What You Need to Know About Farmville, VA

The abuse lawyers in Farmville are the proud sponsors of today's article. We encourage you to discover the town of Farmville and learn about its history.

Summarizing Farmville

Farmville is a town in the Cumberland and Prince Edward counties of Virginia. Developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox River, it was formed in 1798. Between 1795 to 1890, the town served as the end of the line for the Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System – a canal system built by enslaved African Americans to transport commodities like tobacco and other cargos from the James River bateau in Farmville to Petersburg, Virginia.

In the mid to late-1800s, the coal mining industry was prevalent in Farmville. In 1833, John Flournoy was the first person to mine coal – a two feet thick seam – near the town. In 1837, The Prince Edward Coal Mining Company was granted a charter by the General Assembly to mine and sell coal in the area. The company operated until the 1880s.

During this time, the Prince Edward County seat was moved to Farmville in 1871. The town was later incorporated in 1912. Throughout the turn of the 19th to 20th century, the economic conditions were different between the people of Farmville. Although there were two times the amount of African Americans than white people living in the town, the latter owned ten times the value of real estate. Israel Hill Hamlet was one of the more stable black communities in Farmville.

Historic Sites

Within Farmville, there are many sites that showcase the history of the town. Visitors of the area can explore:

• The First Baptist Church
  • A historic African American Baptist church that was built between 1855 and 1895. It was the site of many meetings relating to the desegregation of the Prince Edward County schools.
• Farmville Historic District
  • A national historic district that encompasses 246 buildings and one object in the central business district and surrounding residential areas of the town.
• Longwood House
  • A historic house used as the home for the president of Longwood University. It is of the Greek Revival style woodwork and features a Doric order porch.
• Robert Russa Moton High School
  • Named for African American educator Robert Russa Moton, it is now a historic site and museum. The Robert Russa Moton Museum is dedicated to the school's history of being "the student birthplace of America's Civil Rights Movement."
• Sayler's Creek Battlefield
  • Located near Farmville, it was the last major engagement of the American Civil War in Virginia – the Battle of Sayler's Creek.
• Worsham High School
  • A historic high school complex near Farmville. Built in 1927, it was one of the four County schools leased by the Prince Edward Free School system to provide free education for African American students in the county.

All of these sites and establishments have been individually added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) over the years. Another significant site that has not been added to the NRHP is the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery. A number of prominent African American state legislators and civil rights advocates have been buried in the cemetery.

Longwood University

Longwood University was founded in 1839 as the Farmville Female Seminary Association. The public university is the third oldest in Virginia and one of the hundred oldest in the United States. Mainly known as a teachers school, it became a university on July 1, 2002. The school has also been considered the mother of sororities. Alpha Sigma Alpha, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Kappa Delta and Zeta Tau Alpha were established there.

Hampden-Sydney College

Hampden-Sydney College was founded in 1775 as an all-male private liberal arts college. It is the last college founded before the American Declaration of Independence, the 10th-oldest college in the U.S., the oldest privately chartered college in the southern U.S., and the oldest of the only three remaining four-year, all-male liberal arts colleges in the U.S. In 1969, it was designated on the Virginia Landmarks Register. On February 26, 1970, it was added to the NRHP.

Learn more: Visiting Wytheville, Virginia

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