Place Information
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Danville is an independent city in Virginia, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for statistical purposes under the Danville, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Danville is also called the city of churches because it has more churches per square mile than any other city in the state of Virginia. The population was 48,411 at the 2000 census. It hosts the Danville Braves baseball club of the Appalachian League. Dan River Industries, formerly one of the world's largest textile mills, recently closed leaving a large number of Danvillians without jobs. History
Danville was the last capital of the Confederate States of America between April 3, 1865 and April 10, 1865. Jefferson Davis met with members of his cabinet and penned his last official proclamation as President of the Confederacy in the Danville home of Major William T. Sutherlin. During this brief period, Danville was also the capital of Virginia. The wreck of the Old 97 also occurred in Danville. This event was the inspiration for the song of the same name. A mural of the train is painted on a downtown Danville building in memory of the historic wreck. The most violent episode of the civil rights movement in Virginia occurred in Danville during the summer of 1963. On May 31, representatives of the black community met under the name Danville Christian Progressive Association. They marched in a body to the municipal building. They were met by police and city workers armed with clubs. The protesters were sprayed with fire hoses and hit with clubs. Around forty protesters needed medical attention. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Danville and spoke at High Street Baptist Church about the brutality of the police force. He called it the worst police brutality he had seen in the South. The same year the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee led a protest at the Howard Johnson Hotel and restaurant on Route 29. The hotel was known for discriminating towards African-Americans. Research Tips
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