Baldwin often partnered with his brothers to expand their businesses, which included a wide range of services, from housing developments, manufacturing companies, and amusement parks, to baseball grounds, restaurants and the Rex Theater, among a plethora of other venues. The Baldwin Theatre and Drugstore opened in 1922. He also bought a field where he opened a wood yard and began producing cement blocks, which he used to construct his buildings. He returned after the war in 1919 and, within a year, purchased most of a city block of land on Fayette Street, between Moss and North Barton Streets, that would become known as the Baldwin Block. Baldwin was the first doctor from Martinsville to join the service during WWI in 1917. He graduated from the Leonard Medical College of Shaw University in 1910 and moved to Martinsville to assist Dr. Born in Chatham County, N.C., in 1881, Baldwin enrolled at Shaw University in Raleigh at age 13. Baldwin moved to Martinsville in 1910 and became the first African American physician in the city. Located at 141 Fayette Street, Baldwin’s Pharmacy was an important part of a vibrant African American neighborhood. It was home to a variety of businesses, including a pharmacy, offices for a doctor and dentist on the first floor, a small hospital on the second floor, and a pool hall in the basement. This annual musical and dance festival hosted world-renowned African American musicians.įrom Elizabeth Moore, State Archaeologist, VDHR: Baldwin’s Pharmacy, also known as Baldwin’s Drugs or the Baldwin Business Center, was built by Dana O. Baldwin and his brothers founded the June German Ball, which was held at a number of venues in town. This particular block where Baldwin's Pharmacy stood was known as Baldwin's Block from the 1920s through the 1960s. Mary's Hospital (1926-1952), Piedmont Christian Institute (1900-1934), and Imperial Savings and Loan (founded 1929) were pillars of the community. Period photos courtesy of FAHI/VFH Detailed HistoryĪccording to Virginia Historic Marker A107, Fayette Street served as the gateway to the business, social, and cultural life of African Americans in Martinsville since the late 19th century. Now the site of the New College Institute. 141 Fayette Street Martinsville, VA Physical Status

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