Dendron, Virginia
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Dendron is a town in Surry County,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, United States. The population was 251 at the 2010 census. Sculptor
Leslie Garland Bolling The sculptor Leslie Garland Bolling (September 16, 1898September 27, 1955) was born in Surry County, Virginia, United States on September 16, 1898, the son of Clinton C. Bolling, a blacksmith, and his wife Mary. His carvings reflected everyday ...
was born in Dendron, as was mayor of
Hopewell, Virginia Hopewell is an independent city surrounded by Prince George County and the Appomattox River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 23,033. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Hopewell with Prin ...
, Curtis W. Harris.


Geography

Dendron is located at (37.044516, -76.934737). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the town has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.2 km), all of it land.


History

Dendron was originally a mill town, built and run by the Surry Lumber Company in to house employees of its sawmill. The village was known as Mussel Fork Village until 1896 when it was renamed "Dendron." The name was derived from δένδρον, the Greek word for tree. The years after 1896 saw rapid growth and expansion of the sawmill and the Town. More people moved to Dendron and additional Company housing built. By 1906, Dendron had a population of 1513 people, 298 dwellings, two hotels, eighteen Company stores and five churches. By 1928, Dendron's population had reached nearly 3,000 people. In addition to those establishments listed above, there was also a post office, two schools, a jail, two banks, two doctors, a skating rink, a movie theater, and a number of non-company owned businesses; such as a drug store, barber shops, garages, cleaning establishments, a pool room, a restaurant, bakery and an ice cream parlor. The company also operated a
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
railroad known as Sussex, Surry and Southampton Railway that transported logs to its sawmill in Dendron, and lumber to its wharf on the James River. It also offered passenger service to Dendron and other small towns along its route. One of its steam locomotives built in 1891 was sold to Argent Lumber company in 1926. It was later bought by Midwest Central Railroad in 1960. Completely restored it is still in operation as Midwest Central Railroad's flagship locomotive. Production peaked in 1920, and the company did not replant after it cut trees. By 1925, most of the area's
old growth An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
timber was exhausted. The Surry Lumber Company shut its Dendron sawmills on October 27, 1927. With its major employer gone, the town lost population rapidly, as did nearby Sedley, Vicksville, and Central Hill. The following year, the company began dismantling and selling its equipment and buildings, leaving Dendron without a railroad, water system or electricity.Jack Huber, "The Surry Lumber Company", Virginia Forests available (Winter 2000) at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vaschs/SLCfinal.htm In February 1931 a fire swept through what was left of Dendron, destroying twenty-one buildings along Main Street and erasing much of what was left of the once prosperous town. A decade later, the rival Gray Lumber Company of Waverly, which had long replanted its land with pine seedlings, bought 15,000 acres from the nearly defunct Surry Lumber company, and three other companies soon bought most of the remaining acreage in other counties. The company's headquarters in Dendron was razed in 1970, and the former commissary, converted to a store, burned down in 1989.


Demographics


2020 census


2000 Census

At the 2000 census there were 297 people, 106 households, and 75 families in the town. The population density was 83.3 people per square mile (32.1/km). There were 121 housing units at an average density of 33.9 per square mile (13.1/km). The
racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the town was 48.82% White and 51.18% African American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01%. Of the 106 households 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 25.5% of households were one person and 17.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.40. The age distribution was 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 78.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males. The median household income was $41,667 and the median family income was $46,875. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,643. About 3.3% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 2.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 5.0% of those sixty five or over.


References


External links


Dendron Historical Society
{{authority control Towns in Surry County, Virginia Towns in Virginia