- source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
- source: Family History Library Catalog
Gladys was first known as "Connelly's Tavern," when it served as a relay post for mail carried on horseback from the county seat at Rustburg and the neighboring villages of Mt. Zion, Marysville, and Brookneal.
Later, the place was known as "Pigeon Run," for the birds that roosted in the dense surrounding woodlands.
The village's first church was located near the old Alexander home in an oak grove, and used by both the Methodist and Baptist congregations. Known as the "Molley's Creek Church," it was destroyed by a wind storm in 1830.
The second church, St. John's Episcopal, was quickly followed by the Methodist's Wesleybury and the Baptist's Mt. Calvary. The latter was eventually replaced by the modern Kedron Baptist Church, on land donated by Richard Morgan.
The first school was a one-room log cabin, overseen by a Dr. Moorman. In 1820, a second room was added. A third was not added until 1913. In 1917, it was converted into Seneca Higgh School.
Among the most prominent early families were:
- Withers (who built the Gladys Inn)
- Moyer (who oversaw the first official post office)
- Haythe (who operated a store)
- Morgan (who owned nearby "Shady Grove")
- Alexander (who owned nearby "Rock Castle")
- Clement (who owned nearby "Oakwood")
In 1890, the Lynchburg, Halifax, and North Carolina Railroad established a station at Pigeon Run. At the suggestion of Major Otey, president of the railroad, suggested the town be changed to "Gladys" to honor the daughter of a major stockholder. The line was later aquired by the Norfolk & Western Railroad.
The Gladys area was historically known for its tobacco and grain production.
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