Martinsville, Virginia
Independent city
Clockwise from top: Uptown Martinsville, Martinsville Speedway, Virginia Museum of Natural History, Piedmont Arts Association, Patrick & Henry Community College
Seal
Nickname(s):  M-Ville, The 276, Titletown
Motto:  A City Without Limits
Coordinates: 36°41′10″N 79°52′9″W / 36.68611°N 79.86917°W / 36.68611; -79.86917
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	None (Independent city)
Founded	1791
Incorporated (town)	1873
Incorporated (city)	1929
Named for	Joseph Martin
Government
• Type	Council-manager
• Mayor	L.C. Jones (I)
• Vice Mayor	Aaron Rawls
• Council	Martinsville City Council
Area [1]
• Total	11.01 sq mi (28.51 km2)
• Land	10.96 sq mi (28.37 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Elevation	1,017 ft (310 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,485
• Density	1,200/sq mi (470/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	24112-24115
Area code	276
FIPS code	51-49784[2]
GNIS feature ID	1498514[3]
Website	http://www.martinsville-va.gov

Martinsville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,485.^[4] A community of both Southside and Southwest Virginia, it is the county seat of Henry County,^[5] although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry County for statistical purposes.

Martinsville is the principal city of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area, with a population of 63,765 as of the 2020 census.^[6][7]

The paper clip-shaped Martinsville Speedway, the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series at 0.526 miles (847 m) and one of the first paved "speedways", is located just outside the city near the town of Ridgeway.

History

Martinsville was founded by American Revolutionary War General, Native American agent and explorer Joseph Martin, born in Albemarle County.^[8] He developed his plantation Scuffle Hill on the banks of the Smith River near the present-day southern city limits. General Martin and revolutionary patriot Patrick Henry, who lived briefly in Henry County and for whom the county is named, were good friends.^[9][10]

20th century

DuPont in 1941 built a large manufacturing plant for producing textile nylon filament, a vital war material. During the Cold War, the city was identified as a target for strategic bombing by the Soviet Union. This nylon production jump-started the growth of the textiles industry in the area.^[11][12]

In 1947, the paperclip-shaped oval Martinsville Speedway opened. In use by NASCAR since their inaugural season in 1949, it is still in operation by the racing organization today. The speedway is the shortest oval in NASCAR.^[13]

For several years Martinsville was known as the "Sweatshirt Capital of the World", and in the 1980s it boasted of having more millionaires per capita than any city in America.^[14][15][16]

Business leaders in the mid-20th century, like Whitney Shumate, worked to improve sub-standard housing in Martinsville. He helped clear out a portion of Martinsville called "Mill Town", which had sub-standard rental housing originally provided for 19th century employees of a now defunct cotton mill. New homes were constructed in the neighborhood, built with sound materials and with all city services for the first time. What had originally been considered a depressed civic area rapidly became a center of progress as middle class Black residents finally began to prosper. As an editorial in the local newspaper noted, "One of the projects which won him considerable attention and praise was the instigation of the redevelopment of what was once known as Martinsville Cotton Mill Village. He and associates purchased about 50 houses in North Martinsville, and using private capital rather than federal aid, rebuilt them into comfortably inhabitable homes, making it possible for many persons to purchase homes within their financial range."^[17]

In the early 1990s, changing global economic conditions and new trade treaties made Martinsville textiles and furniture manufacturing economically unsustainable. Many firms closed shop and laid off thousands of workers; the production moved offshore to other countries.^[18] The city is repositioning itself long-term as a center for technology development and manufacturing.

MZM, Inc. opened a facility in Martinsville as part of the Cunningham scandal.^[19][20]

Memorial Hospital of Martinsville (now combined with the hospital in Danville, Virginia to become Sovah Health.) serves the greater Martinsville and Henry County area.^[21] The earliest local hospital was the 50-bed Shackelford Hospital,^[22] founded by Dr. Jesse Martin Shackelford,^[23] who was later joined by surgeon son Dr. John Armstrong Shackelford, an early graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.^[24] Founder of the Hospital Association of Virginia, Dr. Jesse Shackelford was an early advocate of comprehensive care for state citizens. Shackelford Hospital was sold in 1946, and Martinsville General Hospital subsequently opened with Dr. John Shackelford as its first chief surgeon.^[25] In 1970 Memorial Hospital of Martinsville opened its doors, replacing Martinsville General.

21st century

In 2008, then Illinois Democratic Senator and 44th President of the United States Barack Obama held a campaign stop in Martinsville.^[26][27]

On January 2, 2013, Kim Adkins was re-elected as mayor.^[28]

In August 2021, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam pardoned all 7 African-American men of the Martinsville Seven.^[29][30][31]

On January 3, 2023, L.C. Jones was elected as new mayor.^[32]

Relationship with Henry County

Martinsville's relationship with Henry County is somewhat complex. Martinsville was fully included in Henry County's jurisdiction until it was declared a city by court order in 1928.^[33] As with all cities in Virginia, Martinsville's incorporation as a city made it independent from Henry County's jurisdiction. Although Martinsville technically remains the county seat of Henry County, nearby Collinsville serves as the de facto county seat, as it is where the county's primary administrative and judicial offices are located. However, the future of this jurisdictional arrangement became unclear when Martinsville's city council unanimously voted in favor of beginning the process of reverting from a city to a town (which would reincorporate it into the county's jurisdiction) on December 10, 2019,^[34] citing economic and demographic concerns.^[35] The time frame for this reversion remains unclear, as the city's petition to revert must first be approved by a three-judge panel^[35] in the state courts, after which begins a complex process of negotiation with the county over the division of responsibilities.^[34][36] On January 11, 2023, the city council voted to end the reversion process.^[37][38]

The Beaver Creek Plantation,^[39]John Waddey Carter House,^[40] Dry Bridge School,^[41] East Church Street-Starling Avenue Historic District,^[42] Fayette Street Historic District, Little Post Office,^[43] Martinsville Fish Dam,^[44] Martinsville Historic District, Martinsville Novelty Corporation Factory,^[45] and Scuffle Hill are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[46]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28.5 km²), of which 11.0 square miles (28.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) (0.5%) is water.^[47] The north side of the city has the highest average elevation. The east side slopes gradually down to the Smith River on the south side. The west side is hilly. Martinsville is located in the Southern Virginia region near the Virginia–North Carolina state line and is 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Eden, North Carolina,^[48] 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Danville,^[49] 48 miles (77 km) north of Greensboro, North Carolina.^[50] 51 miles (82 km) south of Roanoke,^[51] and 54 miles (87 km) northeast of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.^[52]

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 census

As of the census^[61] of 2010, there were 13,821 people, 6,498 households, and 4,022 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,407.1 people per square mile (543.3 people/km²). There were 7,249 housing units at an average density of 661.7 per square mile (255.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.38% White, 45.45% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.70% of the population.

There were 6,498 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89.

The age distribution was 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,441, and the median income for a family was $35,321. Males had a median income of $28,530 versus $21,367 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,251. About 14.0% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over. As of August 2010, the city's unemployment rate stood at 20 percent.^[62]

Economy

The city's chief industry for many early years was the manufacture of plug chewing tobacco. The Henry County area became known as the "plug tobacco capital of the world".^[63] In the wake of the collapse of the plantation economy following the American Civil War, the local economy was reeling. Stepping into the breach were several thriving plug firms which sold their merchandise across the nation beginning in the nineteenth century.

Local families were heavily involved in these companies, bestowing their names on them and reaping sizeable profits until the early twentieth century, when the tobacco monopolies created by R.J. Reynolds and James Buchanan Duke bought out most firms.^[64] (In most cases, in bold anti-competitive moves, the two tobacco titans simply shut down their acquisitions overnight.^[65] These actions resulted in a U.S. government lawsuit against American Tobacco Company.^[66]) Among the earliest of these firms were D.H. Spencer & Sons and Spencer Bros. Other families soon joined in founding other early firms, including the Gravelys, the Comptons, the Ruckers, the Wittens, the Lesters and the Browns.

The city's main industry for a century was furniture construction, and today Virginia furniture makers still reside in the region.^[67]

On the retail front, Liberty Fair Mall opened in 1989.^[68] In 2014, it was renamed the Village of Martinsville.^[69]

On October 28, 2021, it was announced the Colorado-based apparel and footwear company VF Corporation will continue to expand in Martinsville creating 82 new jobs, while investing $10 million into the area.^[70] Other companies such as Georgia Pacific, Radial, Inc., Crown Holdings, and Eastman Chemical Company are also located in the area.^{[71][72][73][74][75]}

Government

Local government

The City of Martinsville operates under a council-manager government.^[76] The city council has five members who serve four-year terms. Every two years, the council elects a mayor and vice-mayor from among its members. An appointed city manager controls daily operations and manages the city's activities.

Current council members:^[77]

• L.C. Jones, mayor
• Aaron Rawls, vice mayor
• Sands Anderson, city attorney
• Tammy Pearson, council member
• Lawrence Mitchell, council member
• Kathy Lawson, council member
• Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides, city manager

Federal, state and county representation

The city of Martinsville and also Henry County is located in Virginia's 9th congressional district and is currently served by Republican Morgan Griffith.^[78] Martinsville is served by one member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Les Adams (R-16th), and one member of the Virginia Senate, Bill Stanley (R-20th).^[79][80]

Politics