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| The land upon which the city now stands
originally was a wide expanse of meadow land with Chestnut
Creek running through the middle. In 1903, James P. Carico
recruited some of the era's prominent local citizens as
investors in a real estate company. They included Thomas
Felts - a state senator, entrepreneur and detective agency
head; Captain John B. Waugh - a Civil War veteran and
businessman; and Robert E. Jones - another prominent businessman.
The group bought 375 acres of land south of the Blair
community and situated right on the Grayson-Carroll county
line. By fall, the company had persuaded Norfolk & Western
Railroad to extend its line to the new settlement - called
Cairo - and build a new depot. Lots went on sale December
17, 1903, with prices ranging from $25 for a side street
lot to $250 for a corner lot on Main Street. The town
- now called Bonaparte - was laid out in a grid system,
with a "Main Street" running east to west where Center
Street is today. The street was changed to a north-to-south
direction as the town expanded toward North Carolina.
To the south, there were several small towns where the
main industry was picking and processing Galax leaves.
The green leaves, abundant in the area and popular in
floral arrangements, were shipped by rail all over the
country. The town changed its name to Galax in 1905 and
was granted its town charter by the Virginia General Assembly
in 1906. Galax's furniture industry was born at about
the same time as the town. Captain Waugh and other investors
started the Galax Furniture Company to turn the region's
rich timber resources into finished wood products. The
factory and other buildings were destroyed by fire in
1914, but the idea of furniture manufacturing didn't die
with it. In the following years, a number of other factories
were founded, including Vaughan-Bassett in 1919, Vaughan
Furniture in 1923 and Webb Furniture in 1924. From the
start, other industries sprang up. A mirror silvering
company was started in 1927 by John Messer and textile
mills were established in the 1920s. The roads were finally
paved in 1920, after fire and flood wreaked havoc on the
young town. Among the first businesses were Bolen's Drug
Store, a land office, R.E. Jones & Son Furniture, Waugh's
Department Store, the First National Bank and J.C. Matthews
and Company Hardware. The town's first church was built
on the corner of Oldtown and Jefferson streets. It still
stands. The first school was set up in the upstairs room
of R.E. Jones' store. A new brick schoolhouse was built
in 1908 and is now Galax Elementary School. Carico and
Felts built a race track, grandstand and exhibit building
on 20 acres of land south of town (in the area today called
Felts Park) for the first "Great Galax Fair". The park
eventually became home to the town's Old Time Fiddlers'
Convention, started in 1935 by the Galax Moose Lodge.
The event soon moved to Felts Park, where it now attracts
several thousand people each August. Galax's water problems
were finally resolved in the 1940's after a devastation
flood destroyed much of the town. After a request from
Glenn Pless, the Army Corps of Engineers straightened
the creek and reinforced the banks. By 1954, Galax qualified
for city status. The population has remained steady at
around 6,700 since then. The city continued to expand
and develop through the 1970's and 80's. A business strip
along U.S. 58 between downtown Galax and Hillsville also
has prospered, and development has continued recently
with several new shopping and retail centers. This prosperity
made the city modern and convenient, but the new stores
pulled a majority of business away from downtown merchants.
Stores closed or relocated to the business strip and shopping
centers. In 1988, a group of merchants formed the Galax
Downtown Association, a coalition to help reverse the
gradual flow of shoppers from the area. The group lobbied
to have the area qualified as a national historic district
and applied for a grant to improve streets and store fronts.
The mountains, river, music and heritage of the city attract
thousands of tourists each year. Galax has struck a balance
- the city continues to promote its thriving retail and
industrial development while preserving its culture and
natural beauty for both residents and visitors. |
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