As Martinsville prepares for Baldwin anniversary, a look at the man behind the name

A one-time teacher, farmhand, soldier and, for a time, Martinsville’s sole Black doctor, Dr. Dana Baldwin made such an impact on his adopted home that his name still carries weight, decades after his death.

It was his role as entrepreneur and founder of a Black business district that convinced officials to make the city’s most recognizable landmark his namesake.

September marks 10 years since the Baldwin Building in Martinsville was constructed and named after Dana Baldwin. Standing at three stories and encompassing 52,000 square feet, the Baldwin Building is one of the city’s more recognizable landmarks. Not only housing the New College Institute, the building is the venue of choice for a litany of community and professional events.

Construction was completed in 2014, and the New College Institute moved into the building that same year. Officials said it was an honor to name the building after someone who had such a strong impact in the area.

Baldwin was born in Chatham in 1881. He went on to graduate from Shaw University and to serve in the military during World War I. He was discharged in 1919, and found his way to Martinsville, where he launched his career in medicine as one of the area’s few African American physicians.

He started by opening St. Mary’s Hospital and a pharmacy that served Black patrons during segregation.

It was during this time that Baldwin took a look around his hometown and noticed a gap in amenities for its Black residents and potential to fill that gap. He provided seed money for a myriad of businesses, from restaurants to garment factories. Many were located in and around the area where his medical practice was, and where the Baldwin Building now stands.

“It was next to the corner of Fayette, Moss, Barton, and where the New College Institute is now,” said Holly Kozelsky, director of the Henry County-Martinsville Historical Society. Most people have a vague understanding that the various Black businesses that once stood in the area disappeared at some point, she said, but few know the story about the person who started it all.

It began as a place that would provide medical services to Black residents. Other kinds of businesses eventually opened their doors. After a while, a thriving Black business district took root.

Black-owned businesses not only gave Black residents a sort of reprieve from segregation, they also allowed for the building up of Black-owned capital.

“Some called it the Baldwin Block, some called it the Black Wall Street of this area,” said Charisse Hairston, director of the FAHI African American Museum and Cultural Center in Martinsville.

The phrase “Black Wall Street” was synonymous with Black-owned business districts. Perhaps the most famous was the one that once existed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, prior to its destruction by a racist mob in 1921.

In Martinsville, the elimination of its Black business was a piecemeal process that took place over decades, as businesses were replaced or simply stopped operating. Baldwin, who died in 1972, did not see the district’s ultimate decline. During his lifetime, however, the Baldwin Block was a one-stop shop for almost anything from restaurants to an all woman-operated textile company.

“He was just instrumental … in helping the Black community here at the time,” Hairston said.

Local officials at the time of the Baldwin Building’s commemoration agreed, which is why they made it Baldwin’s namesake. Today, the lobby features a collection of pictures of Baldwin and the business district he helped form.

“Dr. Baldwin contributed so much to the Martinsville community and economy,” said Olivia Garrett, director of institutional advancement at the New College Institute. “To me, it just made sense, this block operated a long time under his leadership and mentorship. Business thrived, and I think it’s great to honor his legacy.”

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