Roadside Commerce

Virginia's highway system took shape during the 1920s as automobile ownership expanded rapidly. State Route 52 was established in 1928 to connect Suffolk with Prince George County. In 1933, this road became part of the new U.S. 460 from Roanoke to the Chesapeake Bay. The highway was later extended to St. Louis, Missouri, but its western terminus was eventually fixed at Frankfort, Kentucky. To accommodate travelers’ needs, entrepreneurs opened gas stations, motels, and cafes along the roadside. Among these was the Virginia Diner, which D’Earcy and Laura Davis established here in 1929 inside a refurbished Surry, Sussex and Southampton Railroad car.