Millionaires Row Makes for Spectacular Main Street
Lawson Overby Inn Bed and Breakfast
Thanks a million, tobacco and textile executives of the late 1800s.
Millionaires Row is a long section of Main Street near the heart of Danville that features several blocks of ornate, historic homes that were once owned by wealthy tobacco and textile leaders. Most of the homes have been beautifully restored or are currently undergoing restoration.
The impressive row of stately mansions stretches from the W. L. Robinson House at 753 Main St., to the R. Addkison Schoolfield House at 1124 Main St. An abundance of styles grace these interesting homes, including Georgian, Italianate, American Picturesque, French Renaissance Chateaux, New-Classical Revival and Queen Anne.
Millionaires Row also features five architecturally distinctive churches, which is why Danville is often referred to as the City of Churches.
One of the churches is Main Street United Methodist Church, built in 1868 and located at 767 Main St. The prominent landmark is visible from virtually anywhere downtown, and its unusual Romanesque Revival-style with round towers and turrets has helped place it on the National Register of Historic Places.
Another classic church is the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, constructed in 1879 and situated at 781 Main St. The stucco Gothic Revival structure with arch windows and doors is where Confederate President Jefferson Davis worshiped during the final days of the Civil War.
A couple of other mansions that are prominent along Millionaires’ Row are the Lanier House, built in 1830 for Capt. James Lanier, Danville’s first mayor; and the Dr. Bruce James House, a Queen Anne mansion constructed in 1899 where three physicians have maintained their residence and offices over the years.
Even the town coroner got into the act. The Jacob Davis House was built in 1853 as a cottage with Italianate details for Danville’s coroner, Jacob Davis.
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