The letters in “HOME OF” were taken down Monday; the “D” and “A” in “DAN” vanished Tuesday - slowly but surely, the sign that has represented Dan River Inc. and Danville for generations is disappearing from the skyline.
Anyone who hoped repairs were being made, or that some other explanation was responsible for the disappearing letters on top of the White Mill building, has become resigned to the fact that the sign is going for good.
Danville Deputy City Manager Lyle Lacy said he believes the sign, which read “HOME OF DAN RIVER FABRICS,” was sold quite some time ago to a man named John Norton.
When asked where Norton was from, or what the sign’s ultimate fate would be, Lacy said, “The answers you need are in this guy’s head.”
Catching the activity at the site is hit-or-miss.
On Monday, two men arrived in vehicles that had no company name on them. They climbed the sign’s frame - wearing no hardhats, though they did look like they had safety straps attached to the framework - and lowered letters with a rope and pulley.
A crane was at the site Tuesday morning, but by mid-afternoon it was gone. It is still uncertain what company is taking care of removing the sign - the workers’ vehicles do not have a company name on them, and they are working behind locked gates protected by “No Trespassing” signs and a security guard.
No permits were needed to remove the letters, according to Kim Baldridge, the city’s permit clerk. Baldridge said the new owner would need to file for a permit if he planned on removing anything structural, such as the frame the letters are attached to.
Reactions of Danvillians, near and far, have been mixed.
“I was saddened to hear of this (from a friend’s mother who still lives in Danville). My parents were born and raised in Danville and the town was a big part of my growing up years,” said Mary Van Horn of Colorado Springs, Colo. “My grandfather was a supervisor in the mill and stayed behind in World War II for the production of military-issued items. My grandparents lived on Park Avenue and at night we slept to the sounds of the mill and the whistle and the lights glowing in the upstairs window from the mill. It is a sad day to see the sign come down. We will hold many memories in our hearts.”
Lisa Reynolds, co-owner of In Good Taste on Main Street, said she is glad someone bought the sign, or at least the letters.
“It was part of Danville history and I didn’t like that they left it mangled and twisted,” she said. “It seemed to symbolize that overseas had won the war - made in America means squat now. It’s hard, but you have to let go of the past to let the future in.”
James Shaw of Richmond said he had a strong connection to the sign and Dan River.
“I was born in Danville and lived in Schoolfield, where I went to school and graduated from high school in 1944. Both of my parents worked for Dan River,” he said. “I later moved to Richmond and have been here 51 years. My wife and children have made many trips to Danville to visit their grandparents since 1956. The first thing we saw, driving down the hill on (U.S.) 58 towards Fall Creek, was the Dan River sign. It will be sorely missed, as well as the buildings that (were) Dan River.”
Danville resident Barbara Stancil was upset about the sign’s removal.
“I think it’s terrible to take it down. It’s an icon!” she said.
“It’s tore up; it serves no purpose,” said Marie Farris, of Marie Farris Photography on Main Street.
Farris said she appreciates old buildings, opening her arms wide to indicate her restored downtown location, but said sometimes restoration isn’t economically sensible.
“Sometimes you have to move on,” Farris said.
The sign "Home of Dan River Fabrics" atop the white mill building continues to come down this afternoon.
