MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Patchwork 250 is a new initiative from WSLS 10 that tells Virginia’s story, one piece at a time. Like a quilt made of many patches, every person, story, and tradition adds something special to our history. Join us as we celebrate 250 years by sharing the stories that make our region unique, one patch at a time.
At first glance, Fayette Street might look like any other street in Martinsville. But take a closer look, and you’ll find a corridor that helped shape a generation in Southside Virginia. Charisse Hairston, executive director of the Fayette Area Historical Initiative (FAHI) Museum, knows this history well. She noted that, at one point, this area had the most millionaires per capita.
“This was like the mecca where you would have seen most of your Black-owned businesses, your barbershops, your theaters, your pharmacies, anything like that, your hospital,” Hairston said.
At its height, people came from miles away just to experience what many referred to as the Black Wall Street of Southside Virginia.
“They would get bused here to the city to come to like Dr. Baldwin’s Pharmacy, where they could get their medicine and then also get a good cheeseburger and some ice cream,” Hairston explained.
To many, the corridor was not only an escape from the harsh realities of the Jim Crow era, but also a safe haven in a society where African Americans were systematically treated as less than. It offered a glimpse of the country so many yearned to see.
“It was important to the community as a whole because it showed the potential of what an area could really be and develop, even in adversity.”
Many of the corridor’s businesses were a part of the Green Book, a nationwide travel guide for African Americans traveling through segregated states listing safe businesses to stop at.
“If you didn’t have those Black-owned businesses that open and provided those services, they lacked a lot.”
Now, as the city continues to transform, Hairston feels lessons from the past can help shape the city’s future.
“It’s hard to go to revitalization when people don’t really understand the culture of what used to be here, and that’s why it’s so important that you have your local museums.”
It’s a culture that Hairston hopes to preserve for generations to come.
“If you take the time to learn the history of the area, particularly the Black history, I say that it’s a history wrapped in resilience. Then you understand that if it’s not here, make it. If it’s available, create it. Learn what these people did. Learn the fight and the struggle that they had.”
The lessons and progress of Martinsville’s Fayette Street corridor are forever enshrined in the buildings, preserving a legacy for generations to come.
Want to discover more stories that make Virginia unique? Visit the Patchwork 250 page to explore the full quilt of our region’s history, one patch at a time.