level to play for nickels and dimes.

Rorrer is also a musician, and has carried on his uncle’s legacy through his own band, the New North Carolina Ramblers. The band performed at the induction ceremony, held at the Gem Theatre in Annapolis. Rorrer will also perform Nov. 19 at the Bluegrass Festival at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Chatham.

Rorrer tells his uncle’s story

Born in 1892, Poole grew up in a family of “lint head” cotton mill workers and started working as a child laborer around the age of nine. His life left little time for school and Poole never did learn to read or write. It was also around that time that Poole began picking at a homemade banjo, inspired by an older cousin. He also had a snappy singing style that turned heads wherever he performed.

While working in the coal yards of West Virginia, Poole met a club-footed fiddler named Posey Rorer. The two hit it off and began playing at whatever venue they could find.

Eventually Poole, Rorer and guitarist Norman Woodlieff decided to quit their jobs, head up to New York City and take a stab at recording a record.

The band did better than that. They scored an audition with

Columbia Records, and their releases were solid hits. Sales exceeded more than 102,000 copies of “Don’t let your deal go down blues” and “Can I sleep in your barn tonight, mister?”

The songs, “I’m the man that rode the mule ‘round the world” and “The girl I left in sunny Tennessee” sold more than 65,000 copies.

Despite the success, the band earned just $75 for their efforts.

Poole had a unique way of finger picking the banjo, and while it was the secret of his success, he acquired it quite by accident. Poole was the victim of a freak baseball accident that caused his right hand to have a permanent arch, and it caused him to pick the strings differently from the clawhammer/frailing style or the three-finger Scruggs style. This difference made Poole stand out in the early days of his career, according to the Hall of Fame.

Poole and his band returned to New York several more times to record. Those sessions produced the first versions of “White House Blues,” “If I lose” and “Milwaukee Blues.”

Poole and Rorer, who was now his brother-in-law, parted ways in 1928, and the banjo player joined forces with a succession of fiddlers, such as Lonnie Austin and Odell Smith. Their style was less rural than Rorer’s, but the North Carolina Ramblers retained its mountain music sound.

The stock market crash of 1929 and subsequent economic collapse, which would become the Great Depression, took its toll on Poole and his band and sales fell off.

Poole returned to North Carolina and took a job in the Spray Cotton Mills in February 1931, making $12.20 a week.

Poole’s spirits soared in 1931 when he received a letter from a Hollywood movie company asking if his band could perform in an upcoming production. The prospect of future musical success sent Poole on a 13-week celebratory drinking binge that eventually contributed to his death at the age of 39.

“Poole in his short career had won many new fans to rural traditional music. His colorful personality and antics made him a legend in his own time and that legend continues today. Tales are still told around the cotton mill towns and mountain villages about the time that Charlie Poole came to their town. He was, and still is loved by his fans,” said Rorrer. •

PERKINS TIRE & SERVICE CENTER, INC.

Cell: (434) 441-0160 • Fax: (434) 432-8021

Crime Stoppers: 1-800-791-0044

MICHAEL W. TAYLOR Sheriff

Old West End

STORY BY DIANA MCFARLAND

Cody Foster figures it will take 15 years or more to finish the interior of his cherry-colored Pine Street home.

Many of the plaster walls are stripped down to the wooden lath and there is a new ceiling leak in the front room, but Foster is undaunted by what he needs to do to bring his circa 1885 on par with its original appearance. In addition to the ongoing interior renovations, Foster has replaced beams to further stabilize the structure. “We’re in love with these houses. You get attached to them as a family member,” he said of the folk Victorian

cottage he purchased for $12,500 two years ago.

Tina Cornely purchased one of the oldest houses in Danville in 2018 for $30,000. The house was in poor condition, so she lived with a friend until she was able to renovate one of its four units to include living and dining rooms, two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom so she could move in.

While there were some strings attached to the renovation in the form of covenants imposed by the City of Danville, Cornely was happy to comply due to the low purchase price.

Above, left: The City of Danville sold 124 Chestnut Street to internet influencer Michelle Bowers for $1. Above, right: The interior of the front parlor at 124 Chestnut Street. Photo by Diana McFarland.

Steve Ryder was renovating a house on Holbrook when another on Pine Street became available due to personal difficulties experienced by its owner. Ryder estimates that it will take upwards of $120,000 to $150,000 to fully renovation the house, but he’s banking on the city’s future development and sees it as a good investment.

Foster, Cornely and Ryder all purchased their houses through the Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, which has been working as a public private partnership with the nonprofit Friends of the Old West End, to save these older houses and return a sense of community to a once declining area.

The revitalization program has been applauded for its

efforts to save historic and architecturally significant houses – and turn a deteriorating part of the city into a vibrant and safe community in which to live and work – but it hasn’t come without criticism and concern, particularly by those who live near houses purchased as part of the program.

After five years, and with just a few properties left in the program’s inventory, the city’s financial support of the Friends’ marketing campaign — consisting of a website and newsletter — ended June 30.

NEED IDENTIFIED

Since the program got underway in 2018, more than 30 houses have been sold as part of the city’s effort to turn what was once a multi-street area of absentee owners and landlords and vacant houses into a community composed of homeowners who are interested in preserving some of the unique architecture that makes up Danville’s downtown.

Paul Liepe helped launch the program with the city, having moved into the W.F. Patton House on Millionaire’s Row in 2003. No stranger to home renovation, Liepe and his wife Marjory turned the Richardsonian Free Style mansion from an orthodontist office and apartments back into a single family home.

Liepe said Danville at the time was working to revitalize the downtown area, but there was a part of the city — nestled between the River District and the Sovah hospital — that was “not quite right.”

In 2012, the city commissioned the “Old West End Rental District Study,” as a way to explore the issue and provide solutions.

At the time there were 176 total residential units in the proposed Old West End Rental District, with 80% of those being rentals. These were located on Chestnut, Green and Pine streets, Sutherlin Avenue and part of Jefferson Avenue, to include Five Forks, according to the study. The idea was to stabilize the area and preserve the historic and architecturally significant houses.

The study resulted in Danville establishing a rental district, which required owner-landlords to register with the city, and inspectors were deployed to make sure the housing was up to code. If repairs and deficiencies were not corrected, an owner could receive a citation, said Renee Burton, director of planning and zoning for the City of

The city, in turn, purchased properties that did not comply, were offered for sale or were vacant, and this was done through the Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (DRHA), said Liepe.

Danville.

Paul Liepe helped form the nonprofit Friends of the Old End, which worked with the City of Danville to market and sell the houses in the program. Liepe compiled a spread sheet of more than 700 people who had contacted him about the program and the houses. The Friends of the Old West End website can be viewed at oldwestendva.com. Photo by Diana McFarland.

Liepe said the Authority was used, much like the Industrial Development Authority, because it has greater latitude in purchasing and selling property.

Burton said the money used to purchase the properties came from the city’s already established blight eradication fund.

The City of Danville has $1.87 million in the fiscal 2023 budget for its comprehensive blight removal program, and of that, $1 million came from American Rescue Plan funds, and the Old West End housing program is part of that amount, according to city spokesman Arnold Hendrix.

Over the previous four to five fiscal years, budget totals

for blight removal have ranged from $1 to $2 million, with the money coming from various sources, including tax revenue, according to Hendrix.

The purchased properties received varying degrees of intervention from the city — from stabilization and exterior work to complete renovations, said Burton, adding that the different approaches were based on finances and how much the city could justify investing in a property. Two properties with brick exteriors — on one Chestnut and another on Jefferson — received full renovations and were eventually purchased, said Burton.

The city is also working on a house on Pine Street, and has recently put another on Holbrook Avenue — stalled due to various circumstances — for sale.

Sale prices were based on appraisals and how much the city had invested in the property, said Burton.

Burton said that in some cases it appeared the city sold a house for less than what it was purchased for, but that was due to several properties being bought as a bundle — and the records reflect the overall group price rather than the individual value of each house.

In other cases, DRHA purchased a house for the appraised value and later found large deficiencies that led to it being sold for less, said Burton. One of those was 875 Green St., which DRHA bought for $35,000 in 2016 and sold for $2,500 in 2020. Burton said the city realizes this is a loss, but it also takes a long-term view in terms of future tax revenue, homeownership and sense of community.

Many of the houses, prior to being in the program, had long been delinquent on property taxes, said Burton.

In another case, the city began renovating 844 Pine St. only to find such extreme structural deficiencies that it needed to be demolished, said Burton, adding that a center chimney, to which the floor joists were attached, was found to be sinking, and one outside wall have been pushed over with one hand.

“We had no idea until we got into it further. It’s certainly not the outcome we were expecting,” she said.

OLD HOUSE LOVERS

Houses that were purchased by the city were marketed online by Friends of the Old West End. Each house was featured, along with its history, any rehab work completed and photos. The city paid for the website, said Liepe.

Liepe said that, based on traffic from the website, he has had contact with more than 700 people and has tracked those interactions on a spreadsheet. Historic houses in the Old West End that were not part of the DRHA program could also be marketed on the website,

Michelle Bowers stands next to a small closet located under the stairway of the house at 124 Chestnut Street. It was in this closet that Bowers found what she calls a “time capsule,” and believes it was put there by the daughter of a prior owner.

Photo by Diana McFarland.

said Liepe.

Liepe said folks somehow managed to find the website and that all of the buyers in the program so far, save one, have not been local.

“People who like old houses sit around and Google old houses,” he said, adding, “We were looking for a very small needle in a very large haystack.”

Successful purchasers were those who loved old houses — along with the charm and the challenges — as well as having the money to conduct the renovations. Not a lot of people meet both those criteria, he said.

Interestingly, one demographic that appeared to be interested in purchasing these houses were single and divorced women of retirement age, said Liepe, adding that the idea of owning a home free and clear of a mortgage, along with the old house appeal, is what is attractive to them.

Burton said one requirement was that a potential

purchaser had to visit the property in person, as no online or over the phone offers were entertained. When the program began, the city was more flexible when it came to purchase price negotiations, but as the housing market changed, the flexibility decreased and now the city is fairly firm on its price, she said.

Houses sold as part of the program also came with varying degrees of covenants, as well as all having a requirement that the purchaser use the house as a primary residence for at least five years.

In some cases, the city required that a building permit be acquired within 30 days, and exterior improvements made within a specific time frame. A certificate of occupancy — which generally requires that all systems be in place and up to code, such as plumbing and electricity — also had to be received within specific time parameters.

Based on the restrictive covenant agreement signed by DRHA and the purchaser, any failure to uphold the

Those who have purchased houses through the Old West End program have also discovered interesting clues to the past inhabitants of those homes. Michelle Bowers shows off a cup she found under a staircase, which she estimates dates back to the 1930s. Photo by Diana McFarland.

The J.H. Griggs house has undergone a dramatic change, with exterior work contracted by the City of Danville and interior renovations now underway by owner Bryan Hale. Hale is one of many out-of-state buyers who have purchased one of the houses through the program and moved to Danville. Originally from California, Hale is a former reality show producer. Pictured left is before exterior renovations and right is after. The J.H. Griggs house was featured on last year’s holiday house tour. Photos contributed.

covenants could result in the property being taken back by the city and resold.

That is how Ryder acquired his Pine Street property. Once he finishes his Holbrook Avenue house — that he plans to offer as an Airbnb, Ryder and his family will live in the Pine Street house.

Ryder isn’t overly concerned about the covenants, as he believes the city is mostly interested in seeing visible progress.

While Ryder is a professional contractor, many buyers had no prior renovation experience and the city did not require that to purchase a house. Burton said contractors need to be properly licensed, and some cases, the city wanted to know the buyer’s long-term goals, but it wasn’t a requirement.

Burton said some buyers, when faced with the surprises that come with renovating old houses, considered allowing the city to take back the house, but once they saw the buy back price, based on an appraisal, they changed their minds and kept the property.

Burton said progress can be monitored inside the house when there is an active building permit. Otherwise, the city watches the progress through external inspections, she said.

Burton said the city realizes that many of these buyers are doing the renovations as a “labor of love,” and are willing to stick it out and have it take longer than initially thought.

$1 HOUSES

There were a tiny handful of houses that were sold for

$1 through the DRHA program. Houses sold for $1 were initially bound for demolition, but instead were sold to folks who believed they could be restored.

One of those houses was purchased by Michelle Bowers, who maintains a website “The Old House Life.” While she is considered an internet influencer when it comes to all things old house-related, Bowers herself had not yet done a complete home renovation prior to coming to Danville, said Liepe.

Bowers purchased 124 Chestnut in 2020 for $1, plus closing costs. Bowers said the initial sales price was $15,000, but Liepe helped her negotiate the much lower price.

Liepe said he wanted to bring Bowers to Danville because of her website, and said the advertising provided by The Old House Life has been the best yet so far.

When Bowers bought what she now calls the Sunshine Cottage, the back of the house was falling off and it was covered in vines, said Liepe, adding that the city did some work to the exterior, but it was “awful.”

Bowers agrees.

“It’s like a Grim Fairy Tale,” she joked, adding that as a restoration project, “it’s a real one.”

While the front of the house appears in good order, the interior is in a serious state of disrepair, such as the missing floor inside the front door and walls taken down to the studs.

One requirement of the $1 houses is that the buyer has $20,000 to put in escrow to insure that renovations

would begin, said Burton. Once that amount had been expended, those funds could be accessed, said Burton.

After Bowers purchased 124 Chestnut, the house next door became available, so she bought that for $8,000.

At the time, it had a dirt floor in the kitchen, a ceiling collapsed from water damage, open holes in the walls and groundhogs and rats had taken up residence.

Bowers has completed the renovations on that house, to include gutting and restoring the kitchen within 10 days. Her daughter now lives in what they call the Moonlight Mansion.

Another $1 house at 937 Green St. faces a more uncertain future.

The James House had originally gone up for auction a few years ago but there were no buyers, said Burton.

The house had long generated concerns by the neighbors and those intensified after it was purchased through the DRHA program for $1. The new owner, Stephen Ramsey, was going to stabilize and rehabilitate the property but hasn’t met the covenant requirements, said Burton.

As a result, the city is looking to take it back, she said.

The neighbors, Amanda Earp and Chris Griffith, who had been in communication with the city about their concerns, received an email Dec. 22 from City Manager Ken Larking stating the Ramsey had been notified of the city’s intention to recapture the property and proceed with an emergency demolition.

Ramsey had purchased the property in February 2022, and according to the covenants that went with the sale, he was to have renovated the exterior within six months and receive a certificate of occupancy within 30 days, with possible extensions granted upon request.

While the front of the property had received some work,

the rear has remained in poor condition, according to a visual inspection.

Efforts to reach Ramsey were unsuccessful by press time.

CONCERNED NEIGHBORS

Adam Hurt lives in a circa 1879 Italianate house on Green Street, which was privately renovated before the Old West End program began and prior to his purchase.

As Green Street is one of the streets originally included in the rental district study, and has had several houses purchased as part of the program, Hurt has raised a few questions and concerns.

Hurt has heard that the neighborhood was tougher than it is now and is grateful that the city is attempting to address the problem of absentee owners and slumlords.

However, he is concerned about the city’s oversight and follow-through of the properties that had been purchased through the program, as some don’t seem to be making forward progress.

Hurt said Danville had a good initial idea, but he wants the city to be more proactive in monitoring progress.

Earp wonders why the city allowed the houses to deteriorate so badly in the first place, and then let those prior property owners get by without paying taxes for so long.

“There was a lot of confusion about how the city could allow them to get so bad, then have to go through all this effort to save them,” she said.

Like Hurt, Earp believes the program offers many advantages in terms of historic preservation and stabilized neighborhoods, but implementation and oversight has raised questions. And because this program is being assisted through taxpayer money, Earp would like to see the city hire a staffer whose job is to exclusively manage these properties and make sure the covenant timelines are met.

As a professional contractor, Ryder thinks that some buyers were initially attracted to the low sales price, but did not realize how much work goes into renovating an old house.

“You watch the renovation shows and it seems easy, but it’s time consuming. You don’t really know what you’re getting into until you open it up. Usually you run into problems that will cost more money than you originally thought,” he said.

Earp wonders if it would have been better to educate some of the buyers about renovation or provide more information on what they could expect.

Burton said the city mostly focuses on two areas — having the exterior renovations complete and the CO

The City of Danville is in the process of renovating this house on Pine Street. Photo by Diana McFarland.

(certificate of occupancy) issued within a reasonable amount of time. The exterior renovations are designed to protect the community and the CO protects the occupants, she said, adding that she has been in most of the houses in the program.

There are concerns that the work on individual houses will take years and most of the covenants don’t go beyond two years, said Burton.

One hiccup in the program was the pandemic, she said. The program got underway and was then sidetracked by the pandemic in terms of contractors unable to keep workers, lockdowns, supply chain issues and then inflation, said Burton.

In some cases, materials tripled in price, she said.

“There were complications all over the board,” she said, “that really was a game changer for a lot of projects.”

Liepe would also like some of the homeowners to better adhere to the covenants, but agrees with Burton that one huge wrench in the works was that many of those covenants came due at the same time the pandemic exploded and everything was locked down, including contractors.

Another continuing problem is that it’s hard to get contractors to work on old houses. “It’s a very nasty business,” he said. Add to that a general shortage of contractors in the city and it’s been hard for some folks to find people to do the work, said Liepe, adding that at one point there was a three month waiting period for plumbers.

Liepe said that, informally, the buyers are in contact with each other and provide that level of support, but in terms of a formal program or list of contractors, no. It all goes back to availability, he said.

Liepe said that it boils down to every case being different — the individual houses and the ability and resources of the individuals who bought them.

“HGTV makes it look real easy,” he said.

For Foster, 31, it was a way for him to buy his own home and own it free and clear. The restoration work will take time, but he’s taken a long-range view, and in the meantime, is enjoying the sense of community that has developed on Pine Street — between the residents who were there before and those who have bought houses through the program.

“Either we are insane to buy these, or brilliant business people,” he said.

Ultimately all the properties will be monitored due to being located in the Old West End Historic District, which is governed by the Commission of Architectural Review, said Burton.

“However, I anticipate that there would be varying degrees of upkeep and maintenance based on ownership once the certificate of occupancy process is complete, just like any other privately owned property,” she said.

GOING FORWARD

Despite the concerns, Burton believes the program has been a good community builder for the Old West End.

Liepe said that if the city had not stepped in, a large number of these houses would have been torn down, and the area might have ended up looking like the BerrymanMonument part of the city where widespread demolition was enacted. He also doesn’t think that a private individual would have swooped in and put these houses in a land bank, or done the legwork needed to find buyers

Cody Foster’s house at 835 Pine Street, also known as the Goodwin-Speer House, is considered a Folk Victorian Cottage and was built in 1885. The property was once the home of jeweler John J. Speer. Photo by Diana McFarland.

and/or do restoration work required to sell them.

Burton said that by selling these once neglected properties to folks who want to fix them up and live in them, it forces those wanting to engage in undesirable behavior to go elsewhere.

It’s made a huge difference in that neighborhood, both in perception and reality, she said, adding that beyond a missing five gallon bucket, no resident has reported a theft from a job site.

Liepe said that at one time Pine Street had a particularly bad reputation, and it was said one could pick up their drugs and a hooker with one stop.

It’s difficult to create a vibrant community that is full of empty houses, he said.

Liepe realizes there is still work to be done on the individual houses, but there are other plans for the area, such as a park off Pine Street. The program, along with the Friends of the Old West End, has also brought the neighborhood together. The nonprofit often hosts social

events and everyone knows everyone, said Liepe. “There are still wrinkles to be ironed out. But we’re still in a better position than five years ago, he said. •

THE DEAL

Purchasers receive a lower price for an older house, maybe with some renovations done and possible tax deferment, based on an application process, for a period of years. In exchange, property owners have to meet timelines for renovation and certificate of occupancy, as well as live in the house for five years. The end goal: Being part of an effort to save historic and architecturally significant housing and creating a stable, vibrant neighborhood of resident homeowners.

Cody Foster bought his house on Pine Street for $12,500 and at the time, it was divided into several apartments. His plan is to restore it to its original 1885 room layout. Photo by Diana McFarland.

White Mill

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIANA MCFARLAND

After sitting vacant and unused for more than 20 years, Danville’s White Mill was the focus of attention and activity last week as ground was officially broken to announce its future as the newly renamed Dan River Falls.

City officials and those with the Alexander Group took center stage to reveal the former mill’s new name and usher in the future for the building that once boasted the iconic sign, “Home of Dan River Mills.”

The 550,000 square foot former textile mill, with its distinctive reinforced concrete construction, is to be turned into a multi-use property with 150 apartments, office, retail and parking to complement the growing River District as well as Caesars Virginia on the other

side of the city in the Schoolfield area.

The first phase of the project, which includes the housing, commercial space and parking, is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2024 — around the same time that Caesars Virginia is expected to open.

“This is going to be one of the most exciting years that the City of Danville, I believe, has ever seen in the history of where we are today,” said Mayor Alonzo Jones.

The new name reflects the name of the first settlement that became Danville and it was located on the site of the White Mill.

Jones read a proclamation about the White Mill’s transformation as “one of last remaining physical expressions as Danville’s role of a textile manufacturing powerhouse.”

Shown above: Now renamed Dan River Falls, the multi-use plans for the former textile mill include 150 apartments, retail and office space and parking on the banks of the Dan River and adjacent to Danville’s River District. Future plans also include the new Riverside Park, as well as a white water feature in the canal adjacent to the building. Photo courtesy of REDgraphx.

Jones said the day, Thursday, Jan. 12, is to be named Dan River Falls Day in the City of Danville.

The White Mill project began in 2017 when the Industrial Development Authority purchased the mill, followed by a tweet in 2021 from Councilmember Lee Vogler to the Alexander Group, a Wisconsin-based real estate development firm which has since entered into a public-private partnership with the city, said Neal Morris, chairman of the IDA.

Now that the project is underway, Morris made a request.

“We need you to be the next part of this existing team members ... Be a cheerleader for Danville,” said Morris.

“Twirl you batons, shake your pom poms and cheer for Danville,” he said.

River District Association Executive Director Diana Schwartz said she had once been questioned about the investments being made in the downtown area, and if those were only benefitting a few.

It is obvious today that these investments benefit

Shown from top: The former White Mill closed in 1996 and has sat unused for more than 20 years. The mill still has its original windows, which provide a colorful backdrop to the now empty factory floor.

everyone, she said.

“This makes Danville the model of strength and resilience it is today,” she said, adding that there have been more than 60 new or expanded businesses that have opened in the downtown area since 2017 — and they are locally owned.

Folks no longer have to look at the White Mill and lament what was lost, but can point to the future, as the White Mill, now Dan River Falls, has become “the restored crown jewel of downtown Danville,” said Schwartz.

Joe Alexander, president of the Alexander Company, talked about how his firm came to learn about the White Mill.

Alexander said he was finishing up a project in Greensboro when he got a Tweet from “this guy named Lee Vogler in a place called Danville, Virginia, and

they’ve got this gargantuan building that they want us to come look at. That sounds a little nuts,” he recalled.  Alexander said he sent a team to Danville, met with the city’s economic development staff, resulting in an $85 million investment.

David Glassman, assistant director of Rental Housing Development with Virginia Housing, said this project has given him a deep appreciation for how important the redevelopment of the White Mill is to this community.

To further provide affordable housing in the commonwealth, Virginia Housing is helping to finance affordable apartments to assist with Danville’s growth, said Glassman. In all, the development will include 150 housing units, with the 32 reserved for those earning up to 80% of area median incomes.

The apartments will be built on the top three floors of the western two-thirds of the building and will include

Danville City Council members symbolically break ground Jan. 12 on the transformation of the former White Mill into Dan River Falls, a multi-use complex that will include housing, office and retail space and parking. Pictured left to right: City Council members Madison Whittle, L. G. “Larry” Campbell Jr., James Buckner, Mayor Alonzo Jones, Barry Mayo, Vice Mayor Dr. Gary Miller, Lee Vogler, Sherman Saunders, Bryant Hood and City Manager Ken Larking.

one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes. The first floor and the eastern one-third of the second floor will be reserved for commercial space, with the lower level of the building being converted into 219 interior parking spaces for tenants.

“All you need to do is look at the river view to understand why the White Mill will be a unique place to call home,” he said.

Julia Langan, state historic preservation officer with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, said it was no exaggeration that the redevelopment of the White Mill is one of the largest tax credit projects in Virginia, both in terms of scale and investment being made.

The White Mill, which is on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places, is “unquestionably the most prominent building in Danville, and yet is one of the very few standing of the numerous mill buildings in the Riverside Division that represented that rich industrial history of your city,” she said.

Former Dan River employee Randy Hedrick Jr. also spoke, recalling the days when the mill provided families with a good living and a sense of community. He started working at the mill when he was 15 years old.

“Dan River was more than a way to make a living, it was a way of life,” he said.

In his remarks before the unveiling of the White Mill’s new name, Jones said everyone could remember what it was like in Danville when Dan River closed its doors in 2006, and the impact it had on the economy and on the emotions of the city’s residents.

It was then that the City Council and city staff knew Danville was looking for answers — and a new approach was needed. That began in 2010 with the beginnings of the River District, and the city built on that by creating the framework, forging the partnerships and planting the seeds necessary for the future, said Jones.

“Today I can stand before you and say that our city is that comeback city.” •

THE HISTORY

The White Mill was built in 1920 by Dan River Inc., and today is one of the last physical expressions of Danville’s role as a textile manufacturing powerhouse.

The White Mill was first known as Mill No. 8, covering 18 acres along the Dan River in the city’s downtown area. The mill began operating in 1921 and continued until 1996, when it closed.

At one time, Dan River Mills employed 14,000 people in Danville, and following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the company also began hiring black workers.

Beginning in the 1960s, imported textiles began to eat away at the market share enjoyed by American textile manufacturers, including Dan River. Despite investing in new technology, a surge of imports from Latin America and Asia further eroded the market. At the same time, U.S. policymakers enacted a series of free trade agreements with developing companies, and by the 1990s and 2000s, the industry in the United States collapsed.

As a result, Dan River Mills closed its factories in Danville in 2006.

In addition to the White Mill being transformed into a multi-use complex, the former Schoolfield mill site has been purchased by Caesars Virginia, which is in the process of building a resort casino. In a nod to the past, the three iconic smokestacks, nicknamed “the three sisters,” will remain. The city also transformed the former Dan River Mills executive building into a new headquarters for the Danville Police Department.

Information courtesy of the City of Danville and Encyclopedia Virginia, Virginia Humanities.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

Danville Art Trail

111 Main Street, Danville

Danville Concert Association

P.O. Box 11284, Danville 434-770-8400

danvilleconcert.org

danvilleconcert@gmail.com

Danville Little Theatre

P.O. Box 3523, Danville stagemanager@danvillelittletheatre.org

Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History

975 Main St., Danville 434-793-5644

www.danvillemuseum.org

Danville Symphony Orchestra

P.O. Box 11491, Danville 434-797-2666 macnet@wildblue.net

Downtown Danville Murals 434-791-0210

riverdistrictassociation@gmail.com

Gretna Little Theatre

101 Main St., Gretna gretnalittletheatre101@gmail.com

Main Street Art Collective

326 Main St., Unit 100, Danville 434-602-2017

www.mainstreetartcollective.com

The North Theatre 629 North Main St., Danville 434-793-SHOW (7469) wayne@waynealanmagic.com

River District Artisans

411 Main St., Danville 434-228-4125

sgusler@thearcofsouthside.org

River District Golf & Social 680 Lynn Street Suite C, Danville 434-228-4155

www.riverdistrictgolf.com

HISTORY

18th century Callands Clerk’s Office Sago Rd., Callands

American Armored Foundation Tank Museum  3401 U.S. Highway 29, Danville 434-836-5323

tankmuseum@gamewood.net aaftankmuseum.com

Birthplace of Lady Astor

117 Broad St., Danville 434-793-6472

langhornehouse.org

Cedar Forest Grist Mill

7929 Straightstone Rd., Long Island 434-432-2172

pco1767@gmail.com

Chatham Hall

800 Chatham Hall Cir., Chatham 434-432-2941

admission@chathamhall.org

Danville Welcome Center 434-793-4636

Crossing at the Dan 434-793-4636

Danville Historical Society P.O. Box 6, Danville danvillehistorical@gmail.com www.danvillehistory.org

Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History

975 Main St., Danville 434-793-5644

info@danvillemuseum.org

Danville Science Center

677 Craghead St., Danville 434-791-5160

dscgs@smv.org

Downtown Danville Murals 434-791-0210

riverdistrictassociation@gmail.com

Green Hill Cemetery 434-793-5644

info@danvillemuseum.org

Grove Street Cemetery 940 Grove St., Danville 434-793-5644

info@danvillemuseum.org

Hargrave Military Academy Historic Marker 200 Military Dr., Chatham 434-432-2481

admissions@hargrave.edu

Langhorne House 117 Broad St., Danville 434-793-6472

langhornehouse.org

Chair of the Board Wyona Witcher mountcrosslodge@gmail.com

Millionaires Row

434-770-1974

joycewilburn@gmail.com

Mount Airy Roller Mill

4425 Johnson Mill Rd., Gretna 434-432-2172

pco1767@gmail.com

The National Cemetery

721 Lee St., Danville 704-636-2661

info@danvillemuseum.org

The National Tobacco-Textile Museum

19783 U.S. Hwy. 29 S, Chatham 434-432-8026

Pittsylvania Court House Historic Marker

11 Bank St., Chatham 434-432-2041

pco1767@gmail.com

Pittsylvania County Historical Society 434-770-3258

pco1767@gmail.com

Pittsylvania County History Research Center & Library

340 Whitehead St., Chatham 434-432-8931

info@pcplib.org

The Secrets Inside - Guided Walking Tour 434-770-1974

joycewilburn@gmail.com

Simpson Funeral Museum

16 South Main St., Danville

Tales of Tobacco, Textiles & TrainsGuided Walking Tour 434-770-1974

joycewilburn@gmail.com

There’s A Story Here - Guided Walking Tour 434-770-1974

joycewilburn@gmail.com

Town of Chatham Walking Tour

16A Court Pl., Chatham

Veterans Memorial - Danville

302 River Park Dr., Danville

Yates Tavern US-29 BUS, Gretna

INDOOR RECREATION

Ballou Park Senior Center

760 West Main St., Danville 434-799-5216

bynumem@danvilleva.gov

Danville Stadium Cinemas 12

3601 Riverside Dr., Danville 434-792-9885

Danville Science Center & Virtual Dome

677 Craghead St., Danville 434-791-5160

dscgs@smv.org

Main Street Art Collective

326 Main St., Unit 100, Danville 434-602-2017

mainstreetartcollective.com

The North Theatre

629 North Main St., Danville 434-793-SHOW (7469) wayne@waynealanmagic.com

Skatetown of Danville

1049 Piney Forest Rd., Danville 434-835-0011

skatetown@verizon.net

Danville Family YMCA

215 Riverside Dr., Danville 434-792-0621

Impotters

406 Lynn St., Danville 434-448-4677

impottersclayworx@gmail.com

Grizzly’s Hatchet House

680 Lynn St., Suite J, Danville 434-425-1470

hello@grizzlyshatchet.com

River City Escapes

680 Lynn St., Suite I, Danville 434-425-1467

hello@rivercityescapes.com

Funky’s Arcade Bar

315 Lynn St., Suite B, Danville 434-483-2511

OUTDOOR RECREATION

Abreu-Grogan Park

2020 Memorial Dr., Danville 434-799-5215

Anglers Park

350 Northside Dr., Danville 434-799-5215

Anglers Ridge and Dan Daniel

Mountain Bike System

350 Northside Dr., Danville 302 River Park Dr., Danville 434-799-5215

Ballou Park

760 West Main St., Danville 434-799-5215

OUTDOOR RECREATION (CONTINUED)

Birch Creek Motor Sports

12725 Kentuck Rd., Sutherlin

434-836-7629

carlsmail1@comcast.net

Brosville Walking Track

195 Bulldog Ln., Danville 434-432-7736

recreation@pittgov.org

Cedar’s Country Club

1029 Anderson Mill Rd., Chatham 434-656-8036

Coates Bark Park

1727 Westover Dr., Danville 434-799-5150

Camilla Williams Park

700 Memorial Dr., Danville 434-799-5215

Cavalier Park

11650 US Hwy 29 North, Chatham 434-432-7736

recreation@pittgov.org

Dan Daniel Park

302 River Park Dr., Danville

434-799-5215

Danville Boat Rental

2020 Memorial Dr., Danville 434-799-5150

Danville Parks & Recreation

125 N Floyd St., Danville

434-799-5200

sgrinwo@danvilleva.gov

Danville Pittsylvania County Fairgrounds

2400 Cavalier Rd., Ringgold

434-822-6850

info@dpcfairgrounds.com

Doyle Thomas Park

827 Green St., Danville 434-799-5215

Elba Park

434-656-6572

townhall@townofgretna.org

Elkhorn Lake & Camp Grounds

2500 Elkhorn Rd., Java

434-432-9203

kennytinaelkhorn@yahoo.com

Franklin Junction Historic Railroad Park

Across from 105 Main St., Gretna 434-656-6572

townhall@townofgretna.org

Gretna Town Trail

Whitehorn Trail

Trailhead at the Centra Medical Building in Gretna Grove Park

100 Southland Dr., Danville 434-799-5215

H.B. Moorefield Park

Riverside Dr., Danville 434-799-5215

Hawk Park

201 Coffey St., Gretna 434-432-7736

recreation@pittgov.org

JTI Fountain

215 Main St., Danville

M.C. Martin Park

Memorial Dr., Danville 434-799-5215

Martinsville Speedway 340 Speedway Rd., Ridgeway 276-956-7225

Paradise Lake & Campground 434-836-2620

1-866-836-2126

vaisforcampers@gmail.com

Phillip Wyatt Skate Park

302 River Park Dr., Danville 434-799-5215

Pittsylvania County Parks & Recreation

18 Depot St., St. 508, Chatham 434-432-7736

recreation@pittgov.org

Pumpkin Creek Park 315 Taylor Dr., Danville 434-799-5215

Richmond and Danville Rail Trail/ Ringgold Rail Trail

155 Ringgold Depot Rd., Ringgold 434-432-7736

Riverwalk Trail

111 Main St., Danville 434-799-5215

Smith Mountain Dock & Lodge 188 Locust Ln., Penhook 540-565-0222

Smith Mountain Farm & Stables

7661 Grassland Dr., Sandy Level 434-927-5199

steve@smithmountainstables.com

Smith Mountain Lake & Dam Visitor’s Center

2072 Ford Rd., Sandy Level

540-985-2587

South Boston Speedway

1188 James D. Hagood Hwy, South Boston 434-572-4947

info@southbostonspeedway.com

Southern Hills Golf Course

188 Stokesland Ave., Danville 434-793-2582

golfsouthernhills@gmail.com

Tiny Town Golf

643 Arnett Blvd., Danville 434-799-0142

Titan Park

1160 Tunstall High Rd., Dry Fork 434-432-7736

recreation@pittgov.org

Virginia International Raceway

1245 Pine Tree Rd., Alton 434-822-7700

info@VIRnow.com

White Oak Mountain Wildlife Management Area

Chatham, VA 24531

804-367-1000

Wildcat Park

5875 Kentuck Rd., Ringgold

434-432-7736

recreation@pittgov.org

Zipline

302 River Park Dr., Danville

PITTSYLVANIA

WWW.PCS.K12.VA.US

Alternative School

434-432-8185

Brosville Elementary School

434-685-7787

Chatham Elementary School

434-432-5441

Chatham Middle School

434-432-2169

Chatham High School

434-432-8305

Dan River Middle School

434-822-6027

Dan River High School

434-822-7081

Gretna Elementary School

434-630-1808

Gretna Middle School

434-656-2217

Gretna High School

434-656-2246

John L. Hurt Elementary School

434-324-7231

Kentuck Elementary School

434-822-5944

Mt. Airy Elementary School

434-630-1816

Pittsylvania Career & Technical Cntr

434-432-9416

Southside Elementary School

434-836-0006

Stony Mill Elementary School

434-685-7545

Tunstall Middle School

434-724-7086

Tunstall High School

434-724-7111

Twin Springs Elementary School

434-724-2666

Union Hall Elementary School

434-724-7010

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

Pittsylvania County Schools

P.O. Box 232, Chatham

*School Board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the School Board office.

434-432-2761

888-440-6520

pcs.k12.va.us

Superintendent: Dr. Mark R. Jones

P.O. Box 232, Chatham

434-432-2761

Banister District: Willie Fitzgerald, Interim

473 Mill Creek Rd., Chatham

434-432-9418

Callands-Gretna District: Calvin D. Doss

P.O. Box 100, Gretna 434-656-3206

cdoss@pcs.k12.va.us

Chatham-Blairs District: Sam Burton

492 Tobacco Road, Dry Fork

434-724-4245

sburton@pcs.k12.va.us

COUNTY

PITTSYLVANIA

Dan River District: Kelly H. Merricks

2795 Loop Rd., Keeling

434-793-0072

Staunton River District: Don C. Moon

3605 Level Run Rd., Hurt

434-324-4115

dmoon@pcs.k12.va.us

Tunstall District: George Henderson

568 F. C. Beverly Rd., Dry Fork

434-770-8933

ghenderson@pcs.k12.va.us

Westover District: Kevin Mills

2514 Franklin trnpk, Danville

434-836-6742

kmills@pcs.k12.va.us

DANVILLE

WWW.DANVILLEPUBLICSCHOOLS.ORG

Northside Preschool

434-773-8301

Forest Hills Elementary School

434-799-6430

G.L.H. Johnson Elementary School

434-799-6433

Park Avenue Elementary School

434-799-6452

Schoolfield Elementary School

434-799-6455

Woodberry Hills Elementary School

434-799-6466

Woodrow Wilson Intermediate School

434-773-8204

E.A. Gibson Elementary School

434-799-6426

O.T. Bonner Middle School

434-799-6446

Westwood Middle School

434-797-8860

Galileo High School

434-773-8186

George Washington High School

434-799-6410

Danville Alternative Program at J.M. Langston Campus

434-799-5249

Adult & Continuing Education Center

434-799-6471

W.W. Moore Jr. Education Program

434-773-8170

DANVILLE SCHOOL BOARD

*School Board meetings are held on the first and third Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM in the Danville Room of the School Board Office, 341 Main Street, Danville, VA

Superintendent: Dr. Angela Hairston ahairston@mail.dps.k12.va.us

School Board: Keisha Averett kaverett@mail.dps.k12.va.us

Dr. Philip Campbell pcampbell@mail.dps.k12.va.us

Tyrell Payne

tpayne1@mail.dps.k12.va.us

Charles McWilliams cmcwilliams@mail.dps.k12.va.us

Brandon Atkins batkins@mail.dps.k12.va.us

Ty’Quan Graves tgraves@mail.dps.k12.va.us

Crystal Cobbs ccobbs@@mail.dps.k12.va.us

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISERS

*Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Chatham Community Center art room (may change soon).

Banister District: Robert M. Tucker, Jr. 434-306-2099

Chatham-Blairs District: Robert “Bob” Warren 434-770-7607

robert.warren@pittgov.org

Callands-Gretna District: Darrell Dalton 921 Terry Rd., Gretna 434-334-6377

darrell.dalton@pittgov.org

Dan River District: Tim Chesher

3101 Rocksprings Rd., Ringgold 434-334-6376

tim.chesher@pittgov.org

Staunton River District: Tim W. Dudley 434-770-3692

Tim.Dudley@pittgov.org

COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD (CONTINUED)

Tunstall District: William “Vic” Ingram

1301 Deercrest Ln., Danville 434-770-3921

Vic.Ingram@pittgov.org

Westover District: Ronald Scearce 434-685-1843

ronald.scearce@pittgov.org

County Administrator: Clearance Monday

County Attorney: J. Vaden Hunt, Esq. 434-432-7720

vaden.hunt@pittgov.org

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY

WWW.PITTGOV.ORG

Circuit Court Clerk: Hon. Mark W. Scarce

P.O. Drawer 31, Chatham 434-432-7887

Commissioner of Revenue: Robin Coles-Gourd

P.O. Box 272, Chatham 434-432-7940

Sheriff: Michael W. Taylor

P.O. Box 407, Chatham 434-432-7800

Treasurer: Vincent Shorter

P.O. Box 230, Chatham 434-432-7960

Commonwealth’s Attorney: Robert “Bryan” Haskins

P.O. Box 1068, Chatham 434-432-7900

Interim County Administrator: J. Vaden Hunt

Town Council Members (continued):

Teresa Easley

teresaeasley51@gmail.com

Irvin W. Perry

348 S. Main St., Chatham 941-740-0268

Treasurer/Clerk: Kelly Hawker

Town Manager: Richard Cocke

Town Assistant Manager: Nicholas Morris

Town Attorney: Adams & Fisk PLC 434-432-2531

CITY OF DANVILLE

WWW.DANVILLE-VA.GOV

Circuit Court Clerk: Gerald A. Gibson

401 Patton St., Danville 434-799-5168

Commissioner of Revenue: James M. Gillie

311 Memorial Dr., Danville 434-799-5145

Sheriff: Michael Mondul

401 Patton St., Danville 434-799-5135

Treasurer: Sheila Williamson-Branch

311 Memorial Dr., Danville 434-799-5140

Commonwealth’s Attorney: Michael Newman

341 Main St., St. 200, Danville 434-797-1635

City Manager: Ken Larking

427 Patton St. 4th flr, Danville 434-799-5100

Mayor: Alisa Davis

260 Davis Rd., Chatham 434-203-8062

adavis@chatham-va.gov

Town Council Members:

Janet B. Bishop

610 South Main St., Chatham 434-432-2714

jbishop@chatham-va.gov

William B. Black

338 North Main St., Chatham 434-432-7721

wblack@chatham-va.gov

Robert B. Thompson

P.O. Box 231, Chatham, VA 434-432-8763 - Home 434-432-6211 – Work

rthompson@chatham-va.gov

klarking@danvilleva.org

DANVILLE CITY COUNCIL

*Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the fourth floor of City Hall located at 427 Patton Street.

Mayor: Alonzo Jones

218 Rockford Plc., Danville 434-250-3231

alonzo.jones@danvilleva.gov

Danville City Council Members:

James Buckner

125 Eden Plc., Danville 434-688-1589

james.buckner@danvilleva.gov

Danville City Council Members (continued):

L.G. Campbell, Jr.

368 Mowbray Arch, Danville 434-793-9493

larry.campbell@danvilleva.gov

Gary P. Miller, MD

209 Updike Plc., Danville 434-799-0908

gary.miller@danvilleva.gov

Sherman Saunders

115 Druid Ln., Danville 434-799-8737

sherman.saunders@danvilleva.gov

Barry Mayo

1100 N. Main St., Apt. B, Danville 434-792-1041

barry.mayo@danvilleva.gov

J. Lee Vogler

118 Grove Park Cir., Danville 434-792-0937

lee.vogler@danvilleva.gov

Madison Whittle

143 Marshall Terr., Apt 6, Danville 434-251-0926

madison.whittle@danvilleva.gov

Bryant Hood

876 Stokes St., Danville (336) 933-1480

byrant.hood@danvilleva.gov

GRETNA TOWN COUNCIL

P.O.

Mayor: R. Keith Motley

P.O. Box 472, Gretna 434-656-6406

keith.motley@townofgretna.org

Vice Mayor: Dianne Jennings

P.O. Box 762, Gretna 434-656-6582

dianne.jennings@townofgretna.org

Town Council Members:

Michael L. Bond

P.O. Box 558, Gretna 434-656-3573

michael.bond@townofgretna.org

Mike Burnette

P.O. Box 1227, Gretna 434-656-8061

mike.burnette@townofgretna.org

Deborah Moran

P.O. Box 630, Gretna 434-656-6079

deborah.moran@townofgretna.org

Town Council Members:

James Gilbert P.O. Box 781, Gretna james.gilbert@townofgretna.org

Jim Hunt

506 Henry St., Gretna 434-656-3653 flowershop@fairpoint.net

Attention: Jim Hunt

Interim Town Manager: Keith Motley

434-656-6406, keith.motley@townofgretna.org

Town Clerk/Treasurer: Patsy Thompson Budd

Town Attorney: Michael Turner 434-656-3989

HURT TOWN COUNCIL

P.O. BOX 760, HURT •(434) 608-0554

*Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Hurt Town Hall.

Mayor: Gary K. Hodnett gary.hodnett@townofhurtva.gov

Vice Mayor: Shirley M. Barksdale-Hill shirley.barksdale-hill@townofhurtva.gov

Town Council Members:

E. Collin Adams Jr. collin.adams@townofhurtva.gov

Christopher “Luke” Perdieu Kathy Haymore-Keesee kathy.keesee@townofhurtva.gov

Gary Poindexter gary.poindexter@townofhurtva.gov

Donney Johnson donney.johnson@townofhurtva.gov

Clerk: Kelsie Sligh

Treasurer: Ellen Brumfield

Public Works Coordinator: Joseph Smith

UNITED STATES CONGRESS

Senators: The Honorable Mark R. Warner

459-A Russell Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 202-224-2023

The Honorable Tim Kaine

388 Russell Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 202-224-4024

308 Craghead St., Ste. 102A, Danville 434-792-0976

House of Representatives: The Honorable Bob Good

1213 Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C. 202-225-4711

20436 Lynchburg Hwy, Suite F, Lynchburg, VA 434-791-2596

|

STATE SENATE

Frank M. Ruff

Pocahontas Bldg., Room #E505, Senate of Virginia, P.O. Box 396, Richmond 804-698-7515

P.O. Box 332, Clarksville 434-374-5129

William M. Stanley district20@senate.virginia.gov

Pocahontas Bldg., Room #E504, Senate of Virginia, P.O. Box 396, Richmond 804-698-7520

P.O. Box 96, Glade Hill 540-721-6028

VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES

Les Adams

Member Since: 2014

R - Counties of Henry (part) and Pittsylvania (part), City of Martinsville

16th District

Capital Office - General Assembly Bldg

P.O. Box 406, Richmond

804-698-1016

delladams@house.virginia.gov

Room Number: 719

Legislative Assistant: Shani Shorter

Secretary During Session: Julia Bouck

District Office

P.O. Box K, Chatham 434-432-1600

Preferred Name: Danny

Member Since: 2002

R - Counties of Henry (part) and Pittsylvania (part); City of Danville

14th District

Capitol Office - General Assembly Bldg

P.O. Box 406, Richmond 804-698-1014

deldmarshall@house.virginia.gov

Room Number: 702

Legislative Assistant: Mary K. Franklin

Secretary During Session: Jackie Price

District Office

P.O. Box 439, Danville

434-797-5861

434-797-2642 (Fax)

CITY/COUNTY INFORMATION

Budget Department

434-733-8105

City Attorney

434-799-5122

City Manager

434-799-5100

Clerk of Circuit Court

434-799-5168

Commissioner of Revenue

434-799-5145

Community Development

434-799-5260

Danville Regional Airport

434-799-5110

Danville Public Schools

434-799-6400

Danville Utilities

434-799-5155

Economic Development

434-793-1753

Emergency Preparedness

434-799-6535

Finance Department

434-799-5185

Fire Department

434-799-5226

Health Department

434-766-9828

Human Resources

434-799-5241

Jail

434-799-5130

Parks and Recreation

434-799-5200

Public Works

434-799-5245

Registrar

434-799-6560

Social Services

434-799-6537

Transit System

434-799-5144

Treasurer’s Office

434-799-5140

W. Daniel Marshall III

POLICE

NON-EMEGENCY NUMBERS

Danville Police Department

434-799-5111

Danville Sheriff’s Office

434-799-5135

Pittsylvania County Sheriff

434-432-7800

Chatham Police Department

Mon-Fri 9a-5p

434-432-9515

24 Hours

434-432-2222

Gretna Police Department

434-656-6123

Hurt Police Department

434-608-0554

Virginia State Police

800-553-3144

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS

Community Center at Chatham

434-432-3115

Community Foundation of the Dan River Region

434-793-0884

Dan River Business Development Center

434-793-9100

Danville Community Market

434-797-8961

Danville Economic Development Office

434-793-1753

Danville Museum Fine Arts & History

434-793-5644

Danville Parks, Recreation & Tourism

434-799-5200

Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce

434-836-6990

Danville Science Center

434-799-5160

Danville Welcome Center

434-793-4636

Downtown Danville Association

434-791-4470

Olde Dominion Agricultural Center

434-432-8026

Pittsylvania County Recreation Dept.

434-432-7736

Social Security Administration

800-772-1213

Veterans Affairs

800-827-1000

Voter Registration Danville

434-799-6560

Voter Registration Pittsylvania County

434-432-7971

Libraries

Pittsylvania County Library

434-432-3271

Pittsylvania Library - Gretna

434-656-2579

Pittsylvania Library - Brosville-Cascade

434-685-1285

Pittsylvania Library – Mount Hermon

434-835-0326

Pittsylvania History Center & Library

434-432-8931

Danville Public Library

434-799-5195

Danville Library - Westover

434-799-5152

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY

GOVERNMENT TELEPHONE LISTINGS

Pittsylvania County All Departments

434-432-7700

Agricultural Development

434-432-7993

Animal Control

434-432-7937

Assistant County Administrator

434-432-7720

Building Inspections

434-432-7755

Central Accounting

434-432-7743

Commissioner of Revenue

434-432-7940

Community Policy/Management

434-432-8371

County Administrator

434-432-7710

Courts:

Adult Probation

434-432-7853

Circuit Court Clerk

434-432-7887

Commonwealth Attorney

434-432-7900

General District Court Clerk

434-432-7879

J & D Court Clerk

434-432-7861

J & D Court Services Unit

434-432-7864

Magistrate’s Office

434-432-7910

Crime Stoppers

800-791-0044

Dispatch

434-432-7931

Electoral Board

434-432-7798

Emergency Management & Communications:

Communications/Dispatchers

434-432-7931

Director

434-432-7920

Fire Marshall

434-432-7936

Farm Services Agency

434-432-7765

Health Department

Pitt./Danville Health District

434-799-5190

Child Development Clinic

434-797-1040

Environmental Health

434-432-7758

Water Programs

434-836-8416

Clinic-Chatham

434-432-7232

Clinic-Danville

434-799-5190

Health Department

Clinic-Gretna

434-656-1266

Jail

434-432-7831

Landfill

434-432-7980

Purchasing

434-432-7744

Recreation Dept

434-432-7736

Registrar

434-432-7971

School Board

434-432-2761

Sheriff’s Office

From Chatham/Danville

434-432-7800

From Gretna/Hurt

434-656-6211

From Whitmell

434-797-9550

Dispatch

434-432-7931

Social Services

Chatham

434-432-7281

Danville

434-799-6543

Gretna

434-656-8407

Soil Conservation

434-432-7768

Treasurer’s Office

434-432-7960

Victim/Witness Program

434-432-7854

Virginia Cooperative Extension

434-432-7770

Zoning Code Compliance

434-432-7750