A 14-foot bronze monument honoring 70 Black men of the US Colored Troops from Franklin County was unveiled on January 18, 2026.
Rocky Mount
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Today In Rocky Mount History
Billy Wagner, a former Ferrum College pitcher, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025 in his final year on the ballot.
Ferrum
Ferrum College reclassified to NCAA Division II and joined Conference Carolinas on July 1, 2025.
Ferrum
In December 2025 the governor announced a $4.9 million expansion of the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Rocky Mount, adding 50 jobs.
Rocky Mount
A state historical marker for the village of Ferrum was dedicated near St. James Methodist Church on April 13, 2024.
Ferrum
Ground was broken on September 23, 2024, for a monument in Rocky Mount honoring 70 Black Union soldiers from Franklin County.
Rocky Mount
The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival at Ferrum College held its 50th anniversary event on Saturday, October 28, 2023.
Ferrum
Ron Hodges, a Rocky Mount native who caught for the New York Mets, died in Roanoke on November 24, 2023, at age 74.
Rocky Mount
Regional Timeline
A 14-foot bronze monument honoring 70 Black men of the US Colored Troops from Franklin County was unveiled on January 18, 2026.
Rocky Mount
Billy Wagner, a former Ferrum College pitcher, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025 in his final year on the ballot.
Ferrum
Ferrum College reclassified to NCAA Division II and joined Conference Carolinas on July 1, 2025.
Ferrum
In December 2025 the governor announced a $4.9 million expansion of the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Rocky Mount, adding 50 jobs.
Rocky Mount
A state historical marker for the village of Ferrum was dedicated near St. James Methodist Church on April 13, 2024.
Ferrum
Ground was broken on September 23, 2024, for a monument in Rocky Mount honoring 70 Black Union soldiers from Franklin County.
Rocky Mount
The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival at Ferrum College held its 50th anniversary event on Saturday, October 28, 2023.
Ferrum
Ron Hodges, a Rocky Mount native who caught for the New York Mets, died in Roanoke on November 24, 2023, at age 74.
Rocky Mount
The circa 1825 brick farmhouse, one of the few antebellum brick buildings left around Smith Mountain Lake, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 24, 2022.
Moneta
In 2021 the Westlake Golf and Country Club property at Smith Mountain Lake was sold and renamed Copper Cove Golf Club.
Smith Mountain Lake
Ferrum College ended in-person classes on Friday, March 13, 2020 and moved faculty and students fully online within a week.
Ferrum
Fleetwood Homes announced a $2.1 million expansion of its Rocky Mount factory on July 6, 2020, creating 60 jobs for a workforce of 146.
Rocky Mount
On July 21, 2020, the Franklin County Board of Supervisors voted to ask voters in November whether to move the Confederate monument from the courthouse grounds.
Rocky Mount
On November 3, 2020, Franklin County voters decided by about 69 percent to leave the Confederate monument on the courthouse lawn in Rocky Mount.
Rocky Mount
Dr. Berniece Cobbs was announced as Franklin County schools superintendent on November 11, 2020, the first Black woman to hold the post.
Rocky Mount
The Board of Supervisors voted on November 17, 2020, to leave the Confederate statue at the Rocky Mount courthouse.
Rocky Mount
Twin Creeks Distillery opened a tasting room next to the Harvester Performance Center in April 2019, during Moonshine Heritage Month.
Rocky Mount
An EF-3 tornado with estimated 159 mph winds hit Franklin County near Oak Level on the morning of April 19, 2019, injuring two people.
Rocky Mount
Featured Archive
1973 · Ferrum College founds Blue Ridge Institute and Museum
1966 · Smith Mountain Lake reaches full pond
1956 · Congress authorizes Booker T. Washington National Monument
1914 · Ferrum Training School opens with 90 students
1856 · Booker T. Washington born into slavery in Franklin County
1785 · Virginia creates Franklin County from Bedford and Henry counties
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