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Farmville, Virginia

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Farmville, Virginia
Town
Location of Farmville, Virginia
Location of Farmville, Virginia
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountiesPrince Edward, Cumberland
Area
 • Total7.0 sq mi (18.2 km2)
 • Land7.0 sq mi (18.0 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation
351 ft (107 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total6,845
 • Density982.5/sq mi (379.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
23901, 23909, 23943
Area code434
FIPS code51-27440Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1498477Template:GR

Farmville is a town in Cumberland and Prince Edward counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 6,845 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward CountyTemplate:GR. The Appomattox River runs through the town.

Farmville is the home of Longwood University and is the town nearest to Hampden-Sydney College. It is also at the intersection of US 15 VA 45 and US 460.

History

Civil War history

Farmville was the object of the Confederate Army's desperate push to get rations to feed its soldiers near the end of the War. The rations had originally been destined for Danville, but an alert quartermaster ordered the train back to Farmville. Despite an advance of the cavalry commanded by Fitzhugh Lee, the Confederate Army was checked by the arrival of Union cavalry commanded by Gen. Philip Sheridan and two divisions of infantry. General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia found itself soon surrounded. He surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County

Farmville bridge
Picture by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, 1865

Farmville and Prince Edward County Public Schools were the source of Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, a case incorporated into Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark case that overturned school segregation in the United States. Among the cases consolidated into the Brown decision, the Davis case was the only one involving student protests.

R.R. Moton High School, an all-black school in Farmville named for Robert Russa Moton, suffered from terrible conditions due to underfunding. The school did not have a gymnasium, cafeteria, or teachers' restrooms. Teachers and students did not have desks or blackboards, and due to overcrowding, some students had to take classes in an immobile school bus parked outside. The school's requests for additional funds were denied by the all-white school board.

As a result of the Brown decision, in 1959 the Board of Supervisors for Prince Edward County refused to appropriate any funds for the County School Board at all, effectively closing all public schools rather than integrate them. White students often attended all-white private schools called segregation academies that formed in response. Black students had to go to school elsewhere or foergo their education altogether. Prince Edward County's public schools remained closed for five years. When they finally reopened, the system was fully integrated. Prince Edward County Public Schools now operates single Elementary, Middle, and High Schools for all students, regardless of race.

The former R.R. Moton High School building became a community landmark. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Landmark. It houses the Robert Russa Moton Museum, a center for the study of civil rights in education. [1]

Prince Edward Academy was the longest-surviving of the segregation academies, still teaching students in the 1990s; though technically integrated at that point, the school had very few students of color. Prince Edward Academy was renamed the Fuqua School in honor of J.B. Fuqua, a wealthy businessman who was raised nearby and who has endowed the school.

Geography

Farmville is located at 37°17′52″N 78°23′45″W / 37.29778°N 78.39583°W / 37.29778; -78.39583Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (37.297639, -78.395712)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.0 square miles (18.2 km²), of which, 7.0 square miles (18.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.99%) is water.

Farmville is located between Richmond and Lynchburg on U.S. Route 460.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6,845 people, 2,050 households, and 1,074 families residing in the town. The population density was 982.5 people per square mile (379.2/km²). There were 2,294 housing units at an average density of 329.3/sq mi (127.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.07% White, 25.68% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population.

There were 2,050 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.5% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.84.

The age distribution, strongly influenced by the presence of Longwood University, is: 14.7% under the age of 18, 40.7% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 13.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 67.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 63.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,343, and the median income for a family was $33,000. Males had a median income of $30,974 versus $20,764 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,552. About 19.9% of families and 22.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

College and University

Hampden-Sydney College is the 10th oldest college in America, an all-male private school founded in 1776. Hampden-Sydney is located five miles outside Farmville, VA and has an enrollment of 1,200 students. Longwood University is a public school located in the heart of town with an enrollment of about 5,000. Longwood is mainly known as a teachers school and was once called State Female Normal School. This school is known as the mother of sororities because four major ones were founded here Sigma Sigma Sigma, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Zeta Tau Alpha, and Kappa Delta. Longwood University has also just opened a new recreational complex, and in 2007 construction was finished on a 36,000 square foot, four-story complex consisting of retail stores on the lower floor with Longwood dorms above.

Today

Farmville is a growing community mainly because of the rise in statewide and national prominence of Lynchburg, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia. Many residents use Farmville as a “bedroom community” and take advantage of the low cost of living. Some have come from northern states to escape the high taxes. Many Longwood alumni are staying in the community after growing up elsewhere. Farmville has grown so much in recent years that even outlying towns are now feeling the boom.[citation needed]

The historic downtown has just been upgraded with the addition of brick sidewalks and trees along Main Street. An eight-screen cinema has been completed east of downtown. Every Tuesday and Saturday mornings in the summer near the old train station a farmers market is open, where farmers sell their fresh goods.

2008 also sees the opening of a brand new YMCA behind the new Lowes just recently built as well. This YMCA includes an indoor swimming pool, locker rooms, six large High Definition TVs overlooking a state of the art gym, a children's care center, and athletic fields. There are also family locker rooms as well as a teen center and aerobics room.

Farmville draws shoppers of upscale furniture who love the twelve large warehouses that make up Green Front Furniture Company. Farmville is also a site on the "Lee's Retreat" trail which outlines the steps Robert E. Lee took to escape the Union Army. The railroad that once went through town has been pulled up, and a trail and park is under construction that will include the historical High Bridge, which played a key role in "Lee's Retreat".

Farmville is home to the Farmville Police Department, Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office, and Longwood University Police Departments. The Virginia State Police also has a strong presence in the town of Farmville. Piedmont Regional Jail, serving a six-county area, is also in Farmville. Also a soon to be built Immigration Detainment Facility is going to bring 300 new jobs to the area.[citation needed]

Heart Of Virginia Festival

The Heart of Virginia Festival happens in Farmville the first weekend in May and has grown every year since it was established in 1978. It is called the Heart of Virginia because Farmville sits south of the geographic center of the state (intersection of Route 24 and 60 outside of Dillwyn, Virginia in Buckingham County). The festival includes all the traditional fare and concludes with a fireworks show at the Farmville airport.

First Fridays

First Fridays, held on the first Friday of every month from May to September, feature bands and family events on the banks of the Appomattox River at the edge of the town limits.

Notable residents

  • Maj. Walter Reed, M.D., U.S. Army physician
  • Rapper Lady of Rage was born in Farmville before moving to Long Beach, California where she began her rap career with Death Row Records.
  • J.B. Fuqua (pronounced "few--kwah") (June 16, 1918–April 5, 2006), a businessman, philanthropist and chairman of The Fuqua Companies and Fuqua Enterprises was born in Prince Edward County (Prospect) although resided the majority of his life in Atlanta, GA.
  • L. Francis Griffin, Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Civil Rights Leader
  • LTG Samuel V. Wilson, Former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and President Emeritus of Hampden-Sydney College. Credited for helping to create Delta Force.
  • LTG William G. Boykin, Former United States Deputy Undersecretary of Defense.
  • Chris Ashworth, actor

Longwood University students

References

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