Danville Revisited

Book excerpt: Situated along the Dan River, Danville is known historically as a major tobacco market in the 19th century. In 1865, Danville was chosen as the last capital of the Confederacy. Prosperity returned after the war with water-powered textile mills, which ushered in a 125-year legacy of Dan River Mills. Recently discovered images take the reader back in time to see Danville as it once was--a thriving boomtown on a major railroad line. Danville features graceful houses of worship along Millionaires Row and other architecturally significant landmarks. For more than a century, local photographers captured the everyday life of Danville through images of early businesses, schools, public transportation, and local disasters such as the Wreck of the Old 97 and the 1911 cyclone. Danville Revisited showcases the rich industrial and manufacturing history of this southern Virginia city.