Place Information
|
Martinsville is an independent city located within the confines of Henry County, Virginia. The population was 15,416 at the 2000 census. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry county for statistical purposes. Martinsville is home to the paper clip-shaped Martinsville Speedway, the shortest track in NASCAR stock car racing (0.526 mi) and also one of the first paved "superspeedways", being built in 1947. History
Martinsville was founded by American Revolutionary War General Joseph Martin, who had an estate called Scuffle Hill on the Smith River, on the present-day southern city limits. The city's main industry for a century was furniture construction, and today Virginia furniture makers still reside in the region. Shortly after World War II, DuPont built a chemical manufacturing plant. The booming chemical industry led to Martinsville declaring itself an independent city in 1928, while still retaining its status as county seat. Like many towns across the South, Martinsville suffered its share of racism. In 1949, seven young black men -- the Martinsville Seven -- were accused, arrested, and sentenced to death for raping a white woman, although the death penalty had never been imposed for rape before. The men were convicted by all-male, all-white juries, and no trial lasted longer than a day. The men were executed in Richmond in February 1951. [1] DuPont later built a large manufacturing plant for producing nylon, a vital war material, which made the city a target for strategic bombing during the Cold War. This nylon production jump-started the growth of the textiles industry in the area. For several years Martinsville was known as the "Sweatshirt Capital of the World." In the early 1990's, changing global economic conditions and new trade treaties made Martinsville textiles and furniture manufacturing economically unsustainable. Many firms closed shop and laid off thousands of workers. Currently, the city is repositioning itself long-term as a center for technology development and manufacturing. Due to the local government's inability to fund certain services, in the near future the city of Martinsville may decide to legally convert into the town of Martinsville. Recently, MZM, inc. opened a facility in Martinsville as part of the Cunningham Scandal. Illegal contributions were made to US Representative Virgil Goode's campaign for the purpose of securing government funding to open the facility. The lone high school within the Martinsville City School District is Martinsville High School which averages about 900 students. Its mascot is the bulldog and the school colors are red, black and white. The school's varsity men's basketball team competes in the Virginia AA High School division and won its most recent state championship in March 2006. This victory makes Martinsville High School the only high school in the Commonwealth of Virginia to win 13 state titles. The Martinsville City Public Schools system has 1 high school, 1 middle school, 1 intermediate school, and 2 elementary schools, and 1 preschool. Research Tips
|
