Emporia is an independent city on the Southside of Virginia, south of Richmond and near the border with North Carolina. The independent city is the seat of Greensville County. Emporia has a population of around 6,000.
Emporia initially began as two separate communities. Hicksford started on the south bank of the Meherrin River in 1790, and Belfield started on the north side of the Meherrin River in 1798. The two were combined into Emporia in 1887, and the new town was named after the Latin word for "market". Today, the Hicksford section of Emporia functions as the gevernmental and commercial center of Emporia. Belfield, which flourished after the Civil War with the railroad boom, went into decline when the railroads declined, and the commercial area is largely empty.
Village View, off of Clay Street.
The mansion was built in 1816, and enlarged in 1825. It once was surrounded by a large farmstead.
Houses on Clay Street.
The Main Street United Methodist Church, on Main Street at Church Street. In the background is the Main Street Baptist Church, built in 1978.
The Deal-Weaver House, on Main Street. The house was built in 1907.
Buildings on Main Street. The three-story buildings in this block of structures were built in the 1880s.
Buildings on Main Street in the Hicksford section of town.
The Greensville County Courthouse, on Main Street. The courthouse was built in 1831.
Buildings on Main Street. On the left is the old Citizens National Bank, built in 1922.
The old Merchants and Farmers Bank, on Main Street. The building was constructed in 1902, and is now the Greensville County Historical Museum.
The Hicksford Lodge No. 37 Masonic Temple, on Main Street. The lodge was built in 1905.
Houses on Church Street.
A building on Main Street.
Empty buildings on Baker Street in the Belfield section of town.
The Commercial Building and train station, at Baker & Halifax Streets.
The Commercial Building, on Halifax Street at Baker Street. The structure was built in 1907 and was originally a bank.
The Emporia Train Depot, on Halifax Street. The train station was built in 1900, and originally served the Petersburg & Danville Railroad.
Buildings on Halifax Street in the Belfield section of Emporia.
A house on Valley Street.
A building on Valley Street.
A house on Center Street.
Monumental United Methodist Church, on Southampton Street.
The H. T. Klugel Architectural Sheet Metal Work Building, on Atlantic Street. The structure was built in 1914, and the facade displayed the firm's work.