 Two men take down letters from the "Home of Dan River Fabrics" sign Monday on the roof of the former Riverside 8 Cotton Mill building on Memorial Drive. Richard T. Davis (Register & Bee) |
Since 1948, the “Home of Dan River Fabrics” sign atop the Riverside 8 Cotton Mill was a beacon to travelers coming into Danville - then the plant closed in 1997, and an August 2004 tornado twisted the “D” in “Dan” into an unrecognizable mess. The welcoming glow of the sign was merely a memory.
Now it appears the landmark’s days are numbered. On Monday afternoon, two men climbed the wire frame holding the sign up and took down, one by one, the letters in “Home of.”
No one seems to know what’s happening to the sign.
“That’s news to me,” Sherman Saunders, vice mayor of Danville, said when asked if the sign was being taken down.
Mayor Wayne Williams also said he was unaware the sign was coming down, but said he didn’t think Dan River Inc. would have to inform the city of their intention to remove the sign because it’s on private property.
It would, however, have been an appreciated courtesy if city were informed, Williams admitted.
City Manager Jerry Gwaltney and Deputy City Manager Lyle Lacy could not be reached for comment, and Calvin Barnhardt, the vice president of human resources for Dan River Inc., said he was unaware of the project.
“I heard a rumor a week or so ago that the sign was being sold for salvage,” Sarah Latham, of the Danville Preservation League, said Monday. “Then I was told it was only a rumor. I’m really taken by surprise. It’s a real pity that another meaningful and historical site appears to be disappearing.”
Residents who were at the Riverwalk Trail on Monday afternoon also were not pleased about news that the sign appears to be coming down.
“I don’t know who’s running this show, but they’re messing up,” said Claude Carter, who said he has lived in Danville for eight years, but traveled through the city his whole life. “I’m from the old school. I don’t think they should fool with the scenery. They should restore the sign, try to keep it.”
James Kates said he lived in Danville on and off for 69 years and misses the welcome he felt when he saw the sign.
“Any way you came into Danville, that was the first light you’d see,” Kates said. “I worked there for about 17 years. I never thought I’d see the day they’d tear that sign down - of course, I never thought I’d see the day the mill would close. The good old days are gone.”
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