Schoolfield School Complex, City of Danville, VA (108-5065-0081)

In the late nineteenth century, Danville added the textile manufacturing element to its already robust tobacco-driven economy. As the textile mills began to grow, they found it necessary to recruit (often unskilled) workers from the mountains of southwest Virginia (and probably North Carolina) to work all-day shifts. As the “mountain folk” (as described by Nell Collins Thompson) moved to Danville in droves, the Riverside & Dan River Cotton Mill Company took it upon itself to construct a mill neighborhood called “Schoolfield Village” (named after the primary founder of the company), where employees would enjoy the benefits of a total community, including housing, stores, churches, fire protection, public works, and educational opportunities. The three buildings of the Schoolfield School Complex, built between 1913 and 1940, significantly represent the heart of this formerly thriving manufacturing community. The period of significance, 1913-1940, represents the period that witnessed the construction of the three architecturally significant buildings within the complex. The Schoolfield School Complex is considered to locally significant and eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C for its progressive and distinctive architecture, particularly the Prairie Style “Building A” designed by noted regional architect Charles G. Pettit, Jr.

Download 108-5065-0081_Schoolfield_School_2009_NR_Final.pdf