Discover Dillwyn

When traveling to Dillwyn, you can choose from several historical points of interest: the Buckingham Training School, the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail, and the town’s railroad history. They differ in scope. The school offers insight into local education history; the trail extends beyond Dillwyn, while the railroad is associated with a specific date and a restored terminal. This lets you choose a focus for your trip rather than treating the different topics as interchangeable.

Education History in Dillwyn

The site of the Buckingham Training School in Dillwyn is now known as Stephen J. Ellis Memorial Park. The grounds include a preserved workshop building dating from 1932. It is one of only eleven Rosenwald-funded workshop buildings constructed in Virginia. The site thus brings together two aspects: the preserved building as a physical landmark and the history of the school site.

From 1924 to 1954, the Buckingham Training School was the only high school for Black students in Buckingham County. This period spans three decades; its geographic scope is the entire county. This context adds the school’s former role to the story of the workshop building. If you are interested in education history, you can connect a specific historic site with its significance in the county.

The Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail

The Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail includes a stop at 245 Camden Street in Dillwyn. The route is a self-guided driving tour that can be started and ended at any point. Dillwyn is therefore part of a larger thematic route, not its designated starting or ending point.

The trail includes 53 stops across 13 counties, as well as in the cities of Petersburg and Emporia. Its scale sets it apart from the single school site: the stop in Dillwyn is part of a broader thematic context. When planning your trip, you can therefore consider whether to focus mainly on the connection to Dillwyn or to explore the trail as part of a longer excursion.

Railroad History and Getting Around

On May 31, 1892, the first train arrived at C&O Dillwyn Station. Another railroad landmark is the historic, restored Dillwyn Station terminal in downtown. It is next to the headquarters of the Buckingham Branch. The arrival date and the terminal offer two concrete points of interest related to the railroad: one marks an event in the town’s history, while the other is a place in today’s townscape.

There is also a clear reference point for road navigation: U.S. Route 15 runs through Dillwyn. Together with the terminal’s downtown location, this describes two different points of reference in town without reducing the railroad history to a single event.

Seasonal Events in December

Family-friendly Santa trains run on the Buckingham Division in December; specific dates may vary. Dillwyn also holds an annual Christmas parade in early December. Both take place during the same season, but they are different activities: a seasonal train ride on the Buckingham Division and a parade in Dillwyn. If you plan your trip around either event, check the dates in advance.

For the broader travel guide: Buckingham County.