248:, especially for the black community in Henry County. Growing up in a log cabin, he was always acutely aware of the terrible effects of poor housing and a lack of electricity, water and sewage or even paved roads. During the time of racial segregation in Virginia, many of the blacks in Martinsville and Henry County were not able to either finance or acquire modern housing, especially for the growing black middle class in post-war Virginia. During the 1950s when segregation was still legal, and when many banks habitually refused loans to black families, Whitney Shumate worked to provide modern housing for the under-served population. By raising private funds, he was able to bring together private, corporate and banking interests to provide financing and access to banking services for the black community. He helped clear out a portion of Martinsville called "Mill Town", which had sub-standard rental housing originally provided in the 19th century for the defunct cotton mill employees. New homes were constructed in the neighborhood, built with sound materials and with all city services for the first time. What had originally been considered a depressed civic area rapidly became a center of progress as middle class blacks finally began to prosper. As an editorial in the local newspaper noted, "One of the projects which won him considerable attention and praise was the instigation of the redevelopment of what was once known as Martinsville Cotton Mill Village. He and associates purchased about 50 houses in North Martinsville, and using private capital rather than federal aid, rebuilt them into comfortably inhabitable homes, making it possible for many persons to purchase homes within their financial range."
211:
the fireworks lit up downtown
Martinsville and the Saturday afternoon Christmas shopping crowd. The newspaper described it as 'pandemonium . . . deafening roars . . . a roaring blaze leaping the full height of the three-story building . . . skyrockets whistling across the square to land on the courthouse lawn . . . and bright red and white Roman candles rolling along the paved street.' Within a few seconds, the town square was empty of people. Several hundred residents had visualized everything from screaming comets, earthquakes, rebel air raids, bursting boilers and bank robbers with machine guns."
31:
357:
133:, but due to the sudden death of his mother, he never received a middle name. Whitney was the youngest of ten children. His father later remarried, to Susan "Susie" Ann Philpott, and the couple then had six children by that marriage. As a boy, Whitney would take a different path in order to hunt and trap on the way back and forth to school, near the existing
197:
Some of his early business projects didn't work. An early store went bankrupt and his partner fled the area. Whitney not only paid off his own debts, but he also paid off the ones owed by his partner in the business. The business leaders in
Martinsville respected his integrity and honesty in business
261:
newspaper had an editorial that said: "Such was the nature of this unassuming man, whose integrity and ability were widely recognized and highly respected. Martinsville and Henry County are much better places in which to live because
Whitney Shumate lived here and helped make it so in his quiet and
210:
He also started a firecracker store during the 1930s The store caught fire and burned down on
December 12, 1936, but only after scaring the citizens of Martinsville who thought bank robbers were shooting up the town with machine guns when the firecrackers went up in the flames. "Whatever the cause,
193:
Whitney began several businesses before settling on furniture sales. He established the "Shumate
Furniture Store" in Martinsville, later named the "Shumate-Jesse Furniture Store". He also was involved in development, and constructed over 100 homes in Henry County for lower and middle class owners,
165:. She later said in her autobiography, "While I was going to school in Martinsville, I met a young man named Whitney Shumate. We started dating and went together for three years before we were married. The family teased me, because Whitney had a large car and when he came to
169:
to visit, always took me and a few members of my family for rides. When he bought a coupe, everyone said he was getting serious and wanted to leave my family at home when he took me for rides! It must have been true, because we were married on
December 13, 1922."
256:
During a church service at the Broad Street
Christian Church in Martinsville, where he was an elder, he suffered a heart attack, and after completing the communion service, went to the hospital where he died on February 28, 1966. The
223:
in 1945, and served for several years for Henry County. He was present at the county jail every Sunday morning to help release the
Saturday night drunks. Whitney also was elected several times to the Martinsville
317:
194:
both black and white. He especially worked to improve living conditions for black members of the community, constructing new homes that were affordable for the black residents.
129:. His father was John Wesley Shumate and his mother was Martha Wells Shumate, who died soon after childbirth. His first name was given in honor of the inventor,
406:
391:
386:
141:, and the early years of his life was spent living in a log cabin alongside the Rock Run. From both his parents he received Methodist instruction in
396:
245:
229:
198:
deals. He later became one of the directors and president of the Mutual
Savings and Loan Association in Martinsville (an early
280:
The
Shamrock and the Fleur de Lys: the Family Histories of the William James Hadden family and the Whitney Shumate Family
153:. When Whitney was twelve years old the family moved to Martinsville, and he finished three years of high school there.
401:
361:
161:
After a few years as a letter carrier in Martinsville, he began selling furniture and household goods. He married
202:). For the county, he was also a member of the "Board of Assessors" and the "Board of Equalization" for taxes.
150:
126:
106:
102:
258:
118:
381:
376:
220:
137:. What he caught was usually what they had for supper that night. John W. Shumate worked in tobacco
199:
332:
Martinsville Bulletin. March 3, 1966. "City Loses Citizen who Helped Make it a Better Community."
241:
174:
166:
162:
122:
30:
134:
142:
370:
138:
225:
292:
341:
262:
unassuming manner." He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Martinsville, Virginia.
146:
130:
182:
173:
Whitney and Jessamine Shumate had two daughters, Ada Margaret S. Hadden (Mrs.
318:"Casey: More on the Franklin Road bridge project — and a fireworks disaster"
356:
101:(July 16, 1896 - February 28, 1966) was a businessman and civic leader in
178:
279:
149:) and the Wells family were also strong members of what is today the
232:
offices, and was a member of the Martinsville Development Council.
177:) and Jessamine "Jeppy" White S. Calhoun. His grandson and
278:"Ada Jessamine Shumate" IN: Hadden, Robert Lee. 1990.
88:
80:
72:
56:
37:
21:
8:
29:
18:
240:Whitney Shumate was an early advocate of
271:
328:
326:
320:. Roanoke Times. July 9, 2016. Page 1.
16:American businessman and civic leader
7:
407:20th-century American businesspeople
392:People from Martinsville, Virginia
387:People from Henry County, Virginia
14:
185:, is a magician and entertainer.
92:Affordable housing; urban renewal
355:
230:Democratic Party (United States)
228:. He also worked on the local
1:
397:Businesspeople from Virginia
145:(his father was named after
117:Whitney Shumate was born in
423:
84:Businessman, civic leader
28:
151:United Methodist Church
127:Henry County, Virginia
107:Martinsville, Virginia
103:Henry County, Virginia
67:Martinsville, Virginia
364:at Wikimedia Commons
297:Henry County Virginia
259:Martinsville Bulletin
221:Justice of the peace
189:Business enterprises
105:, and especially in
293:"Assessment Office"
200:Mutual savings bank
402:Virginia Democrats
316:Casey, Dan. 2016.
242:Affordable housing
236:Affordable housing
119:Rock Run, Virginia
51:Rock Run, Virginia
360:Media related to
342:"Whitney Shumate"
175:William J. Hadden
167:Preston, Virginia
163:Jessamine Shumate
123:Bassett, Virginia
96:
95:
60:February 28, 1966
414:
359:
344:
339:
333:
330:
321:
314:
308:
307:
305:
303:
289:
283:
276:
252:Death and burial
63:
47:
45:
33:
19:
422:
421:
417:
416:
415:
413:
412:
411:
367:
366:
362:Whitney Shumate
353:
348:
347:
340:
336:
331:
324:
315:
311:
301:
299:
291:
290:
286:
277:
273:
268:
254:
238:
217:
208:
206:Fireworks store
191:
159:
135:Rock Run School
115:
99:Whitney Shumate
68:
65:
61:
52:
49:
43:
41:
24:
23:Whitney Shumate
17:
12:
11:
5:
420:
418:
410:
409:
404:
399:
394:
389:
384:
379:
369:
368:
352:
351:External links
349:
346:
345:
334:
322:
309:
284:
270:
269:
267:
264:
253:
250:
246:slum clearance
237:
234:
216:
213:
207:
204:
190:
187:
158:
155:
143:Social justice
114:
111:
94:
93:
90:
89:Known for
86:
85:
82:
78:
77:
74:
70:
69:
66:
64:(aged 69)
58:
54:
53:
50:
39:
35:
34:
26:
25:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
419:
408:
405:
403:
400:
398:
395:
393:
390:
388:
385:
383:
380:
378:
375:
374:
372:
365:
363:
358:
350:
343:
338:
335:
329:
327:
323:
319:
313:
310:
298:
294:
288:
285:
281:
275:
272:
265:
263:
260:
251:
249:
247:
243:
235:
233:
231:
227:
222:
214:
212:
205:
203:
201:
195:
188:
186:
184:
180:
176:
171:
168:
164:
156:
154:
152:
148:
144:
140:
139:Sharecropping
136:
132:
128:
124:
120:
112:
110:
108:
104:
100:
91:
87:
83:
81:Occupation(s)
79:
75:
71:
59:
55:
48:July 16, 1896
40:
36:
32:
27:
20:
354:
337:
312:
302:September 4,
300:. Retrieved
296:
287:
274:
255:
239:
226:City council
219:He became a
218:
209:
196:
192:
172:
160:
116:
98:
97:
62:(1966-02-28)
382:1966 deaths
377:1896 births
282:. Page 138.
147:John Wesley
131:Eli Whitney
73:Nationality
371:Categories
266:References
215:Civic life
183:Whit Haydn
113:Early life
44:1896-07-16
125:in rural
179:namesake
157:Marriage
76:American
121:, near
304:2019
244:and
57:Died
38:Born
373::
325:^
295:.
181:,
109:.
306:.
46:)
42:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
