Feeling Like a Million Bucks

You only have drive along Main Street in Danville, VA, to get a feeling of its rich history.

The houses along "Millionaires' Row" were built by the tobacco and textile barons in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of them still stand today.

One in particular, the "Sutherlin Mansion," which is currently known as the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, had an important role in the last days of the Civil War. The house belonged to Major William T. Sutherlin and was the last location of the "White House" of the Confederacy after Richmond fell.

For a week after the fall of the Confederate Capitol, Jefferson Davis and his cabinet retreated to Sutherlin’s home. There, Davis gave his final Presidential Proclamation and cemented the home’s place in our nation’s history.

Today, you don’t have to be a millionaire to experience these ornate homes; just a good pair of walking shoes.

All A-Flutter with Flies Made of Butter

Most of my trips for Journal Communications now are repeats. They’re places I’ve been to in the past and am now on my second or third visit. Each time you visit these communities, you start to learn more and more about them. You also start to find the hidden gems. Those spots that are a little out of the way or even hidden in plain sight.

A few weeks ago, I got to make my third trip to Danville, VA, for the Images of Danville/Pittsylvania County, VA Magazine.

I found a few new things. (New to me because I haven’t taken pictures of them yet.) But, I also hit one of my favorite spots as well.

It’s the Butterfly Garden at the Danville Science Center. If you visit the museum, you may not see the garden on first glance. It’s a little hidden, tucked back behind a caboose near the train tracks that run behind the museum. (Part of the museum is in an old renovated railway station that is also home to the Amtrak station.)

The garden opened its wings to the public back in 1999 and has been educating and entertaining visitors ever since.