The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-26
SOUTH BOSTONANO
ITS En- TE||R.P RISE
Fires and Paniics Have Never
Daunted the Metropolis
Of Halifax.
TOBACCO MARKET;
COTTON INTEREST
Largest Vehicle Factories in the
Soutll-Financial Centre Of a
Rich and Prosperous Sec
tion-Five Strong and
Splendidly Differed
Banks.
TOBACCO MARKET;
COTTON INTEREST
BY FRANK s. wooDsON,
Industrial Editor.

u
Industrial Editor.
SOUTH BOSTON, VA, April 25,-1
have written from here before of the
ancient" history Of South Boston. tell
ing the story OF It's beginning. mile
or more from here, on the south side OF
the Dan River. on the old stage coach
line, when 1t. under the name of Bos-
ton. consisted OF store. an old -tim-
stage road tavern, and stable for the
stage horses. When the Richmond and
DanviIle Railroad was completed, away
back In the Hfties. Boston picked itself
up and moved to this side OF the river,
becoming station on the then new
railway line. When 1t blossomed forth
as post-ofice. the name was made
South Boston. to distinguish 1t from Its
commercial and intellectual competitor
up In New England
From smnll Beginning.
In 1885 the place consisted OF IA rail-
way station and water tank When
the smoke of war cleared away In that
year, the late Captain e. 3. Jeffries
opened country store here, built
comfortable residence for himself and
family, laid off street. or rather i'm
proved the country road from the sta
ton up the hin and across the bridge
on the south side Of the river. He In
v!ted other merchants to locate here,
and Induced two or three small INDUS
tries to come along and get the adj
vantage of railway facilities.
Thus Mr.. Jeffries became the father
OF the town Of South nosron. AS long
as he lived he was proud of his or
spring, and never lost an opportunity
to advance Its interest. He lived to
see it flourishing tobacco market
and commercial and manufacturing
centre. OF which he and all the people
Of Halifax became Justly proud. The
town was incorporated In 1854, when
1t had not 1000 people. Now South
Boston. with It's immediate suburbs.
has population OF something over
1000.
The South Boston of To-Day.
AS wrote 30 fully when was last
here of5the ancient history OF the
town, will not in this letter follow
in detail the story Of its rapid growth
!, for the twenty-eight years of its Wig
orous life, but Just tell simply OF it's
vtgor and importance as mercantile.
tobacco and manufacturing centre OF
to-day. and OF It's Importance as a
financial centre. 1t is the clearing
. house for Halifax county. in which II
Is situated, and for large parts of adj
Joining counties in both Virginia and
North Carolina. Five OF as stron.
banks as do business in Virginia, -four
ish in South Boston. and all of them.
do good business
This Is the second largest bright
tobacco market in the world, or as
President Johnson. OF the Tobacco
Board OF Trade, puts 1t, 1.-THE largest
leaf tobacco market in the world per
capita" BY this means that there
Is no other town on eartl. Of 1000 in
habitants which sells from $4,000, 900
to 100000 pounds Of leaf tobacco per
year at an averag price OF more than
$40 per hundred pounds.
Tobacco is the leading interest, but
woodworking is giving tobacco close
race for supremacy. With the Bar
bour Buggy Company, the Virginia
Wagon Company, the South Boston
Lumber Company, the Century Cotton
Mills. the Century Manufacturing
Company with its large cotton goods
interest and It's immense shirt factory.
the ice factory, two brick, cement and
tile plants and other industries Of
smaller proportions other lines sell
more goods and handle more money in
the aggregate than do the tobacco
warehouses and the leaf tobacco buy
ers and commission merchants, but the
exact figures would probably show
that tobacco is the largest single in
Blessings In Disguiac.
Some wise man. or one who posed
o. SUCH has said that q big fire does
more good to a town in the long run
than 1t does harm. If this be true South
Boston has been unusually fortunate.
In June, 1906. 100000 fire cut a
swath through the busiest part Ct tor me
factories, etc. The people went right
to work rebuilding with better ma
terial and making more attractive
places OF business. Tho waste places
and the gaps left by this fire had Just
been filled when on March IS, 1907
q there came another visitation OF. the
Are fiend. and in a night $3.50, 900 worth
Of property went up In smoke. The
total insurance was Just 100000, and
so South Boston walked. up4in the latter
part OF March year ago to find It's
most important business section an
other pile OF ashes. and the net loss
to the good people was $3.50, 600.
Couldn't be Kept Down.
But these plucky people We're not
discouraged. They again went to
work to rebuild In a better way and to
re-establish the burned-out business on
stronger and better foundations. The
panic came along In the autumn. and
to certain extent retarded and de-
layed building operations, but nobody
went out Of business.
X Building Is still going on, and the
streets in the burned district are yet
crowded with bricks, concrete and
lumber, while the sound of the busy
hammer, saw and trowel is heard on
every hand. IN a very few months
more a charred and blackened wall will
not be-, seen. All of the tobacco es-
Establishments. llave been rebnilt and put
in operation, among them the mammoth
stemming and drying plant Of the
American Tobacco Company and that OF
5sthe r, j, Reynolds Company, said to be
the most complete and best equipped
Continued on Fifth Page,)