Author: Web Admin
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Victory Hall
Victory Hall, later called Victory Theatre, was completed in 1920 on Scottsville’s Valley Street to commemorate the Armistice of World I. It was the dream of Scottsville drama teacher, Marion McKay, to have a setting for dramatic performances and traveling vaudeville and Chautauqua shows. Designed by D. Wiley Anderson, a local architect, the hall was…
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Masonic Lodge
On June 17, 1914, Scottsville Masonic Lodge #45 laid the cornerstone for its current home at 137 Main Street. It was a stirring day in Scottsville with the town band marching down Valley Street, leading Lodge members from their meeting area at Beal’s Hall to the new Lodge site. The first Lodge meeting was held…
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Edith Taggart – Scottsville Central Switchboard Operator
Edith Taggart served as Scottsville’s central telephone operator from 1911 until her retirement in 1950. She was our ‘Central.’ Every Scottsville telephone call outside a subscriber’s party line was placed through her. A caller turned the crank of a magneto telephone and generated a ringing current at Edith’s switchboard. Edith would tap into the calling…
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The Postcard Collection
Before 1907, the U.S. Post Office did not permit writing a message on the address side of postcards. For that reason, many U.S. picture postcards mailed before then had messages written across their fronts. Postcards with a divided back finally were permitted in the U.S. in March 1907; addresses were to be written on the…
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Twilight Tours 2015
Twilight Tours is a partnership between Scottsville Museum and Scottsville Center for Arts & Nature (SCAN). Follow a lantern guide on this historic tour exploring Scottsville’s past. This hour long tour features actor portrayals of characters throughout different periods of Scottsville’s history. Walking Tours take place on Friday & Saturday nights in October. First tour…
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Dorrier Building
The Dorrier Building, located at 280 Valley Street, was built in 1912 by William Dorrier as a general merchandise and feed-grain store. William’s son, Charles Richard Dorrier (1885-1966), operated this store for fifty years under the name, C.R. Dorrier and Company. The second floor of the building was used as a storage area and apartments.…
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Pitts Building
330 Valley Street Constructed around 1910 by J.L. Pitts, this was the site of the Scottsville Drug Company, started by Thomas Ellison Bruce, the first pharmacist in Scottsville. Many businesses have operated at this location over the past 100 years, including general mercantile and several restaurants. From 2010 to present (2026) it has been home…
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Old Canal Warehouse
Built around 1834-1844, the Canal Warehouse is a large, gambrel-roofed building, located along the former James River & Kanawha Canal bank in Scottsville. While river and canal traffic flourished, the warehouse was full of tobacco, grain, and other produce waiting to be shipped to Richmond markets. Scottsville was an important shipping point on the canal,…
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Tobacco Factory
Built around 1840, this large, three-story brick building at 571 Valley Street was a tobacco factory and warehouse as late as 1880. The tobacco brands produced there included ‘Tuberose’ and ‘Mason’s Select.’ Former Mayor Raymon Thacker remembers playing in the upper story of this building around 1915 and noted there were still several tobacco bales…
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The Terrace
The Terrace is a Victorian-style residence on Scottsville’s Jackson Street, built in 1897 by Dr. and Mrs. David Pinckney Powers. Later The Terrace became the home of Miss Susie Blair after her retirement as a Professor of Speech and Drama at Hollins College. Susie was the grand- daughter of the Dr. and Mrs. Powers and…
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