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As Virginia Moore eloquently stated in her book, Scottsville on the James, "Any town's present is a constant adjustment between past and future." Through the 1850's, Scottsville served as an important transshipping point for the Valley of Virginia and local businesses thrived. Great numbers of large Valley wagons unloaded freight there for shipment via boat to Richmond, and then they loaded up in Scottsville with groceries, gypsum, coarse cotton, and woolen cloth. In 1835, Scottsville had nine general stores, five grocery stores, one apothecary shop, a boatyard, several warehouses and livery stables, taverns and hotels. By 1841, the town's streets bustled with out-of-town trade and a local citizenry totaling 1000 people.
To learn more about early Scottsville businesses, please click on each image below for a larger view and more information. |
Business Ledgers of Scottsville Area, 1817 - 1926 | ||||
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Date: 1817 - 1926 Image Number: Turner1822_DSC1122 Comments: Shown at left is the Fleming Turner Daybook, dated 1822-1827, that details the products and daily costs of Mr. Turner's farm in New Canton, Buckingham Co., VA. This ledger is one of approximately 45 historic ledgers of local farms and businesses for the time period 1817-1926, which are preserved in Scottsville Museum's collections. Recently, these ledgers have been photographed and collection finding aids for 20 of these ledgers have been developed. The aids include an inventory of ledger contents, a detailed name index of business and patron names, and our research results on the farm and/or business owner. To learn more about these ledgers and the historical information they contain, please click on the ledger photo above.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Little's White Oil, Scottsville, VA, 1837 - 1866 | ||||
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Date: 1837 - 1866 Image Number: JH547cdJH31 Comments: Shown at left are two bottles that once were filled with Little's White Oil, a horse liniment compounded by Theodore Wallis Little of Wayne County, NY. This liniment was sold by the drug business established by Theodore with his brother, Charles Ebenezer Little, between 1837-1866. Theodore moved to Scottsville in 1842 and traveled extensively to both sell the oil to horse owners as well as to establish agencies for the sale of this liniment. This liniment proved a wonderful cure for sprains, swellings, and rheumatism for horses and man, too. To learn more about Little's White Oil and the Little brothers, please click on the bottle photo above.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Bank of Scottsville, 1852 - 1865 | ||
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Date: April 18, 1861 - 1926 Image Number: Comments: Shown at left is the $10 bank note issued by the Bank of Scottsville on 18 April 1861. The Virginia General Assembly passed an Act to establish the Bank of Scottsville in the County of Albemarle on March 12, 1849. James W. Mason, a notable Scottsville resodent and builder of "Old Hall" was listed as a Director. The Bank was not established until three years later when it was chartered as an independent bank on May 28, 1952. The Bank of Scottsville went out of business at the end of the Civil War. To learn more about the Bank of Scottsville and the money it issued in 1861, please click on the bank note photo above.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Scottsville Courier Details Business and Social Life, 1897 | ||
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Date: 12 August1897 Comments: The Scottsville Courier was first published in 1877 and ceased publication in 1906. The August 12, 1897 edition of this newspaper listed its Editor and Manager as Frank T. Hill; Frank C. Moon was its associate editor and solicitor. This old newspaper listed many familiar family names as well as a glimpse of the business, social, and civic life of Scottsville around the turn of the century. To learn more about happenings in Scottsville in August 1897, please click on The Scottsville Courier sign above.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Valley Street in Scottsville, 1898 | ||
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Date: ca. 1898 Image Number: RollOneNeg14A Comments: Willie Burgess took this photo with his camera pointing north up Valley Street and the James River at his back. See the larger image for a guide to the businesses housed along Valley Street in this time period.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Valley Street in Scottsville, ca. 1900 | ||
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Date: Ca. 1900 Image Number: RollTwoNeg22A Comments: Burgess captured the west side of Valley Street in this photograph, using his panoramic camera with a fisheye lens. Again, see the larger image for more details on these buildings. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Scottsville Town Council, 1900 | ||
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Image Number: RollOneNeg2A Comments: This Town Council, like others before and since, was made up of prominent businessmen. At the time this photo was made, the man in the center of the first row, Peter Foland, was mayor. See the larger image for identities and business roles of each council member.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Coleman Ball's Blacksmith Shop | ||
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Date: ca 1900-1905 Image Number: B64cdB16 Comments: This Burgess stereograph card shows Coleman Ball's Blacksmith Shop at the corner of Ferry and Main Street in Scottsville. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Butler's Harness, Coffin, and Casket Store | ||
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Date: ca 1903 Image Number: BB01cdbb01 Comments: This photograph shows Butler's Harness, Coffin, and Casket Store at 440 Valley Street in Scottsville. The building was also known as Butler's Funeral Home because of its coffin/casket services. John Wesley Butler hand-made the store's coffins and caskets and also drove a horse-drawn hearse for funerals. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Bruce's Drug Store | ||
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Date: ca 1908 Image Number: SD18cdSD1 Comments: Thomas Ellison Bruce began his Scottsville drug store business in 1908 under the name of Scottsville Drug Company. See larger image for more details on the history of Bruce's Drug Store from 1908 to present. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Times Dispatch Touts Scottsville for New Industry, 1909 | ||
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Image Number: not applicable Comments: The industrial section of the Richmond Times Dispatch on 11 April 1909 touted Scottsville as a great place for new business to locate. It claimed that Scottsville was seeking new industries and was one of the best locations for them. The article stated that road material was in great abundance and that local capital was ready to take pot luck with outside cash. Scottsville was noted for being an old-time canal town that had taken on new life by 1909. For the complete article, view the larger image. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Bottles Tell Scottsville's History | ||
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Image Number: JH15bcdJH01 Comments: Shown at left is a William Burgess photo of the Albevanna Spring house in the early 20th century. Albevanna Springs produced an extraordinary water that not only tasted great, but many believed it possessed amazing curative powers. The water, called Ponce de Leon, was bottled and sold in large aqua glass bottles, in wooden crates, as well as paper-labelled quarts. A William Burgess postcard of this spring house listed its water's benefits for complexion, stomach, and kidneys. To learn more about Albevanna Springs water and other products that Scottsville-based bottling companies produced, read Ruth Klippstein's article entitled "Bottles Tell Scottsville's History." For the complete article, click on the image above at left. Copyright � 2020 by Scottsville Museum |
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Opening Day at Scottsville Creamery, 1910 | ||
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Image Number: B242bCDB24 Comments: Shown at left is the crowd standing in front of the Scottsville Creamery on West Main Street during its 1910 opening day celebrations. Scottsville's Post Master, Samuel Gault, began this business venture in 1909 as Scottsville sought new industries in their town, which they felt was geographically situated so as to command good trade from all of Virginia if it produced the goods that the state wanted. To see a larger image and read more about the challenges this new business faced, click on the image at left. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Philip Palm, Scottsville Carriage and Repair Works | ||
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Date: ca. 1910 Image Number: B256cdB25 Comments: Philip Palm, an immigrant from Sweden, ran this Scottsville business the early 1900's. In addition to carriage repair, Palm upholstered furniture, repaired shoes, made coffins, and served as the town's undertaker. Palm's shop was located on Main Street, between today's Methodist Church and the Scottsville Museum. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Miss Hannah Moore's Boarding House | ||
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Image Number: RollOneNeg17A Comments: Built in 1910 on the east side of Valley Street, Miss Hannah opened this two-storey brick house as a Scottsville boarding house in 1911.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Dr. J. P. Blair's Dental Office on Main Street | ||
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Date: ca. 1912 Image Number: RollOneNeg9A Comments: Dr. Joseph P. Blair operated his dental office on the second floor of this white
building, located beside Mink Creek which ran under this bridge on Scottsville's Main Street. In this photo, Dr. Blair stands
to the left of the doorway. In 1912, a little grocery operated on this building's first floor. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Scottsville's Valley Street, 1912 | ||
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Image Number: B406cdB27
Comments: Burgess took this photo facing northwest up Valley Street from the corner of
Main and Valley Street. See larger image for identities of buildings in this photo. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Main Street Businesses Flooded, 1913 | ||
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Date: March 1913 Image Number: RollTwoNeg13A Comments: A rider on horseback wades through the high flood waters on Main Street. This 1913 flood ranked as the 8th highest recorded flood in Scottsville's history; its flood waters measured at 25.16 feet over flood level. See the larger image for identities of these water-logged Main Street buildings. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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The Corner of Valley and Main Streets | ||
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Date: ca. 1913-1915 Image Number: B72cdB17 Comments: Shown here are Scottsville's tranquil Valley and Main Streets in the early 1900's before automobiles changed the landscape and traffic patterns. On the corner stands S. Phillips Livery and just to its right on north Main Street, the Traveler's Rest Hotel. See the larger image for identities of other town buildings. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Laying the Masonic Lodge Cornerstone, 1914 | ||
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Date: 1914 Image Number: B421cdB28 Comments: On June 17, 1914, the cornerstone was laid for the Scottsville Masonic Lodge #45 at 137 Main Street. It was a stirring day in Scottsville with the local band marching down Valley Street, leading Lodge members from their meeting area at Beal's Hall to the new Lodge site. The first Lodge meeting was not held in its upstairs meeting area until the buiding was completed in 1915. The Scottsville Post Office operated on the building's first floor from 1915-1964 when it moved to a new location on West Main Street. In 2010, Coleman's Outdoors store occupies the old Post Office's first floor. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Tending the Bank Books | ||
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Date: ca. 1915 Image Number: B05cdB12 Comments: Susie (Powers) Blair and her sister, Lucy Powers, tend the books in the bank vault at Scottsville's National Bank on Valley Street.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Dr. Percy Harris, Sr. | ||
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Date: 1915 Image Number: RM11ccdRM02 Comments: Dr. Percy Harris, Sr., served nearly fifty years as a general practitioner in Scottsville and a doctor for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. Shown in this 1915 photo, Dr. Harris stands beside his Maxwell car on West Main Street with Valley Street behind him. He used this car to make house calls early in his Scottsville medical career. Dr. Harris made house calls until 1950 and continued with his office practice until the day he died on February 4, 1955.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Edith Taggart, Scottsville Central | ||
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Image Number: B264cdB25 Comments: Edith Taggart served as Scottsville's telephone operator for thirty-nine years until her retirement in 1950. She was born in 1898 and crippled by polio when she was only eight years old. Homebound with an active mind, Edith watched her mother, Nella, operate the Scottsville switchboard and soon became a proficient switchboard operator herself. From age 13 years, Edith worked the town switchboard as our central telephone operator. She was our 'Central' and fondly referred to as the 'Voice of Scottsville' because she knew more about the town than most. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Charles Thomas Moon's Grocery Store | ||
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Copyright � 2021 by Scottsville Museum |
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Scottsville's Post Office and Postmasters | ||
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Image Number: B01CDB12 Comments: (L to R) U.S. Postmaster Samuel R. Gault and his assistant, Ashby Mayo, stand in front of the Scottsville Post Office located in the Masonic Building on Main Street. The Masonic Building was built in 1914 and hosted the town's post office on the bottom floor until 1964 when the post office moved to its next location on West Main Street. Sam Gault served as Scottsville's postmaster from 1893 to 1939; he was succeeded by Ashby Mayo, who retired as postmaster in 1958.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Jacinto V. Pereira, Bank President | ||
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Date: ca. 1920 Image Number: Roll13Neg12A Comments: Jacinto V. Pereira operated the Fidelity Bank on the east side of Valley Street near the corner of Main Street. Shown here in his bank office, Mr. Pereira served on the Scottsville Town Council and built the Travelers' Rest Hotel on Main Street, where he resided until his death in January 1925. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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William Edward Burgess, Scottsville's Photographer | ||
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Date: ca. 1920 Image Number: B419cdB28 Comments: William Edward Burgess (1871-1935) was a photographer and historian, who lived his adult years in Scottsville, Virginia. He was known to all as 'Willie' and worked out of Idylwood, his combination home and photo studio in the eastern part of Scottsville that lies in Fluvanna County. An avid photographer since his teenaged years, Burgess carried his large box camera and tripod everywhere. He seemed determined to photograph everything he encountered, often appearing as if from thin air to take a family portrait or record a town event. See larger photo for more details about his work and family. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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C.B. Harris and Co. | ||
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Date: ca. 1920 Image Number: B11cdB12 Comments: The C.B. Harris Co. was a men's clothing store in Scottsville, located in the old Harris Merchandise building on Main Street. Charles Bascom Harris, Jr. operated this store, which had been under Harris family ownership since it was purchased in 1860 by his grandfather, Miletus Harris. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Snowden and the Scottsville Brick Company | ||
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Date: ca. 1920 Image Number: RollTwoNeg3AcdB3 Comments: The Scottsville Brick Company was once located on Snowden's low grounds, and just across the James River from Scottsville. Snowden's long frontage along the James River contained rich siliceous sand which produced superior quality bricks. The initial company, Scottsville Sand and Silica Co., Inc. was formed on February 21, 1920, and, later that year on December 27th, it was reincorporated as Scottsville Brick Co., Inc. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Piedmont Berry Grower's Association | ||
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Date: ca. 1924 Image Number: B34cdB14 Comments: Members of the Piedmont Berry Grower Association pose in front of their headquarters at the northeast corner of Page Street and West Main in Scottsville. This group marketed their dairy produce and fresh berries for about three years, operating out of an old house on Lot 166. After the Association went out of business, this lot was purchased by Dr. Percy Harris, who tore the old house down. See the larger image for names of Association members. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Victory Hall | ||
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Date: ca. 1925 Image Number: Roll3Neg20A Comments: Victory Hall, later called Victory Theatre, was completed in 1920 to commemorate the Armistice of World I. It became Scottsville's cultural center for over four decades. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Old Canal Warehouse | ||
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Date: ca. 1925-1930 Image Number: B35cdB14 Comments: Built around 1834-1844, the Canal Warehouse is a large, gambrel-roofed building, located along the former James River-Kanawha canal bank in Scottsville. While river and canal traffic flourished, the warehouse was full of tobacco, grain, and other produce waiting to be shipped to Richmond markets. Scottsville used this building on South Street for many different purposes after the canal's demise in 1880. During the 1940's, the old Canal Warehouse even served as a much-loved social center for Scottsville. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Traveler's Rest Hotel | ||
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Date: ca. 1930 Image Number: VL03cdVL01 Comments: This wood-framed hotel was built about 1909 by Jacinto V. Perira on Main Street. It was the leading hotel in town for 67 years and contained 19 hotel rooms with two bathrooms on each floor. The hotel's dining room sat approximately 60 people and with its family style service was a favorite with locals and travlers, too. A disastrous fire in February 1976 burned the Traveler's Rest to the ground. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Pitts' Market on Main Street. | ||
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Date: 1937-1962 Image Number: CG22CG2021 Comments: Pitts' Market, a grocery store, opened in 1937 across Main Street from the Methodist Church in Scottsville. This grocery store
was run by William Robert Pitts and Ruth (Kent) Pitts. It operated in Scottsville until 1962 when the Pitts Market went out of business.
The building eventually was sold by the Pitts to a new owner and converted into apartments which are now called James River Apartments. Copyright � 2021 by Scottsville Museum |
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Jefferson Mills | ||
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Date: ca. 1940 Image Number: RM02cdRM01 Comments: Jefferson Mills, located on the Hardware River approximately 3 miles northeast of Scottsville, was built about 1800. It is a brick structure, four stories high, and the mill originally was run by an overshot wheel that was fed from a stone dam twenty feet above the riverbed. Previously known as Albemarle Mills, it was sold to Peter Fields Jefferson on January 28, 1857. It was purchased by William Thomas Moulton in May 1919 and was a working mill until 1945 when the last miller, William Williams, retired. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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W.F. Paulett and Son, Inc. | ||
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Date: ca. 1940 Image Number: RA21cdRA03 Comments: In 1914, W.F. Paulett and Son, Inc., was built in a lot on Main Street in Scottsville located between
the Scottsville Methodist Church and the Disciples of Christ Church (now Scottsville Museum). This three-story building was a
building supply store that cut lumber for sale to its patrons as well as supplying other building needs. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Laying Cornerstone of Scottsville Plant | ||
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Date: May 24, 1944 Image Number: RT01cdRT02 Comments: Scottsville Plant was built in 1944 by the Defense Plant Corporation to help the nation's war effort. It was designed and constructed to provide tire fabric and was operated by the Textile Division of the U.S. Rubber Company. The cornerstone-laying ceremony for this plant was sponsored by the Scottsville Lions Club and attended by the Governor of Virginia, the U.S. Senator from Virginia, Scottsville's Mayor, a Brigadier-General of the U.S. Army, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, Vice-President of the U.S. Rubber Company, and the Chairman of the Central Virginia Planning Committee. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Thomas Ellison Bruce,Sr. -- Community Leader | ||
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Date: ca. 1945 Image Number: SD341cdSD18 Comments: Thomas Ellison Bruce, Sr., was a popular and successful community leader, serving four terms as Mayor of Scottsville (1935-1943). During WWII, he played an important role in attracting such new business as the U.S. Rubber Company to Scottsville, which invigorated the local economy and doubled an otherwise declining population over the next eight years. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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J.B. Tindall's Groceries | ||
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Date: ca. 1950 Image Number: JT04cdJT01 Comments: J.B. Tindall's Groceries was a small general merchandise store, located at Hatton and a little over three miles southwest of Scottsville. James Benson Tindall, Sr., operated the store from 1906 until his death in 1945; his son, Jim, Jr., took over store management duties until his retirement in 1973.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Snowden Dairy | ||
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Date: ca. 1951 - 1965 Image Number: SDI01cdSDI01 Comments: Snowden Dairy was located on Snowden Farm, just across the James River from Scottsville. In the 1950-1965 timeframe, the dairy operated with 100-225 Guernsey and Holstein milk cows on 600 acres of historic Snowden Farm. The cows were milked using electrically-powered milkers, and most of the cattle feed was produced on the farm. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Robert Lee Bryan, Scottsville Printer and Newspaper Man | ||
Date: 1952 Image Number: Scottsville Sun, June 5, 1952 Comments: Robert Lee Bryan was born in 1909 in Charlottesville, and, at the age of five, he began learning the printing trade from his father, William Whitaker Bryan, who ran a print shop there called the Virginia Printing Company. In 1938-1944, Robert was the "jack-of-all-trades" on the Scottsville News, which was housed in the Old Tavern building in Scottsville. After new owners took over the production of the Scottsville News, Robert opened a print shop in a white frame building just off Main Street and near the Scottsville Train depot. Please click on Mr. Bryan's image above for a larger view and more information about him. Copyright � 2020 by Scottsville Museum |
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James Franklin Dorrier, National Bank and Trust Company Manager | ||
Date: December 1958 Image Number: RS48cdRS08 Comments: James Franklin Dorrier began his banking career as a cashier when the Scottsville National Bank, an independent organization, was started in 1901. Since the Scottsville bank merged with the Charlottesville National Bank and Trust Company in 1934, Mr. Dorrier served in an executive position with the bank. Mr. Dorrier is shown in this photo on his last day of service with the bank, and he retired as manager of the Scottsville branch of the Charlottesville National Bank and Trust Company on 1 January 1959. In recognition of his loyal service to the bank, Henry A. Haden, President of the bank in Charlottesville, presented Mr. Dorrier with a gold watch. Please click on Mr. Dorrier's image above for a larger view and more information about him. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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The Scottsville Sun | ||
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Date: 1951 - 1960's Comments: The Scottsville Sun newspaper was organized in October 1951, thanks to the efforts of Scottsville's Lions Club, and was published by the Amherst Publishing Company. The newspaper's first editor was J. Bernard McDearman, and its first managing editor was Elizabeth Wimer. As a paper dedicated to serving the Scottsville community living in Albemarle, Fluvanna, and Buckingham counties, the Scottsville Sun covered local news and events in addition to publishing columns on subjects ranging from politics, to farming techniques, to housekeeping advice. The paper maintained a circulation of roughly 500 to 1000 readers, and was active from 1951 into the 1960's. To see images of Scottsville Museum's collection of the Scottsville Sun, please click on the newspaper header above. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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The Tavern | ||
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Date: ca. 1969 Image Number: B250cdB25 Comments: The Old Tavern is located on the north side of Scottsville's Main Street and across from the Herndon House and Colonial Cottage. This two-story brick building shows the pioneer split-level composition of a single and double gallery, connected by a covered outside stair. Although the exact date of its construction is unknown, the Old Tavern probably was built in the late 1700's to early 1800's.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Scottsville Flour Mill | ||
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Date: ca. 1974 Image Number: GD01cdGD01 Comments: The Scottsville Flour Mills was a five-story building, located at Main and Ferry Streets in Scottsville. It was a state-of-the-art mill that was built about 1910 and ran with steam. Arthur Thacker managed the mill for Captain John Pitts, its owner, from 1911-1917, until his health worsened due to breathing flour dust in the mill. Later a farm supply business was added to the mill, and two other Scottsville men, Cecil Harman and T. Tyler Robertson, worked for 40 years at the mill.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Two Large Fires Raged On Scottsville's Main Street, February 1976. | ||
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Date: 1976 Image Number: RG07cdRG02b Comments: This photo of the intersection of Valley Street (left) and Main Street (right) shows the Esso Station, run by Gene Johnson, occupying the lot west of the Travelers Rest Hotel. The Omohundro Hardware Co. occupied the bottom floor of the hotel in 1976. On the night of 26 February 1976, a disastrous fire consumed this hotel and hardware company, burning them to the ground along with the adjoining filling station. Two nights later on 28 February 1976, a second fire began on the same block, causing even more costly damage than the first fire.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Hatton Post Office | ||
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Date: 2004 Image Number: CG25cdCG02 Comments: In late 1883, Hatton Post Office began operation at Brown's Landing, a site located three and one-fourth miles southwest of Scottsville. Shown here are the original Hatton postal mail boxes that were in use from 1883 to 1975. Two of the longest serving postmasters of Hatton were James Benson Tindall, Sr. (1909-1945), and his son, James, Jr.(1945-1975). Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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The Dew Drop Inn | ||
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Date: ca. 2009 Image Number: DewDropInn2009.jpg Comments: The Dewdrop Inn at 440 Valley Street (shown at left in ca. 2009) was a Scottsville landmark for many years. It is remembered as a fun high school hangout in the 1950's. On the TV Show, "The Waltons", one character worked as a musician at the Dew Drop Inn in Scottsville. To learn more about the Dew Drop Inn, please click on the Inn photo at left. Copyright � 2021 by Scottsville Museum |
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Tobacco Factory | ||
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Date: 2010 Image Number: CG84cdCG08 Comments: Built around 1840, this large, three-story brick building at 571 Valley Street was a tobacco factory as late as 1880. The tobacco brands produced there included 'Tuberose' and 'Mason's Select.' Former Mayor Raymon Thacker remembers playing in the upper story of this building around 1915 and noted there were still several tobacco bales onsite.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Old Post Office and Griffin Building | ||
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Date: 2010 Image Number: CG85cdCG08 Comments: This building is a two-story, seven bay wide structure build in about 1840 and may have served as an inn during canal days. The left side of the building served as Scottsville's Post Office from 1884 to 1914. The right side of the building was used predominately as a restaurant in the twentieth century.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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The Beal Building | ||
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Date: 2010 Image Number: CG87cdCG08 Comments: The Beal Building, located at 380-398 Valley Street, was built circa 1841-1850 on Lot 148. In 1850, Joseph Beal purchased the east half of the lot 148 on which this large brick building with a slate roof stands. Mr. Beal began his mercantile business in this building, and many Beal businesses were housed here over the following century.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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The Harris Building | ||
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Date: 2010 Image Number: CG88cdCG08 Comments: The Harris Building, located at 474-476 Valley Street, was built circa 1840 as a commercial building with living quarters on the second floor. When her husband died in 1856, Martha J. (Minor) Harris began a millinery and dry goods store here to support herself and her three daughters, Florence, Nannie, and Etta. The Harris women lived above the store. From 1903-1928, Miss Etta Harris operated a millinery store by herself and was renowned for her fancy hats and numerous pet poodles.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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The Dorrier Building | ||
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Date: 2010 Image Number: CG92cdCG08 Comments: The Dorrier Building, located at 280 Valley Street, was built in 1912 by William Dorrier as a general merchandise and feed-grain store. William's son, Charles Richard Dorrier (1885-1966), operated this store for fifty years under the name, C.R. Dorrier and Company. In 2010, the Dorrier building hosts Country Blessings, a grocery and delicatessen.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Old Apothecary Shop | ||
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Date: 2010 Image Number: CG93cdCG08 Comments: The Old Apothecary Shop, located at 510 Valley Street, was built ca. 1832. This two-story brick building served as an apothecary where town doctors prepared drugs and medicinal compounds for their patients from 1876 - 1908. When public demand required the doctors to keep their shop open long hours, they hired a full-time pharmacist named Thomas Ellison Bruce in 1908. The Scottsville Drug Company (later Bruce's Drugstore) was born and operated in this building until 1911.
Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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Scottsville Volunteer Fire Department 75th Anniversary | ||
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Image Number: CG130cdCG09 Comments: On 1 October 2011, Scottsville celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Scottsville Volunteer Fire Department which officially formed in 1936. The town made a concerted effort to keep the town safe from fires beginning with a bucket brigade formed in 1905, and fire hydrants were installed in 1916. That same year the volunteer fire fighters raised enough money to buy two hose reel carts, which were pulled by fire fighters to town fires until the first equipped fire truck was created in 1942. Copyright � 2018 by Scottsville Museum |
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| Scottsville Museum · 290 Main Street · Scottsville, Virginia 24590 · 434-286-2247 | ||||
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Reconstruction took a long time in Scottsville. With the canal damage and deteriorated roads, very
little came to Scottsville markets, and bartering took the place of money when produce did come.
Several Scottsville canal boat owners switched to lumbering and provided crews to lay track. A telegraph line
was constructed along the entire length of the railroad, connecting Scottsville with
the outside world by modern means of transportation and communication. Yet Scottsville
remained a small market town and in 1890 was described as a town of population 362 with good schools,
six churches, grain and grist mills, a bank, and "all the facilities of a country town."
Scottsville businesses received a boost in 1907 when the Scottsville bridge over the James River
was constructed. Two major highways intersected in town, and the modern era of automobile
transportation arrived. Livery stables on Scottsville streets were replaced by three garages.
By 1920, Scottsville's population numbered about 1500, including the immediate surrounding area just outside
the town limits. The town had twenty stores, two large flour mills, an ice plant, a theater, three garages, a braid factory,
two large oil companies, two restaurants, one boarding house, two drugstores, three doctors, one dentist,
two schools, two dairies, one shoe shop, and and two blacksmith shops.
