Spencer is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Henry 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 United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It takes its name from its earliest settler, James Spencer Sr., who moved from

Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...

to Henry County with his sons in the eighteenth century. Spencer's son

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

James Spencer, Jr. died of wounds suffered during the Revolutionary War. (On his death, his widow remarried Nathaniel Bassett.) SpencerBrothersTobacco

Spencer was the founding site of the Spencer Bros. Tobacco Company, as well as the D.H. Spencer & Sons Tobacco, both begun by the Spencer family, with operations at Spencer, and later at Martinsville, Danville and elsewhere. The family-owned firm later became one of the nation's largest manufacturers of plug

chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco is a type of smokeless tobacco product that is placed between the cheek and lower gum to draw out its flavor. Some users chew it, others do not. It consists of coarsely chopped aged tobacco that is flavored and often sweetened; ...

with its well-known brand 'Calhoun' and others. The Spencer family built Grassdale Farm, their tobacco plantation, beginning in the eighteenth century. Grassdale, once called "The Homestead," is 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 Spencer family also controlled the Danville & Western Railroad (later merged into the Southern Railway), which stopped in the town, as well as a small collection of other buildings, including a post office, doctor's house and other appurtenances. The family later sold their tobacco company to the

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and headquartered at the RJR Plaza Building. Founded by R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the second-largest tobacco comp ...

in one of the first consolidations in the industry. The firms of D. H. Spencer and Sons and Spencer Brothers agreed in December 1903 to form a corporation with Reynolds in return for stock in the enterprise.

R. J. Reynolds Richard Joshua Reynolds (July 20, 1850 – July 29, 1918) was an American businessman and founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The son of a tobacco farmer, he worked for his father and attended Emory & Henry College from 1868 to 1870 ...

had grown up in nearby Critz, Virginia, and he and the Spencers were bitter rivals. Grassdale Farm was once owned by Thomas Jefferson Penn, who built Chinqua-Penn Plantation outside

Reidsville, North Carolina Reidsville is a city in Rockingham County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. At the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 14,580. Reidsville is included in the Greensboro–High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area of the Piedmont T ...

, where the Penn tobacco-manufacturing interests were located. The Spencer family and the Penn family are related (Jeff Penn's mother was Annie Spencer Penn, and the Spencer coat-of-arms appears above the entry at Chinqua-Penn.) 'Jeff' Penn sold Grassdale to his first cousin Margaret Dillard (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Spencer) Shackelford and her husband Dr. John Armstrong Shackelford, who subsequently restored the home. In addition to Grassdale Farm, the Spencer-Penn School and

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Margaret Spencer Shackelford's sister Mary Holt married

Kennon C. Whittle Kennon Caithness Whittle (October 12, 1891 – November 10, 1967) was a Virginia lawyer and judge who served as president of the Virginia Bar Association and was elected to the Supreme Court of Virginia, Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Biograp ...

, a justice of the

Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrativ ...

, who lived at

Belleview Belleview can refer to: * Belleview (Middletown, Delaware), listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in southern New Castle County, Delaware * Belleview (Harrods Creek, Kentucky), listed on the National Register of Historic Place ...

, built by their shared ancestor

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

John Redd. A third sister, Blanche Spencer, married Julian H. Robertson Sr. of

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...

, a textile company executive, private investor and philanthropist. Spencer is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.

References

External links

The History of Spencer-Penn
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Henry County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia Martinsville, Virginia micropolitan area