VA-Q7D Holbrook-Ross Historic District

Marker text: HOLBROOK-ROSS HISTORIC DISTRICT

The Holbrook-Ross Historic District, named for two major streets, is significant as the first neighborhood in Danville for African American professionals. Lawyers, ministers, dentists and physicans, as well as, business owners, insurance agents, postal clerks, and skilled craftsmen, made it their home in the late 19th century. It grew rapidly during the 1880s following the construction of the Danville School, the city's first public school for blacks. By the turn of the 20th century, Holbrook Street had become Danville's foremost black residential address. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

Department of Historic Resources, 1999