George Carrington: Halifax County Soldier
in Revolutionary War
Revolutionary War soldier George Carrington was born in 1756 in Chalotte County, educated at William and Mary and as an adult, moved to Halifax County. Early in the war, he enlisted in Colonel Henry Lee’s Legion of Continental soldiers and served in Armstrong’s Cavalry. Carrington was captured by the British in South Carolina but was released in a prisoner exchange in 1782. He was discharged as a lieutenant in 1783 but continued to serve in the Virginia militia and became a brigadier general.
Carrington served as Clerk for Halifax County until 1797, was a member of the House of Delegates from 1802 to 1803 and served as a state senator for one term.
The first town of South Boston, incorporated in 1796, was located south of the Dan River, on property Carrington owned. He and his wife, Sarah Coles Tucker, lived at “Oak Hill” plantation.
Lennig Depot
Depot built in 1890 in the Crystal Hill area.
This depot served the Lynchburg and Durham Railroad until 1896 when the Norfolk and Western Railway purchased the rail company. It is one of the few surviving railroad depots in Halifax County and is the most decorative. It features scalloped shingles and an arched panel at the apex of the gable. The walls of the depot are clad with board-and-batten siding and sheltered on the sides by deep overhanging eaves supported by wooden braces. The Lennig Depot was active until 1960.
South Boston History
South Boston Municipal Building in the early 1900s.
In 1884, local businessman Edwin B. Jeffress requested a post office for the area. A request was made for the name to be Boston; however, there was already a community in Virginia named Boston and as a result, the town we know today was named South Boston. The Virginia Assembly approved the town’s incorporation February 19, 1884 and the following men were appointed as the first town council: Wiley W. Ward (elected as mayor), Robert E. Jordan, James Traver, William H. Shepherd, J. Mettaper Carrington, Samuel E. Webster, and Joseph Stebbins Sr.
By 1900 South Boston had become the second largest bright leaf tobacco market in the world. In 1920 the first service station opened in town. In 1923 Main Street was paved. Home mail delivery began in 1929. The first talking picture show (movie) was shown in 1929, at the Princess Theatre.