The town of Draper actually had its beginnings as Sharp. Thomas Sharp, a civil war hero and railroad man, had a plantation on the Dan River north of the bridge. He was instrumental in helping to get railroad service the area. His name was never official.
In 1905 B. Frank Mebane built his last mill, the German American Mill which was making bedspreads in the new town of Draper. The process used was new so workers from mills “up north” were brought down to train the new workers. The mill village that was part of the development is west of the mill. Workers were able to walk to work without climbing hills like the workers in Spray. The original business areas were along North Main St and on Mill Avenue. While smaller than Leaksville or Spray, by the 1950s the population had almost caught up with Spray. Draper was not incorporated until 1949.
While the smallest of the Tri-Cities it had several special places. The Draper Raceway just east of the town beside the quarry was a very popular spot on race day. Several accidents caused its closure, and there are those who think it might have become as important as the Martinsville Raceway otherwise. The Draper airport came after the original Cox airport closed. The Cox airport was located where the Eden Mall was constructed. The Draper Airport was on was north of Meadow Road just east of the Nelson Farm. This airport became a home to several private airplanes in the area. Draper had an early Ford Dealership and an early movie theater. These were located on North Main beside the current Railroad Cafe.
When B.F. Mebane was forced to sell his mills, Marshall Field became the owner of the Draper mill. In 1916 the original mill was expanded to produce sheeting. Marshall Field also had a hand in the construction of the Draper YMCA. Like the Spray Y, this place became a major community gathering place. The Y operated a movie theater before the one on North Main was built. The mill village retains many of the original homes only slightly modified. According to residents when the mill houses received electricity, the home was provided with one hanging light bulb. To cut the bulb on and off it had to screwed in and out.
The Tri-City ballpark was just west of the town. It was here in 1947 that residents from all over the Tri-Cities came together to produce an outdoor Drama on the Land of Eden. Looking at the cast and workers, you might have the sense that every other citizen was involved in either acting, in the choir, or behind the scenes in scenery or make-up.
When the vote for consolidation came up, Draper was given the option to not be part of the new town if the people of Draper voted No to consolidation. The night before the election a group of leaders of the town had fliers printed and put on the doorknobs of every home in the city. The message of the fliers was simple. “If we vote no, we are going to be left behind.” When the votes were counted Draper had the largest majority for the merger than any of the other towns. All had a vote total in favor, but Leaksville's was only by a few votes.
Today the mills are almost totally demolished and a trucking company uses the space to park some of their equipment. Just west of the town Eden's Industrial park has several businesses with near full parking lots. Just across the state line into Virginia a new large industrial park is planned. Draper is in a good position for workers to live or build. For now at least east Eden is surviving and slowly growing.
~ Article provided by James 'Jimmy' Ivie, Eden Historical Museum Curator.
