Pittsville, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Pittsville is an unincorporated community in Pittsylvania County
, in the U.S. state
of Virginia
.
, Peaks of Otter
and The Blue Ridge Mountains
. The real estate market has seen recent interest because of increased development on nearby Leesville Lake
and Smith Mountain Lake
. Pittsville also has many small family operated businesses, like a licensed electrical contractor and a marine service.
. Early mineral prospectors found iron ore in the form of Brown Hematite and magnetic ore in the 1860s and in 1878 the Franklin and Pittsylvania Railroad was chartered as a means of transporting the ore to market. The population at this time was approximately 80 persons. At the same time a 7 mile section of track was laid by the Washington City, Virginia Midland & Great Southern Railroad to connect Pittsville with Franklin Junction (Gretna). This branch was called the Pittsylvania Railroad. It connected to the Franklin and Pittsylvania Railroad which ran west from Pittsville to Rocky Mount. Around 1888, iron ore supplies were nearly exhausted and the railway was subsisting mainly for transport of lumber. The Railroad later fell into bankruptcy and was abandoned by 1932.
Pittsville today is a small community. As of 2008 the zipcode of its post office included 220 households, and several new developments on Leesville Lake such as Mountain View Shores, Leesville Landing, Parker's Landing, and Eagle Point Shores and part of the nearby community of Brights
.
Pittsylvania County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,745 people, 24,684 households, and 18,216 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile . There were 28,011 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
, in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Economy
Pittsville has a small general store and a Post Office The primary industries are tied to agriculture, forest resources and real estate. There are many spectacular views of Smith MountainSmith Mountain
Smith Mountain is a Mountain range in Northern Pittsylvania County, Virginia, it is the mountain for which Smith Mountain Lake gets its name.Over thirty summits in the United States including:*Smith Mountain , a peak in western Massachusetts....
, Peaks of Otter
Peaks of Otter
The Peaks of Otter are three mountain peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains, overlooking the town of Bedford, Virginia, nine miles to the southeast along State Route 43. These peaks are...
and The Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
. The real estate market has seen recent interest because of increased development on nearby Leesville Lake
Leesville Lake
Leesville Lake is a reservoir in Virginia, the United States used for Hydro-Electric power generation in conjunction with Smith Mountain Lake as a pump storage project....
and Smith Mountain Lake
Smith Mountain Lake
Smith Mountain Lake is a large reservoir in the Roanoke Region of Virginia, located southeast of the City of Roanoke and southwest of Lynchburg. The lake was created in 1963 by the Smith Mountain Dam impounding the Roanoke River. The majority of the south shore of the lake lies in Franklin County...
. Pittsville also has many small family operated businesses, like a licensed electrical contractor and a marine service.
History
Pittsville played an important role in early history of VirginiaHistory of Virginia
The history of Virginia began with settlement of the geographic region now known as the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States thousands of years ago by Native Americans. Permanent European settlement began with the establishment of Jamestown in 1607, by English colonists. As tobacco emerged...
. Early mineral prospectors found iron ore in the form of Brown Hematite and magnetic ore in the 1860s and in 1878 the Franklin and Pittsylvania Railroad was chartered as a means of transporting the ore to market. The population at this time was approximately 80 persons. At the same time a 7 mile section of track was laid by the Washington City, Virginia Midland & Great Southern Railroad to connect Pittsville with Franklin Junction (Gretna). This branch was called the Pittsylvania Railroad. It connected to the Franklin and Pittsylvania Railroad which ran west from Pittsville to Rocky Mount. Around 1888, iron ore supplies were nearly exhausted and the railway was subsisting mainly for transport of lumber. The Railroad later fell into bankruptcy and was abandoned by 1932.
Pittsville today is a small community. As of 2008 the zipcode of its post office included 220 households, and several new developments on Leesville Lake such as Mountain View Shores, Leesville Landing, Parker's Landing, and Eagle Point Shores and part of the nearby community of Brights
Brights, Virginia
Brights is an unincorporated community in Pittsylvania County, in the U.S. state of Virginia.-Reference:...
.