Editing Stuart, Virginia

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

<!-- Images -->
|image_caption            = Historic Patrick County Courthouse 
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

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

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

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = [[Mayor-Council]]
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Ray Weiland

|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = 1792

<!-- 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|archive-date=October 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016234816/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_51.txt|url-status=live}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_sq_mi         = 3.04
|area_land_sq_mi          = 3.04
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2010 United States census|2010]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1408
|population_density_sq_mi = 418.37

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset = &minus;5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST = &minus;4
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_ft             = 1345
|coordinates              = {{coord|36|38|25|N|80|16|26|W|region:US-VA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 24171
|area_code                = [[Area code 276|276]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 51-76256<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|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1500182<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|archive-date=February 2, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010202034200/http://geonames.usgs.gov/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|image_skyline         = Stuartview.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|website                  = {{URL|http://townofstuartva.com}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 2019
|pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2019CenPopScriptOnlyDirtyFixDoNotUse"/>
|population_est = 1271
|area_total_km2 = 7.87
|area_land_km2 = 7.87
|area_water_km2 = 0.00
|population_density_km2 = 161.53
}}
'''Stuart''' is a town in [[Patrick County, Virginia]], United States, where it is the [[county seat]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties|archive-date=May 31, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> The population was 1,408 at the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]]. The town of '''Stuart''' was named after Confederate Gen. [[J.E.B. Stuart]], of nearby [[Ararat, Virginia]].

==History==

===Incorporation (1753–1830)===
[[Image:Stuart va 1800'sb.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Stuart Train Depot, ca 1895]]
The Town of Stuart was first incorporated as Taylorsville, Virginia, in 1792, in honor of early settler George Taylor. Stuart has been the [[county seat]] of [[Patrick County]] since 1791, when the county was organized from territory of [[Henry County, Virginia|Henry County]]. Captain Eliphaz Shelton of the Patrick County Revolutionary War Militia donated the land for the construction of a new courthouse and town subdivided from his plantation.  The [[Patrick County Courthouse]] was built in the center of the town. What is now designated as the Stuart Uptown Historic District encompasses the historic core of the county seat. It includes government, financial, religious, and commercial buildings dating from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries.

===Antebellum (1831–1860)===
By 1850, Taylorsville had grown to include approximately 50 dwellings and businesses. The [[1850 United States census|1850 census]] reported 18 households with 50 adults (including 29 boarders) and 60 children living in the area of the courthouse. Occupations listed included four [[farmer]]s, two [[innkeeper]]s, three [[merchant]]s, [[Lawyer|attorneys]], two [[physician]]s, two [[cabinetmaker]]s, two [[saddle]]rs, one [[Horse tack#Harness|harness maker]], three [[tailor]]s, one [[bricklayer]], nine [[laborer]]s, a [[Clerk (position)|clerk]], a [[mail carrier]], and a [[sheriff]] with two deputies. The [[Danville and Wytheville Turnpike]], the predecessor to the present-day [[U.S. Route 58 in Virginia|U.S. Route 58]], was established in the 1850s. In 1848, the [[Richmond and Danville Railroad]] was chartered, and tracks were completed to [[Danville, Virginia|Danville]] by 1856.

===Civil War, reconstruction and growth (1860–1916)===
[[File:Danville and Western Railway.jpg|thumb|left|175px|Engine, Danville and Western Railway, ca. 1900]]
Following the economic difficulties of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the residents of Taylorsville focused their energies on expanding [[railroad]]s to connect to markets and boost the economy. The [[Danville and New River Railroad]] was chartered in 1873, with the line completed to [[Martinsville, Virginia]] in nearby Henry County by 1881. In 1883, citizens of Patrick County approved a bond of $150,000 to expand the line. The first train pulled into Taylorsville in August 1884. With the growth associated with the railroad, Taylorsville was incorporated as a town in 1884 and was renamed Stuart in honor of Confederate [[Major General]] [[J.E.B. Stuart]], who was born 20 miles west of town in [[Ararat, Virginia]].

Following the completion of the railroad, the town of Stuart continued to grow steadily. The population increased 25% from 300 in 1884 to 371 in 1900. While occupations continued to center around the courthouse functions and the typical needs of a trading center, the [[1900 United States census|1900 census]] reflects the influence of the railroad by recording four railroad employees, eight salesmen, one [[insurance agent]], one [[mining engineer]], and one timber dealer. Five teachers, three hotels, two druggists, and two bartenders also indicate the growth of the town. The construction of the railroad led to the distinction of "uptown" and "downtown" Stuart. The original courthouse village was situated at the crest of a hill. An industrial and commercial area developed adjacent to the railroad, which was located further downhill along the flats of the [[Mayo River (Dan River)|Mayo River]]. "Uptown" continued to serve as the center of the town with the courthouse, churches, school, attorneys' offices, banks, hotels, and stores. The two areas, however, were closely related and interdependent; the town's first [[telephone]] line at the turn of the twentieth century was run between the railroad depot downtown and the Hotel Perkins uptown.
[[File:J. Gurney & Son - J.E.B. Stuart.jpg|thumb|right|175px|General J. E. B. Stuart, namesake of Stuart, Virginia]]

===World War I to World War II (1917–1945)===
Before 1915, no [[Public water system|public water]] or [[sanitary sewer|sewer system]] was available. People gained their drinking water from private [[Water well|well]]s or from nearby [[Spring (hydrosphere)|spring]]s. There were no [[streetlight]]s, and [[oil lamp]]s were used for interior [[lighting]], the roads were [[Road surface|unpaved]] and the [[sidewalk]]s were wooden. After the water system was installed, it was well received. By 1926 the population of the town had increased so much that improvements needed to be made.

In 1916, the Clark Power and Light Company established the first [[electric light]] system in Stuart. Each customer was charged a flat rate of $1.25 per month, and if 300 citizens bought into the system, Clark would allow the lights to burn all night. The Stuart Power and Light Company bought them out, and they were sold to the Virginia East Coast Utilities Company. In 1938, during the Great Depression, the Appalachian Electric Power Company bought them out. Joseph H. Vipperman, a Stuart native, was the president of this company when its name was changed to [[American Electric Power]]. The first [[telegraph]] was installed in Stuart with completion of the railroad here in 1884.

Reportedly the first telephone was operated at the Hotel Perkins. By 1923, ten lines served the county, each with a central; the Stuart central was located in the home of Walter S. Gilbert. In 1937, the Lee Telephone Company acquired all the private lines. In 1974, the [[Central Telephone Company of Virginia]] bought out the Lee Company. Years later [[Sprint Nextel|Sprint]]/[[Centel]] bought them out and now [[Centurylink]] serves Patrick County.

Travel to Stuart was difficult until the first hard-paved road reached Stuart from Martinsville in 1925. In 1929, a nine-mile stretch from Stuart to the [[North Carolina]] state line south was paved and improved. In 1930, the three miles to Cruzes (Cruises) Store was paved, and in 1932, the road was extended to [[Hillsville, Virginia]]. Today, State Routes 8 and [[U.S. Route 58]] serve the town and the county, and other counties along its east-to-west stretch. Route 58 is a four-lane divided highway, crossing the entire [[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|Commonwealth]], as well as Patrick County.
[[File:Stuart Virginia historic marker.JPG|thumb|left|220px|Virginia state historic marker, Stuart]]
By [[1940 United States census|1940]], the population of Stuart had increased to 600 and the majority of the buildings standing today had been constructed. The Patrick County Bank (established in 1890 and later merged with the Bank of Stuart in 1926) constructed its large [[Neoclassical architecture|Classical building]] directly across from the courthouse in 1911. The two uptown churches, Stuart [[United Methodist Church]] and the Stuart [[Baptist Church]], constructed their present-day structures in the early twentieth-century.

[[File:Stuart Mountains.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Stuart nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains]]
[[File:Downtown Stuart Street.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Historical Street in Downtown Stuart]]

===Present day===

Stuart is a town for all age groups. It has a burgeoning downtown and recent retail developments along the Highway 58 corridor. New additions include the downtown rail trail along the Mayo River, a new Farmer's Market located within the heart of town, and new sidewalk and infrastructure improvements along Main Street.

The [[Stuart Uptown Historic District]], [[Goblintown Mill]], and [[Patrick County Courthouse]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Stuart is located at {{coord|36|38|25|N|80|16|26|W}} (36.640197, −80.273940).<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|archive-date=August 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824085937/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of 0.7&nbsp;square mile (1.9&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), all  land.

The town of Stuart is a hilly community within a small valley surrounded by the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]]. The Mayo River runs through the heart of town, down through [[Patrick County, Virginia|Patrick County]].

===Climate===
{{Weather box
|location = Stuart, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1913–present)
|single line = Y
|width = auto
|Jan record high F = 79
|Feb record high F = 82
|Mar record high F = 88
|Apr record high F = 95
|May record high F = 98
|Jun record high F = 101
|Jul record high F = 105
|Aug record high F = 102
|Sep record high F = 99
|Oct record high F = 95
|Nov record high F = 88
|Dec record high F = 86
|year record high F = 105
|Jan high F = 48.1
|Feb high F = 51.9
|Mar high F = 59.3
|Apr high F = 69.6
|May high F = 76.4
|Jun high F = 82.8
|Jul high F = 86.1
|Aug high F = 84.6
|Sep high F = 79.3
|Oct high F = 70.6
|Nov high F = 60.0
|Dec high F = 51.2
|year high F = 68.3
|Jan mean F = 36.7
|Feb mean F = 39.5
|Mar mean F = 46.2
|Apr mean F = 55.6
|May mean F = 63.9
|Jun mean F = 71.2
|Jul mean F = 74.8
|Aug mean F = 73.5
|Sep mean F = 67.8
|Oct mean F = 57.4
|Nov mean F = 46.9
|Dec mean F = 39.7
|year mean F = 56.1
|Jan low F = 25.2
|Feb low F = 27.2
|Mar low F = 33.1
|Apr low F = 41.6
|May low F = 51.3
|Jun low F = 59.5
|Jul low F = 63.5
|Aug low F = 62.3
|Sep low F = 56.3
|Oct low F = 44.2
|Nov low F = 33.8
|Dec low F = 28.3
|year low F = 43.9
|Jan record low F = −17
|Feb record low F = −5
|Mar record low F = 2
|Apr record low F = 15
|May record low F = 29
|Jun record low F = 31
|Jul record low F = 46
|Aug record low F = 44
|Sep record low F = 33
|Oct record low F = 21
|Nov record low F = 7
|Dec record low F = −3
|year record low F = -17
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 4.13
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.15
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.04
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.18
|May precipitation inch = 5.00
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.25
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.36
|Aug precipitation inch = 5.18
|Sep precipitation inch = 5.05
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.50
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.36
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.08
|year precipitation inch = 52.28
|Jan snow inch = 2.0
|Feb snow inch = 2.1
|Mar snow inch = 0.5
|Apr snow inch = 0.1
|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 = 1.7
|year snow inch = 6.4
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 9.6
|Feb precipitation days = 8.6
|Mar precipitation days = 9.8
|Apr precipitation days = 10.4
|May precipitation days = 12.4
|Jun precipitation days = 12.5
|Jul precipitation days = 13.2
|Aug precipitation days = 12.1
|Sep precipitation days = 10.1
|Oct precipitation days = 8.9
|Nov precipitation days = 8.3
|Dec precipitation days = 10.0
|year precipitation days = 125.9
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 1.0
|Feb snow days = 1.1
|Mar snow days = 0.4
|Apr snow days = 0.1
|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 = 0.5
|year snow days = 3.1
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= nws>{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rnk
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 1, 2021
| archive-date = July 22, 2015
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150722235732/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rnk
| url-status = dead
}}</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=USC00448170&format=pdf
| title = Station: Stuart, VA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 1, 2021}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1890= 332
|1900= 371
|1910= 388
|1920= 401
|1930= 588
|1940= 720
|1950= 849
|1960= 974
|1970= 947
|1980= 1131
|1990= 965
|2000= 961
|2010= 1408
|estyear=2019
|estimate=1271
|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|archive-date=April 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420062715/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|url-status=live}}</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|archive-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426102944/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
As of the 2010 [[census]],<ref name="GR2" /> there were 1,408 people, 629 households, and 315 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was 1,301.5 people per square mile (501.4/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 726 housing units at an average density of 698.8 per square mile (269.2/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 86.4% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 8.9% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.8% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.5% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 449 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 42.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,192, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $19,938 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $16,265. About 21.3% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 36.2% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The Patrick County Public School System offers six [[elementary school]]s and one [[High school (North America)|high school]], with Stuart Elementary School and [[Patrick County High School]] lying within the town's boundaries. The [[High school (North America)|high school]], which serves approximately 1,000 students in grades 8–12, is fully accredited with the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]]. Stuart Elementary provides a [[pre-kindergarten]] to seventh grade level education for approximately 500 students each year. The school consistently ranks within the top schools in Virginia in the [[Standards of Learning]] Testing program, as well as many other areas of academic excellence. [[Patrick County High School]] recently became District and Regional Academic Champions, as well as winning a plethora of accolades throughout the academic and athletic fields, such as Regional [[Cross country running|Cross Country]] Champions, District [[High school football|Football]] Champions, Regional [[Women's Basketball]] Champions, and multiple District [[Tennis]] Champions. They too have a proud academic history and were also ranked as one of the top public high schools in the [[Commonwealth of Virginia]]. In their annual public high school rankings, ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' ranked [[Patrick County High School]] as one of the top schools in [[United States|America]].

==Public services==
The town of Stuart has the first [[hospital]] in the [[Commonwealth of Virginia]] to be designated as a Critical Access Hospital. Public water and sewer services are offered to residents in the Stuart-[[Patrick Springs]] area through the Stuart Water and Sewer Plant, as well as a public waste field just outside town. The town does not offer an [[airport]]. The local media outlets are the [[WHEO|1270 AM WHEO]] [[Radio Station]], Cable 5 TV, and ''The Enterprise'', the town's [[weekly newspaper]].

==Notable events==
Stuart has an annual festival, the ''Easter Brothers' Homecoming Gospel Sing'', held every July in Dominion Valley Park. The celebration honors the Easter Brothers, a local group that gained national fame.<ref>Fussell, pg. 131</ref> Stuart also hosts the oldest continuous [[beach music]] festival on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], "Hot Fun in the Summertime" presented by the Virginia Jaycees. Other major attractions include the Virginia Peach Festival, The Stuart Apple Dumpling and Strawberry Festivals, The Stuart Food and Wine Festival, The 4th of July Celebration, The Patrick County Fair, and the annual musical events featured on the Crooked Road Music Trail.

==Notable people==
<!-- Put and keep in alphabetical order by surname; add only persons with Wikipedia articles proving notability and connection to Stuart -->
* [[Gerald Baliles]], 65th [[governor of Virginia]]
* [[Martin Clark (author)|Martin Clark]], author and [[Virginia Circuit Court]] judge
* [[Brad Clontz]], [[professional baseball]] player who pitched six seasons in the major leagues
* [[Beatrice Farnham]], artist 
* [[Turner Foddrell]], [[Piedmont blues]] and folk acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter<ref name="Book">{{cite book|author1=Edward Komara|author2=Peter Lee|title=The Blues Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XQU3AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA334|date=July 1, 2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-95832-9|page=334}}</ref>
* [[Chris Pritt]], member of the [[West Virginia House of Delegates]]
* [[Mary Sue Terry]], first female [[Attorney General of Virginia|attorney general of Virginia]]
* [[Wood Brothers Racing|Wood Brothers]], the [[NASCAR]] team

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
|author=Fussell, Fred C.
|id=080785459X
|publisher=North Carolina Folklife Institute
|title=Blue Ridge Music Trails: Finding a Place in the Circle
|year=2003}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.townofstuartva.com/ Town of Stuart web page]

{{Patrick County, Virginia}}
{{Virginia towns}}
{{Virginia county seats and independent cities}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Patrick County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Towns in Virginia]]
[[Category:County seats in Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1792]]
[[Category:1792 establishments in Virginia]]