Dendron, Virginia

Dendron, Virginia
Town
Location of Dendron, Virginia Location of Dendron, Virginia
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Surry
Area
• Total	3.6 sq mi (9.2 km2)
• Land	3.6 sq mi (9.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	118 ft (36 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	297
• Density	83.3/sq mi (32.2/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	23839
Area code(s)	757
FIPS code	51-22160
GNIS feature ID	1492862

Dendron is a town in Surry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 297 at the 2000 census. Sculptor Leslie Garland Bolling was born in Dendron, as was mayor of Hopewell, Virginia, Curtis W. Harris.

Geography

Dendron is located at (37.044516, -76.934737).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.2 km²), all of it land.

History

Dendron was originally a mill town, built and run by the Surry Lumber Company in to house employees of its sawmill. The village was known as Mussel Fork Village until 1896 when it was renamed "Dendron." The name was derived from dendro the Greek word for trees. The years after 1896 saw rapid growth and expansion of the sawmill and the Town. More people moved to Dendron and additional Company housing built. By 1906, Dendron had a population of 1513 people, 298 dwellings, two hotels, eighteen Company stores and five churches. By 1928, Dendron's population had reached nearly 3,000 people. In addition to those establishments listed above, there was also a post office, two schools, a jail, two banks, two doctors, a skating rink, a movie theater, and a number of non-company owned businesses; such as a drug store, barber shops, garages, cleaning establishments, a pool room, a restaurant, bakery and an ice cream parlor.

The company also operated a narrow gauge railroad known as Sussex, Surry and Southampton Railway that transported logs to its sawmill in Dendron, and lumber to its wharf on the James River. It also offered passenger service to Dendron and other small towns along its route. One of its steam locomotives built in 1891 was sold to Argent Lumber company in 1926. It was later bought by Midwest Central Railroad in 1960. Completely restored it is still in operation as Midwest Central Railroad's flagship locomotive.

By the mid 1920s most the old growth timber in the area was exhausted and the Surry Lumber Company shut its sawmill down on October 27, 1927. With its major employer gone much of the population left Dendron. Since the company owned most of the Town, much of Dendron was dismantled and sold after the company closed leaving the town without its railroad, water system, or electricity. In February 1931 a fire swept through what was left of Dendron destroying twenty-one buildings along Main Street erasing much of what was left of the once prosperous town.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	1,653		—
1920	1,705		3.1%
1930	671		−60.6%
1940	465		−30.7%
1950	476		2.4%
1960	403		−15.3%
1970	336		−16.6%
1980	307		−8.6%
1990	305		−0.7%
2000	297		−2.6%
2010	272		−8.4%
Est. 2014	260		−4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 297 people, 106 households, and 75 families residing in the town. The population density was 83.3 people per square mile (32.1/km²). There were 121 housing units at an average density of 33.9 per square mile (13.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 48.82% White and 51.18% African American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 106 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.40.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 78.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,667, and the median income for a family was $46,875. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,643. About 3.3% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 5.0% of those sixty five or over.

External links

• Dendron Historical Society
• Surry County Public Schools - school complex is about 1 mile NE of Dendron