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me village were laigeiy uuui uy me tannery wurKen. in its prime, the tannery employed 40-50 people and was Sperryville’s leading industry.
But it was far from being the village’s only business enterprise. By 1890, Sperryville had a population of 350. It also had three stores, one hotel, three flour mills, a woolen mill and a saw mill. In 1908, the Masonic Hall was constructed, providing the town with a place for meetings as well as entertainment.
In 1910, Sperryville had reached its peak. There were four churches within the bustling village: two Baptist, one Episcopalian and one Methodist. There were five general stores, five corn and flour mills, a jeweler and watchmaker, a saw mill, several furniture dealers and a number of blacksmiths and wheelwrights.
But growth halted abruptly in 1911 when the tannery closed. While a number of workers followed the business to North Carolina, others left to find jobs elsewhere. Stores and businesses suffered along with the local farmers who could no longer sell bark to the tannery.
The village found temporary relief in 1918 when the Rappahannock Evaporating Plant began operations. It furnished employment and also served as a major outlet for apples grown on surrounding farms. The plant ran until 1937 and was the last industry to serve Sperryville.
Today the town has only one general store, several seasonal produce stands and a number of antique and gift shops. It also has vernacular architecture of the settlement period intermingled with postbellum houses built under the influence of picturesque styles of the 19th century romantic revivals. Since the demise of the tannery, new construction has been rare, leaving the village with much of its tum-of-the-century character, an image enhanced by the modest number of commercial buildings and churches, tree-lined roads and few modern intrusions.
It may be counted among the very few such villages remaining in the commonwealth.
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