Independence, Virginia
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Independence is a town in Southwestern
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 ...
's Grayson County, with a population of 1,001 as of the 2020 census. As the Grayson
County Seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
, it is located 71 miles from
Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...
, the closest city with a population over 50,000, and is situated on Virginia's Crooked Road, a heritage trail celebrating the musical heritage of Western and Southwest Virginia. The town and county are noted for the original red brick 1908 Courthouse at the corner of Main Street (Virginia Route 58) and Independence Avenue (US 21), site of the annual ''July 4th Celebration'' and autumn ''Mountain Foliage Festival.'' In 2021, the town created its first public park in its 115 year history, Town Park, on vacant property opposite the original Courthouse. Town park is home to the ''Independence Farmers Market'', which opens weekly from May–October and online year round. The market uses a timber-frame, white oak, pavilion completed in 2021 in collalboration with the
Timber Framers Guild The Timber Framers Guild (the Guild) is a non-profit, international, membership organization established in 1984 in the United States to improve the quality and education of people practicing the millennia-old art of Timber framing buildings and ...
. Remaining work includes bathrooms, utilities and sitework — as well as a stage. The stage hosts Farmers Market as well as Crooked Road events and is named the ''Uncle Wade Old Time Stage'', after noted musician and Independence native,
Wade Ward Wade Ward (1892–1971) was an American old-time music banjo player and fiddler from Independence, Virginia. He was widely known playing the clawhammer banjo and frequently won the Galax, Virginia Old Time Fiddler's Convention. His instrument, ...
.


History

The Brookside Farm and Mill and the original Grayson County Courthouse are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. The Courthouse features a Richardsonian style by noted architect
Frank Pierce Milburn Frank Pierce Milburn (December 12, 1868 - September 21, 1926) was a prolific American architect of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His practice was primarily focused on public buildings, particularly courthouses and legislative buildings, ...
following his designs Wise County, VA and Forsyth County, NC, and the Southern Railway Station in Knoxville, TN. The design features corbeled brackets and a Flemish gable between octagonal corner towers with roof element. A horizontal course and a cornice wrap the building to a central portico. Some brick from an 1863 courthouse previously occupying the site was re-used as fill inside the walls, with remaining brick arriving from Maysville, Ky., rail-shipped to
Fries, Virginia Fries (pronounced "freeze") is an incorporated town located on the New River (Kanawha River), New River in Grayson County, Virginia, Grayson County, Virginia, 24 kilometers (15.5 mi) north-east of the county seat in Independence, Virginia, In ...
and delivered by ox drawn wagon to Independence. Office furniture was purchased from Richmond. To safely store county documents — birth, marriage, property, and death records — the building included a state-mandated fireproof vault. The county constructed a new courthouse in the 1970s, and the 1908 building was nearly razed after left vacant in 1981, badly in disrepair. Rescued by citizens groups — Grayson County Historical Society and a grass-roots group, People and the Courthouse (PATCH) — and restored. A local businessman, Dan Doyle Baldwin (1933-1994, CEO of Nautilus Fitness) purchased and restored the building, in turn donating it on July 4, 1986 to Grayson County and forming the ''Historic 1908 Courthouse Foundation.'' The courthouse now serves as the Grayson County Art & Cultural Center. ''The Grayson Crossroads Museum'' is now located on the first floor in what was the Clerk's Vault Room and the building accommodates special events and community activities. Open to the public, the Baldwin Auditorium occupies the former courtroom. The 1908 Courthouse is now featured prominently on the Grayson County logo. A
carrara marble Carrara marble, Luna marble to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa ...
Confederate Monument, titled “Parade Rest”, was dedicated in 1911, remaining in place as of 2022. From the 1970s to the 1990s, Independence was home to the Nautilus Fitness manufacturing plant and warehouse at a 56 acre site 709 Powerhouse Road, reaching a peak of 600 employees in 1984. One of Grayson County's major industries, Nautilus was sold to Bowflex in 1997. The plant remains, currently owned by Medfit Systems.


Geography

Independence is located at (36.622906, -81.151735). 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 the ...
, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.1 km²), all land.


Climate

The climate in Independence has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Independence has a
marine west coast climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Independence, Virginia
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Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 971 people, 426 households, and 226 families in the town. The population density was 415.1 people per square mile (160.2/km²). There were 497 housing units at an average density of 212.5 per square mile (82.0/km²). 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 90.73% White, 6.80% African American, 1.24% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.68%. Of the 426 households 19.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 44.6% of households were one person and 27.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.73. The age distribution was 14.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 34.7% 65 or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males. The median household income was $18,264 and the median family income was $30,441. Males had a median income of $21,058 versus $16,705 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,137. About 10.5% of families and 19.5% 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 29.7% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.


References


Further reading

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External links


Town website
{{authority control Towns in Grayson County, Virginia County seats in Virginia