Martinsville

View SlideShow

Martinsville Project
View images from the teachers institute, June German Ball and Fayette Street historical marker.

In 2003, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH) and the Fayette Area Historical Initiative (FAHI) formed a partnership to use the humanities — literature, art, history, music, culture, but in this case, especially local history — to foster community development and re-development in the Martinsville area.

FAHI volunteers, working with staff members from the VFH, collected, preserved and interpreted the Fayette Street experience through oral histories, public forums, teacher workshops, community lectures, and other special programs. In this project, history was used to bring people together, to focus on aspects of the past that should be cared for and remembered.

Now Available

Fayette Street
A Hundred Year History of African-American Life in Martinsville, VA

Request a copy of the publication:
Fahi2009@yahoo.com
276-732-3496

Sponsors

The "Fayette Street Project" is made possible by:

"Working and Playing on Fayette Street”, the first of two exhibits during the project, displayed local history in storefronts along Fayette Street and marked the end of the project's first year. In the summer of 2006, the June German Ball was just one symbol of the culmination of the project in Martinsville. An exhibition entitled Fayette Street: A Hundred Years of African American Life in Martinsville 1905-2005 was on display along with the 120-page exhibition catalog. In addition, a historical marker was also erected to sustain the legacy of the VFH/FAHI project.

All of us involved in the VFH/FAHI partnership viewed Martinsville as a place where the history and heritage of all citizens is treasured and celebrated. The culminating works have brought joy to the local residents and the many hard-working people who have brought this project to its full and final realization.

The Block Remembered

The thumping beat of music from the jukebox at Edna's Café and Grill, a wave from the hand of an Albert Harris High School classmate standing by Reynolds's Barber Shop and Pool Room, the call of a friend from Bannister's Cab Stand, images dancing across the screen at the picture show at the Rex Theatre. Icons for those who remember, but history to those not familiar with Baldwin's block located on the corner of Barton and Fayette Streets in Martinsville, Virginia. Baldwin's block was a lively place from the 1920's through the early 1960's.

Named for Dr. Dana O. Baldwin, the first African American physician to practice in the area, "The Block" stood as a gateway to the business, social, and cultural life of African Americans. Situated along Fayette Street beyond “The Block” were historic churches, schools, homes of African-American community leaders, and the popular Paradise Inn. One long-time resident declared, "You can't beat Fayette Street for living"

Today one's attention is drawn to Fayette Street for different reasons. Many of the original buildings have been razed. An eerie quiet greets one who walks down "The Block". In this atmosphere of quiet the Fayette Area Historical Initiative was created to return Fayette Street to its former vibrancy.

"Working And Playing On Fayette Street" Exhibit

"Working and Playing on Fayette Street" is a self-guided, walking-tour created to mark the end of the first year of a partnership between VFH and the Fayette Area Historical Initiative. It represents shared memories and historical documents--both photographs and stories--collected from people who remember past times in Martinsville. Click on the links below to see images from the recent exhibit. All images are pdf files, and require Adobe Acrobat reader.

Pack Your Suitcase

Program Sponsors