Editing Brookneal, Virginia

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Brookneal, Virginia
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Rush east from Foundry, Brookneal.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Rush Street [[Brookneal Historic District|downtown]]
|image_flag               = Flag of Brookneal, Virginia.png
|image_seal               = Seal of Brookneal, Virginia.png
|image_blank_emblem       = Logo of Brookneal, Virginia.png
|blank_emblem_type        = Logo

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = VAMap-doton-Brookneal.PNG
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Brookneal, Virginia
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Virginia]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Virginia|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Campbell County, Virginia|Campbell]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = [[Council–manager government|Council–manager]]
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Kenneth Jennings
|leader_title1            = [[City manager|Town Manager]]
|leader_name1             = L. Craig Hughes
|established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date         = 1908

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_51.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_sq_mi         = 3.59
|area_land_sq_mi          = 3.50
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.10

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1090
|population_density_sq_mi = auto

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_ft             = 568
|coordinates              = {{coord|37|3|7|N|78|56|42|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
|postal_code              = 24528
|area_code                = [[Area code 434|434]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 51-10296<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1463884<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://www.townofbrookneal.com/}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|area_total_km2 = 
|area_land_km2 = 
|area_water_km2 = 
|population_density_km2 = 
}}
'''Brookneal''' is an [[incorporated town]] in [[Campbell County, Virginia]], United States. The population was 1,090 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the [[Lynchburg, Virginia|Lynchburg]] [[Lynchburg metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==

On January 14, 1802, "Brooke Neal" was established by the Commonwealth of Virginia in Chapter 65 of the [[Virginia General Assembly|Acts of Assembly]].<ref name="dls.state.va.us">{{Cite web |url=http://dls.state.va.us/lrc/charters/Brookneal.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=March 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926162207/http://dls.state.va.us/lrc/charters/Brookneal.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was named after John Brooke and his wife, Sarah (née Neal) Brooke, who established a tobacco warehouse which became known as "Brooke's Warehouse".<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?021%20ful%20SJ12ER%20pdf|title=Legislative Information System|access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref> It was located near the boat landing and ferry crossing on the [[Staunton River]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.co.campbell.va.us/Pages/historicresources.aspx |title=Campbell County, Virginia - Historic Resources |access-date=March 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320053751/http://www.co.campbell.va.us/Pages/historicresources.aspx |archive-date=March 20, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The "Town of Brookneal" was incorporated and a charter issued in 1908.<ref name="dls.state.va.us" /> Later to become the smallest [[incorporated town]] in the Central Virginia region,<ref name="townofbrookneal.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.townofbrookneal.com/|title=Home|access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref> Brookneal served as the closest center of commerce for portions of Campbell, [[Charlotte County, Virginia|Charlotte]], and [[Halifax County, Virginia|Halifax]] counties.<ref name="townofbrookneal.com" /> As transportation modes developed, Brookneal's location offered proximity to waterways, roads and [[railroad]]s.

From the earliest days of settlement of the area by Europeans in the [[Colony of Virginia]], through the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] era, and extending through most of the first half of the 19th century in Virginia, waterways were a major transportation resource for commerce.  Roads were primitive and poorly maintained.  Upstream from the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line|fall line]], which marked the western reaches of the [[Tidewater region of Virginia|coastal plain of Virginia]] (and adjacent areas of [[North Carolina]]), canals and other improvements were constructed to aid navigation upriver by [[batteaux]] and other watercraft.  In the later 19th century, railroads supplanted river transportation in the [[Piedmont region of Virginia|Piedmont region]] east of the mountains.

Just south of Brookneal lies the [[Roanoke River]] (also known as the [[Staunton River]]), which flows east to its mouth at [[Plymouth, North Carolina]], and the Atlantic Ocean via the [[sound]]s in eastern North Carolina. Through the efforts of the Roanoke Navigation Company, established with the assistance of both states in 1815,<ref name="oldhalifax.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.oldhalifax.com/county/CatRockSluice.htm|title=Staunton River Tour|access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref> passage was made possible to as far west as [[Salem, Virginia|Salem]] in [[Roanoke County, Virginia|Roanoke County]].<ref name="oldhalifax.com" /> By 1828, boats were traversing {{convert|124|mi}} of "tolerable good and safe navigation" of the Roanoke River between Brookneal and Salem.<ref>[http://www.salemmuseum.org/hist_timeline.html "Timeline"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212225044/http://www.salemmuseum.org/hist_timeline.html |date=December 12, 2008 }}, Salem Museum</ref>

[[Patrick Henry]], the first [[Governor of Virginia]] after statehood, was an early advocate of the waterway.  In 1794 he retired to the nearly 3,000-acre [[Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial|Red Hill Plantation]], located near Brookneal in rural Charlotte County.<ref name="oldhalifax.com" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redhill.org|title=Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation - Red Hill|access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref> (The plantation is now operated as a historic museum known as the [[Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial]]). He established a ferry on the Staunton River to connect Red Hill Plantation with Campbell and Halifax counties on the other side.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

By the 1850s, the new technology of railroads was rapidly overtaking the canal systems in many areas; it provided access to additional places.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginiaplaces.org/rail/|title=Railroads of Virginia|access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref>  In 1887 the construction of the Lynchburg and Durham Railroad began at Lynchburg, passing south through Brookneal. Just south of town, the railroad crossed the Staunton River into Halifax County. It was completed in 1892, and almost immediately was leased to the [[Norfolk and Western Railway]], and merged into it in 1896.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldhalifax.com/county/Nathalie.htm|title=Nathalie, Virginia|access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref> In 1904, the [[Tidewater Railway]] was formed by the industrialist financier [[Henry Huttleston Rogers]], to transport [[bituminous coal]] from southern [[West Virginia]] to [[coal pier]]s on the ice-free harbor of [[Hampton Roads]]. Planned by [[William Nelson Page]] of Campbell County, the right-of-way selected for favorable grades passed along the north bank of the river, crossing the L&D track. In 1907, the Tidewater Railway was combined with the [[Deepwater Railway]] (initially a [[West Virginia]] short line railroad) to form the new [[Virginian Railway]]. By 1908, construction was nearing completion, and the new line officially began service on July 1, 1909. In 1959, the Virginia Railway was merged with the Norfolk and Western. Each later became part of the modern [[Norfolk Southern]] system in the early 1980s.

In the late 19th century, Brookneal became the site of [[textile mill]]s that used the water power of the river. These were important to the Piedmont economy for decades.  The town of Brookneal suffered a series of disasters in 1912, culminating in a fire that destroyed much of the town.  When residents rebuilt, they constructed substantial brick houses to replace many of the old wooden structures.<ref>[http://files.usgwarchives.org/va/campbell/history/chronicles-villages.txt "History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829123736/http://files.usgwarchives.org/va/campbell/history/chronicles-villages.txt |date=August 29, 2009 }}, Campbell County, US GenWeb Archives</ref> Soon, the small town resumed its growth.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Served for many years by passenger trains and freight service on both railroad lines, and later by [[U.S. Highway 501]] and [[Route 40 (Virginia)|State Route 40]], Brookneal developed a diverse economy with manufacturing, agriculture, service firms and retail offerings. The proximity to the river enhanced its recreational opportunities for residents and visitors as well.<ref>[http://www.co.campbell.va.us/Pages/brooknealinformation.aspx "Brookneal Information"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008033056/http://www.co.campbell.va.us/Pages/brooknealinformation.aspx |date=October 8, 2012 }}, Campbell County</ref>

Brookneal has suffered an economic downturn due largely to the dissolution of the Virginia Tobacco Co-Op, which made tobacco warehouses defunct, and the late-20th century decline of the American textile industry, which resulted in the closing of the Dan River mill in Brookneal. The Dan River [[textile mill]] employed nearly 400 workers.

Along with Red Hill, the [[Brookneal Historic District]], [[Cat Rock Sluice of the Roanoke Navigation]], [[Staunton Hill (Brookneal, Virginia)|Staunton Hill]], and [[Westview (Brookneal, Virginia)|Westview]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Brookneal is located at {{coord|37|3|7|N|78|56|42|W|type:city}} (37.052001, -78.944958).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|9.4|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|9.1|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.3|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 3.31%, is water.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 504
|1920= 583
|1930= 692
|1940= 736
|1950= 883
|1960= 1070
|1970= 1037
|1980= 1454
|1990= 1344
|2000= 1259
|2010= 1112
|2020= 1090
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2019CenPopScriptOnlyDirtyFixDoNotUse">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|date=May 24, 2020|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
As of the [[census]] of 2020, there were 1,090 people residing in the town. There were 526 housing units. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|racial makeup]] of the town was 62.3% [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]], 32.2% [[African Americans|African American or Black]], 1.0% [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]], 0.0% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], 1.2% from other races, and 3.3% from [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]]. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race were 1.2% of the population.

===2010 census===
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,112 people residing in the town.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Brookneal town, Virginia |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=February 14, 2012 }}</ref> There were 567 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 62.1% White, 36.3% African American or Black, 0.2% American Indian, 0.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population. 

===2000 census===
As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,259 people, 509 households, and 325 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was 360.0 people per square mile (138.9/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 580 housing units at an average density of 165.8 per square mile (64.0/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 63.78% White, 34.71% African American, 0.56% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.

There were 509 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 79.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.

From the 2009 census data, the median income for a household in the town was $31,824, and the median income for a family was $42,779.  The [[per capita income]] for the town was $17,248. About 15.2% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
Brookneal operates a [[Council–manager government|council–manager]] form of government. Brookneal Town Council is composed of a mayor and six council members.<ref>{{cite web |title=Town Council Members |url=https://www.townofbrookneal.com/council/town-council-members |website=Town of Brookneal |publisher=Town of Brookneal |access-date=19 January 2025}}</ref>

Brookneal is part of [[Virginia's 5th congressional district]].

==Education==
The town is served by [[Campbell County Public Schools (Virginia)|Campbell County Public Schools]]. Public school students residing in Brookneal are zoned to attend Brookneal Elementary School and William Campbell Combined School.

==Climate==
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Brookneal has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=280144&cityname=Brookneal,%20Virginia,%20United%20States%20of%20America&units=|title=Brookneal, Virginia Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Brookneal, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1953–present)
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 74
|Feb record high F = 82
|Mar record high F = 88
|Apr record high F = 94
|May record high F = 94
|Jun record high F = 103
|Jul record high F = 103
|Aug record high F = 105
|Sep record high F = 99
|Oct record high F = 97
|Nov record high F = 84
|Dec record high F = 77
|year record high F = 105
|Jan high F = 47.6
|Feb high F = 51.6
|Mar high F = 59.9
|Apr high F = 70.9
|May high F = 78.2
|Jun high F = 85.5
|Jul high F = 88.3
|Aug high F = 87.2
|Sep high F = 80.9
|Oct high F = 70.5
|Nov high F = 59.9
|Dec high F = 51.0
|year high F = 69.3
|Jan mean F = 35.9
|Feb mean F = 38.9
|Mar mean F = 45.9
|Apr mean F = 56.2
|May mean F = 64.9
|Jun mean F = 72.9
|Jul mean F = 76.6
|Aug mean F = 75.5
|Sep mean F = 68.6
|Oct mean F = 56.9
|Nov mean F = 46.1
|Dec mean F = 39.0
|year mean F = 56.4
|Jan low F = 24.2
|Feb low F = 26.2
|Mar low F = 31.9
|Apr low F = 41.5
|May low F = 51.6
|Jun low F = 60.3
|Jul low F = 65.0
|Aug low F = 63.8
|Sep low F = 56.4
|Oct low F = 43.2
|Nov low F = 32.2
|Dec low F = 27.1
|year low F = 43.6
|Jan record low F = −7
|Feb record low F = −9
|Mar record low F = 8
|Apr record low F = 15
|May record low F = 28
|Jun record low F = 37
|Jul record low F = 45
|Aug record low F = 38
|Sep record low F = 31
|Oct record low F = 19
|Nov record low F = 9
|Dec record low F = 0
|year record low F = -9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.73
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.77
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.03
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.39
|May precipitation inch = 4.76
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.13
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.29
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.51
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.27
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.82
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.64
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.66
|year precipitation inch = 46.00
|Jan snow inch = 3.1
|Feb snow inch = 2.3
|Mar snow inch = 0.5
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.0
|Dec snow inch = 1.5
|year snow inch = 7.4
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 9.9
|Feb precipitation days = 9.2
|Mar precipitation days = 10.6
|Apr precipitation days = 10.7
|May precipitation days = 12.0
|Jun precipitation days = 10.6
|Jul precipitation days = 10.8
|Aug precipitation days = 10.2
|Sep precipitation days = 8.8
|Oct precipitation days = 9.3
|Nov precipitation days = 8.6
|Dec precipitation days = 10.1
|year precipitation days = 120.8
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 1.8
|Feb snow days = 1.1
|Mar snow days = 0.6
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.0
|Dec snow days = 0.8
|year snow days = 4.3
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= nws>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=rnk
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 2, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00441082&format=pdf
| title = Station: Brookneal, VA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 2, 2021}}</ref>
}}

==Notable people==
*[[Patrick Henry]], Voice of the American Revolution, one of the Founding Fathers, Governor of Virginia
*[[Charlie Pick]], Major League Baseball infielder
*[[Lewis A. Pick]], Lieutenant General and Chief of Engineers, United States Army
*[[Dagen McDowell]], Business correspondent, Fox News
*[[Buddy Booker]], Major League Baseball catcher

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Virginia towns}}
{{Campbell County, Virginia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Campbell County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1802]]
[[Category:1802 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Towns in Virginia]]