Lawrence
McFall
Danville Historical Society
Lawrence
is a 5th generation Danvillian and a lifelong
student of its history.
He
has served on the boards of the Danville Museum
and the Danville Historical Society and as chairman
of the Danville Tourism Board. He is a long-time
member of the Virginia-North Carolina Piedmont
Genealogical Society and the Lynchburg Civil War
Roundtable. McFall currently serves on the Danville
Sesquicentennial Committee.
He is the recipient of the National DAR Community
Service Award and the UDC Jefferson Davis Gold
Medal for historical research.
He is the author of numerous historical articles
and two books. His book, Danville in the Civil
War, won the Henry Timrod Southern Culture Award
and his recent article on Danville’s Veterans
Memorial won a Virginia Press Association award.
A recently released book, Virginia at War 1865
edited by William C. Davis and James I. Robertson,
Jr., contains a McFall essay about Jefferson Davis’s
train ride with his cabinet to Danville and his
week-long stay as Confederate president.
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What
role did Newton's Landing in Danville, Virginia, play
during the Civil War and in the slave trade?
- J. Thrasher, Danville, Virginia
 As
early as 1841, the large expanse of land bordering the
Dan River's southern bank near the town's limits was
being used as a training ground and parade field by
the local militia unit, The Danville Blues. In 1859,
this unit was joined by another, The Danville Grays.
With
the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the parade field
saw extensive daily use with training activities by
both of the local military units. In addition, other
nearby units in transit camped on the site. Military
companies from several North Carolina counties mustered
here at that time, too. In fact, the 11th North Carolina
Infantry was mustered into the Confederate army on the
grounds and departed for Richmond on the nearby Richmond
and Danville Railroad. The local populace came out with
great fanfare on Sundays to witness the parades and
the military prowess exhibited by the troops.
 Following
the war, the site quickly developed into an industrial
area consisting of tobacco factories, warehouses, storage
facilities, and later a railroad terminus.
No evidence can be found that indicates this area was
ever used regularly for slave trading activities. Such
functions as these in smaller communities like Danville
generally took place at or near a government structure
such as the courthouse. Danville's first courthouse
was not constructed until 1873 negating that possibility
in this case.
The name applied to the area, "Newton's Landing,"
was the idea of the Danville Department of Economic
Development in its efforts to promote the large parking
lot constructed there within the past few years at the
terminus of Newton Street north of Craghead Street,
as part of the Danville Tobacco Historical District.
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