Rocky Mount Historic District

Rocky Mount Historic District covers about 110 acres at the center of Franklin County, Virginia, on rolling Piedmont terrain within view of the Blue Ridge. It has three distinct areas: an "Uptown" government section around the 1909 Franklin County Courthouse and 1934 Art Moderne jail, a "Downtown" commercial strip along Franklin Street beside the railroad tracks, and hilly residential neighborhoods to the north and east. Buildings range from the 1827 Taliaferro Building and the 1828-29 Mount Pleasant to Colonial Revival, Queen Anne and Bungalow houses and small worker cottages. Most of its character comes from the early twentieth century, when tobacco markets, the arrival of the railroad in 1892 and the Bald Knob Furniture Factory, founded in 1903, spurred growth. About 72 percent of the resources contribute to the district's historic character. Facade improvement grants are encouraging the removal of modern materials from older storefronts.