Travis Hackworth takes an amazing in-depth look at one of the events that has influenced Danville…
The phrase Hell’s Half-Acre was coined in testimony given by a few witnesses of the event during an investigation into the incident. It refers to the quadrant in which the following events took place. From the Arlington Hotel at the corner of Union and Main St. where the former Downtowner Hotel was, over to the original Courthouse which sat about where the present Municipal building is, and back to the Danville Opera House building which most of us remember as the location of Wise-Hundley Furniture.
Race Riot of 1883
Danville, Virginia
by
Jonathan T. Hackworth
In 1879, the Readjuster Party, a coalition of black and white republicans who wished to refinance the state’s prewar public debt at a lower interest rate, won a majority in the General Assembly. Having won control of the legislature the party also became successful in electing a governor in 1881, ushering in a short period of bi-racial government. The Readjuster Party was highly unpopular with those who believed in the superiority of the white race and those who believed that reducing and refinancing the prewar public debt was bad policy. Having the majority the Readjuster Party was successful not only at the state level, but also at the local level in many cities including Danville in 1882. In 1882 the Readjuster-controlled Generally Assembly changed Danville from one voting block into three separate wards, thus creating what was the Danville Common Council. It was comprised of four white Democrats, four white Readjusters, and four black Readjusters; two of these voting blocks or wards had black majorities. This adjustment allowed for racial and political tensions to fester and flare up.
As stated before, the make up of the government within Danville changed following the Readjuster majority. As stated in Edward Pollock’s Sketch Book of Danville;
“Out of the nine policemen four negroes were chosen – something before that time unknown to the history of the Town – two of them acting not only as policemen, but one as health officer, and the other as weigh-master at the public scales and the Clerk of Market, That of the twenty-four stalls and stands at the market, twenty were rent out by the Council ( Danville Common Council ) to the negroes.”
The black majority has become a major source of contention in the city amongst the white merchants and a group of 25 prominent white men within the city created a pamphlet called by many the Danville Circular. This pamphlet listed the grievances of the Democrats in the city against the Readjusters and Republicans in power.
On November 2, 1883 at around 8 P.M. W.E. Sims, a candidate for the State Senate, addressed a meeting of Readjusters in Danville. Originally planning to meet at the Post Office on Main St., a democratic meeting already being held forced the meeting to the front on the Court House, opposite the intersection of Patton St. and S. Union St. ( present day Municipal Building ). Sims severely critiqued the signers of the pamphlet and called them liars, scoundrels, and cowards. Addressing a crowd of around 400-500 black men a few white men (Democrats there out of interest ), Sims drew the ire of the local Democrats and even threats upon his life. Also that night a white man named Noel and a black man named Lewellyn had an altercation near the Arlington Hotel ( former Downtowner site ) with one man bumping into the other. While Lewellyn , by all accounts, tried to settle the issue that night, Noel left the scene without further instance.
On Saturday November 3, 1883 Sims left Danville without harm to him or his person, but a large crowd of black men gathered in the streets; some out of fear for Sims life and others out of curiosity, but all suspected that some altercation would happen. Noel was preparing to leave town when he came into contact again with Lewellyn and two other black men named Lawson and Love. One of the men, Lawson, stepped to the side, tripping Noel, upon which Noel asked, “What do you mean ?” To which Lawson replied “I was getting out of the way of a white lady.” Noel accepted this, however, Lewellyn exclaimed that it didn’t matter whether it’s all right or not. Upon hearing this a a fight ensues. Noel was knocked back into the gutter along Main St. Finding himself outnumbered he left. Noel left to get his pistol, seen walking towards the Opera House ( 326 Main St. ), and was inquired upon by a friend Mr. George Lea, who pressed him to take no further action. Noel agrees.
Around 2:30 P.M. Noel was again preparing to leave town when in passing the Arlington Hotel he again heard one of the men with whom he had the earlier altercation exclaim, ” By God, here I am!” Noticing it was again repeated, Noel become highly agitated. Noe turned his buggy around and proceeded to the Opera House where 500 people were gathered for the Democrat meeting. Noel informed Lea and another man named Taylor that he had again been insulted and he asked them to go along to see that the fight is fair. There is evidence to support that all of the men had Smith and Wesson revolvers and that Noel had a pair of brass knuckles. Around 3 P.M. Noel and his friends found Lawson standing near the Woolfolk and Blair’s Office. Noel beat Lawson severely and left him bloody.
As the fight ensued a crowd or black men gather around them. Noel’s friend with their revolvers drawn warning the crowd to stand back or they would shoot. The crowd, however increased in number; estimated at around 200 men. A black policeman came up and tried to break apart the fight and after some effort the two men were separated and the policeman ordered the crowd to disperse. After they were removed, the large crowd of black men gathered around Noel’s friends as well as some 10-15 other white men. They demanded that they maintain their rights and that they, knowing the inevitable conflict between the two races was upon them, were determined that they just as well settle it that day. After continuing to press the crowd to disperse, the policeman and the other white men aiding him realized that they had lost control of the situation. Hurried messages were sent to the Opera House, and the white men in the crowd fired their pistols in the air.
It is at this point that there is conflicting testimony as to the nature of the firing. Some testimony indicated that the whites formed a line in front of Woolfolk and Blair’s Office and the order was given to fire and firing commenced towards Market St. With estimates of 74-250 shots fired. Witness described the sound like fire crackers in a barrel. The conflict arises in testimony as to whether or not the black men returned fire before the crowd ran. It is conceded that the black men did return fire, however the timing is at question. Not long after the firing began, people flooded from the Opera House. By the time the mass of 500 people reached the street the firing was almost stopped. The event lasting around 2 minutes at most. During the riot seven black men were injured, with four of them dying, and two white men injured, with only one of them perishing later. It was soon after the firing began that the Sergeant of Danville and many prominent white citizens appeared upon the streets to help assist in bringing order. The crowd of black men ran in all directions, both up and down Main St. and down Market St. and Union St. The alarm bell was rung, and the large crowd of excited citizens were gathered together and addressed by Col. Cabell; their Congressional Representative, and order was quickly restored. Military Units, ordered by the governor, arrived shortly there after and the election was carried out successfully.
The Race Riot was precipitated by fierce competition prior to the election between largely white Democrats and members of the Coalition Party, an alliance of Readjusters and Republicans who were supported by many black citizens. It was blown out of proportion by the politics involved and allowed Democrats to sweep the election that year and institute policies of white supremacy, leading to state wide adoption of Jim Crow laws by 1890. In Danville, the results of the riot were immediate. At the meeting of the Danville Common Council on November 7, 1883, three of the black members resigned their seats. Mr. J.B. Raulston, who was president of the council, resigned stating that in light of the events he did not think he would any longer be useful. The black Justice of the Peace and the black policemen also retired from service in light of the events and results of the state election. It wouldn’t be until the Civil Rights Movement and passing of legislation in 1964, to that effect, that members of the black community would again have the opportunity to serve within the city government. In 1963 Danville’s black leaders organized a series of civil rights protests and the city’s racial politics, once again, made front-page news across the state. Danville’s violence on June 10, 1963, an event known as Bloody Monday, which included police beatings of protestors, surprised many Virginians and ran counter to the Virginia paternalistic gentility elite whites long favored in Richmond and in county court houses. The city struggled for years afterward with the court battles as litigation continued until the early 1970s.
Sources:
1. Calhoun, Walter T. “The Danville Riot and Its Repercussions on the Virginia Election of 1883”, in East Carolina College Publications in History, Vol. III: Studies in the History of the South, 1875–1922. Greenville: Eastern Carolina College Press, 1966.
2. Library of Virginia
3. Pollock, Edward “Sketch Book of Danville, 1885”
4. Swanson, Michael “Danville Virginia and the Coming of the Modern South.” 2010
5. Thomas, William G. Television Newsof the Civil Rights Era 1950-1970. University of Virginia. 2005.
6. Report of Committee of Forty with Sworn Testimony of Thirty- Seven Witnesses, &C. Johns & Goolsby, Book and Job Printers, 1883. Original provided by Library of Congress.
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