Editing Martinsville, Virginia (section)

== History ==
Martinsville was founded by [[American Revolutionary War]] General, [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] agent and explorer [[Joseph Martin (general)|Joseph Martin]], born in [[Albemarle County, Virginia|Albemarle County]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=z2VzSg9hfp0C&pg=PA611 ''Virginia: A Guide to the Old Dominion'' (Sixth Printing, 1956). Virginia Writers' Project, Work Projects Administration. p. 611. New York: Oxford University Press]. Books.google.com. Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> He developed his plantation ''Scuffle Hill'' on the banks of the [[Smith River (Virginia)|Smith River]] near the present-day southern city limits. General Martin and revolutionary patriot [[Patrick Henry]], who lived briefly in Henry County and for whom the county is named, were good friends.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/looking-back-on-southside-three-transitions/article_40fdd106-e930-11e7-a12a-6f4f75b1b579.html|title=Looking back on Southside: Three transitions|last=Dorsey|first=Barry|date=December 24, 2017|website=[[Martinsville Bulletin]]|access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://henrycountyenterprise.com/local-author-explores-martinsville-henry-county-history-through-a-new-lens/|title=Local author explores Martinsville, Henry County history through a new lens|date=September 26, 2019|website=Henry County Enterprise|access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[DuPont]] in 1941 built a large manufacturing plant for producing textile [[nylon]] filament, a vital war material. During the [[Cold War]], the city was identified as a target for [[strategic bombing]] by the [[Soviet Union]]. This nylon production jump-started the growth of the textiles industry in the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://greensboro.com/dupont-to-shut-area-nylon-plant-600-people-will-lose-jobs-by-98/article_93c4be91-d53a-529c-b939-186a8c6282fa.html|title=DuPont To Shut Area Nylon Plant; 600 People Will Lose Jobs By '98|date=August 27, 1996|website=[[Greensboro News & Record]]|access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chattanoogan.com/2008/7/20/131774/Remembering-When-The-DuPont-Plant.aspx|title=Remembering When The DuPont Plant Opened 60 Years Ago|last=Shearer|first=John|date=July 20, 2008|website=Chattanoogan.com|access-date=April 30, 2023}}</ref>

In 1947, the paperclip-shaped oval Martinsville Speedway opened. In use by [[NASCAR]] since their inaugural season in 1949, it is still in operation by the racing organization today. The speedway is the shortest oval in NASCAR.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nascarhall.com/blog/martinsville-speedway-turns-75|title=Martinsville Speedway Turns 75|last=Jensen|first=Tom|date=April 5, 2022|website=[[NASCAR Hall of Fame]]|access-date=September 22, 2023}}</ref>

For several years Martinsville was known as the "[[Sweatshirt]] Capital of the World", and in the 1980s it boasted of having more millionaires per capita than any city in America.<ref>Derks, Scott. Working Americans, 1880-1999: Sports & recreation, 2000, page 426.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://henrycountyenterprise.com/martinsvilles-textile-heritage-celebrated-at-founders-day/|title=Martinsville's textile heritage celebrated at Founders Day|last=Hietala|first=Callie|date=March 25, 2022|website=Henrycountyenterprise.com|access-date=July 4, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unityarchiveproject.org/article/organizing-the-souths-sweatshirt-capital/|title=Organizing the South's 'Sweatshirt Capital'|last=Young|first=Denise|date=July 2, 2022|website=unityarchiveproject.org|access-date=July 4, 2022}}</ref>

Business leaders in the mid-20th century, like [[Whitney Shumate]], worked to improve sub-standard housing in Martinsville. He helped clear out a portion of Martinsville called "Mill Town", which had sub-standard rental housing originally provided for 19th century employees of a now defunct cotton mill. New homes were constructed in the neighborhood, built with sound materials and with all city services for the first time. What had originally been considered a depressed civic area rapidly became a center of progress as middle class Black residents finally began to prosper. As an editorial in the local newspaper noted, "One of the projects which won him considerable attention and praise was the instigation of the redevelopment of what was once known as Martinsville Cotton Mill Village. He and associates purchased about 50 houses in North Martinsville, and using private capital rather than federal aid, rebuilt them into comfortably inhabitable homes, making it possible for many persons to purchase homes within their financial range."<ref>Martinsville Bulletin. March 3, 1966. "City Loses Citizen who Helped Make it a Better Community."</ref>

In the early 1990s, changing global economic conditions and new trade treaties made Martinsville textiles and furniture manufacturing economically unsustainable. Many firms closed shop and laid off thousands of workers; the production moved offshore to other countries.<ref>[http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/henry/henry1.html "Threadbare: The Unravelling of Henry County"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120911051202/http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/henry/henry1.html |date=September 11, 2012 }}, ''The Roanoke Times'', 17 August 2002. (August 17, 2002). Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> The city is repositioning itself long-term as a center for technology development and manufacturing.

MZM, Inc. opened a facility in Martinsville as part of the [[Cunningham scandal]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/duke-of-deception/#|title='Duke' Of Deception|last=Rozen|first=Laura|date=January 13, 2006|publisher=CBS News|access-date=February 20, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2006/08/01/pentagon-to-scrap-site-connected-to-scandal-span-classbankheadrep-goodes-earmark-led-to-contract-awardspan/c7e2d982-ba1c-4531-84a1-1e8942a90dce/|title=Pentagon To Scrap Site Connected To Scandal Rep. Goode's Earmark Led to Contract Award|last=Pincus|first=Walter|date=August 1, 2006|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref>

Memorial Hospital of Martinsville (now combined with the hospital in [[Danville, Virginia]] to become [http://www.sovahhealth.com/ Sovah Health].) serves the greater Martinsville and Henry County area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sovahhealth.com/patients-visitors/about-us/sovah-health-martinsville|title=Sovah Health – Martinsville|website=www.sovahhealth.com|publisher=Sovah Health|date=February 3, 2017|access-date=February 20, 2020}}</ref> The earliest local hospital was the 50-bed Shackelford Hospital,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170314224644/http://mhchistoricalsociety.com/Education/Articles/tabid/1398/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15/The-Doctors-Shackelford-and-the-Shackelford-Hospital.aspx The Doctors Shackelford and the Shackelford Hospital, Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society]}}. Mhchistoricalsociety.com (October 8, 2009). Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> founded by Dr. Jesse Martin Shackelford,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110714082415/http://mhchistoricalsociety.com/Education/Articles/tabid/1398/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9/Dr-Jesse-Martin-Shackelford-MD-1869-1941.aspx Jesse Martin Shackelford, M.D., Martinsville Henry County Historical Society]}}. Mhchistoricalsociety.com (October 6, 2009). Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> who was later joined by surgeon son Dr. John Armstrong Shackelford, an early graduate of [[Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110714081736/http://mhchistoricalsociety.com/Education/Articles/tabid/1398/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/10/John-Armstrong-Shackelford-MD-1893-1956.aspx John Armstrong Shackelford, M.D., Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society]}}. Mhchistoricalsociety.com (October 6, 2009). Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> Founder of the Hospital Association of Virginia, Dr. Jesse Shackelford was an early advocate of comprehensive care for state citizens. Shackelford Hospital was sold in 1946, and Martinsville General Hospital subsequently opened with Dr. John Shackelford as its first chief surgeon.<ref>[http://www.martinsvillehospital.org/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID=0CA968CC-A380-49D1-B31C-CF2C520E62AC The History of Memorial Hospital] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829185222/http://www.martinsvillehospital.org/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID=0CA968CC-A380-49D1-B31C-CF2C520E62AC |date=August 29, 2009 }}. Martinsvillehospital.org. Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> In 1970 Memorial Hospital of Martinsville opened its doors, replacing Martinsville General.

===21st century===
In 2008, then [[Illinois]] [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[United States Senate|Senator]] and [[List of presidents of the United States|44th President of the United States]] [[Barack Obama]] held a campaign stop in Martinsville.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://richmond.com/news/obama-to-visit-martinsville-with-warner/article_049f15cf-462a-5645-90b2-e0dbf738c6c7.html|title=Obama to visit Martinsville with Warner|last=Meola|first=Olympia|date=August 17, 2008|website=[[Richmond Times Dispatch]]|access-date=November 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://roanoke.com/archive/economy-key-during-barack-obamas-virginia-trip/article_c5154ec0-1117-514b-8556-920d7d0a82e0.html|title=Economy key during Barack Obama's Virginia trip|last=Sluss|first=Michael|date=June 7, 2019|website=Roanoke.com|access-date=November 17, 2021}}</ref>

On January 2, 2013, Kim Adkins was re-elected as mayor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/breaking-news-adkins-teague-elected-by-council/article_1f7f933d-8f5e-5008-9165-6c54bc843eeb.html|title=Breaking News: Adkins, Teague elected by city council|date=January 2, 2013|website=[[Martinsville Bulletin]]|access-date=September 30, 2023}}</ref>

In August 2021, Virginia Governor [[Ralph Northam]] pardoned all 7 [[African-American]] men of the [[Martinsville Seven]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/martinsville-seven-northam-pardon-virginia/2021/08/31/1dc54a68-09d7-11ec-aea1-42a8138f132a_story.html|title=Northam grants posthumous pardons to the Martinsville Seven, Black men executed in 1951 for rape|last=Schneider|first=Gregory|date=August 31, 2021|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=November 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/31/us/martinsville-seven-posthumous-pardons.html|title=70 Years after being executed for rape, 7 Black Men are pardoned in Virginia|last=Vigdor|first=Neil|date=August 31, 2021|website=[[New York Times]]|access-date=November 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/31/us/martinsville-seven-7-young-black-men-pardon/index.html|title=7 Black men were executed for an alleged rape in 1951, Now they've been pardoned|last=Sgueglia|first=Kristina|date=September 2, 2021|website=[[CNN]]|access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref>

On January 3, 2023, L.C. Jones was elected as new mayor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://henrycountyenterprise.com/jones-rawls-elected-as-mayor-and-vice-mayor/|title=Jones, Rawls elected as mayor and vice mayor|last=Oliver|first=Maddy|date=January 5, 2023|website=Henry County Enterprise|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref>

===Relationship with Henry County===
Martinsville's relationship with Henry County is somewhat complex. Martinsville was fully included in Henry County's jurisdiction until it was declared a city by court order in 1928.<ref name="encva">{{cite web|title=The Hornbook of Virginia History: Cities of Virginia|publisher=Library of Virginia|website=Encyclopedia Virginia: Virginia Humanities|url=https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/cities_of_virginia|date=19 December 2016|access-date=30 January 2020}}</ref> As with all cities in Virginia, Martinsville's incorporation as a city made it [[independent city (United States)|independent]] from Henry County's jurisdiction. Although Martinsville technically remains the county seat of Henry County, nearby [[Collinsville, Virginia|Collinsville]] serves as the ''[[de facto]]'' county seat, as it is where the county's primary administrative and judicial offices are located. However, the future of this jurisdictional arrangement became unclear when Martinsville's city council unanimously voted in favor of beginning the process of reverting from a city to a town (which would reincorporate it into the county's jurisdiction) on December 10, 2019,<ref name="hcrev">{{cite web|title=Martinsville Reversion|website=Henry County|url=https://www.henrycountyva.gov/reversion|access-date=30 January 2020}}</ref> citing economic and demographic concerns.<ref name="wslsrev" >{{cite web|title=After Nearly 70 Years in the Making, City of Martinsville Begins Process of Reversion to Town Status|first=Shayne|last=Dwyer|website=WSLS10|url=https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2019/12/11/after-nearly-70-years-in-the-making-city-of-martinsville-begins-process-of-reversion-to-town-status/|date=11 December 2019|access-date=30 January 2020}}</ref> The time frame for this reversion remains unclear, as the city's petition to revert must first be approved by a three-judge panel<ref name="wslsrev" /> in the state courts, after which begins a complex process of negotiation with the county over the division of responsibilities.<ref name="hcrev" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wset.com/news/local/martinsvilles-reversion-to-town-moves-forward-following-commissions-recommendation-henry-county-virginia|title=Martinsville's reversion to town moves forward following commission's recommendation|last=Crews|first=Daniel|date=October 15, 2021|website=WSET.com|access-date=October 15, 2021}}</ref> On January 11, 2023, the city council voted to end the reversion process.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wset.com/news/local/martinsville-reversion-city-council-votes-ends-process-5-years-after-filing-town-henry-county-january-2023|title=We kept dumping money into a pit: Martinsville Council votes to end reversion process|last=Frolo|first=Caitlyn|date=January 11, 2023|website=WSET.com|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/01/11/city-of-martinsville-votes-to-end-reversion-process/|title=City of Martinsville votes to end reversion process|last=Graham|first=Alli|date=January 11, 2023|website=WSLS.com|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref>

The [[Beaver Creek Plantation]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hairston.org/ui16.htm|title=Beaver Creek, Henry County, Virginia|website=Hairston.org|access-date=June 14, 2023}}</ref>[[John Waddey Carter House]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.virginia.org/listing/the-grey-lady/4757/|title=The Grey Lady – Virginia is For Lovers|website=Virginia.org|access-date=June 14, 2023}}</ref> [[Dry Bridge School]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wdbj7.com/2021/10/02/dry-bridge-school-state-historical-marker-unveiled-martinsville/|title=Dry Bridge School State Historical Marker unveiled in Martinsville|last=Thomas|first=Will|date=October 2, 2021|website=WDBJ7.com|access-date=June 14, 2023}}</ref> [[East Church Street-Starling Avenue Historic District]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://martinsvillebulletin.com/lifestyles/area-houses-recognized-as-historically-significant/article_79aa589e-23cd-11ed-b926-cf3e7c282a88.html|title=Area houses recognized as historically significant|last=Kozelsky|first=Holly|date=September 4, 2022|website=[[Martinsville Bulletin]]|access-date=June 14, 2023}}</ref> [[Fayette Street Historic District]], [[Little Post Office]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://martinsvillebulletin.com/lifestyles/come-visit-the-historic-little-post-office/article_65f31427-ee5a-5926-b993-89ed65cfe2b2.html|title=Come, visit the Historic Little Post Office|last=Kozelsky|first=Holly|date=May 3, 2015|website=[[Martinsville Bulletin]]|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> [[Martinsville Fish Dam]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.virginia.org/listing/martinsville-fish-dam-on-smith-river/237/|title=Martinsville Fish Dam on Smith River – Virginia Is For Lovers|website=Virginia.org|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> [[Martinsville Historic District]],
[[Martinsville Novelty Corporation Factory]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/martinsville-eyesore-may-get-a-new-look/article_604d41bc-b77f-5222-90ae-b6e6c2a5c040.html|title=Martinsville eyesore may get a new look|last=Kozelsky|first=Holly|date=February 28, 2019|website=[[Martinsville Bulletin]]|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> and [[Scuffle Hill]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>