Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Motley

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Mount AiryMount Airy · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Motley

Motley’s post office opened in 1887

Most of Motley was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1951 on.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Motley began, and where its name came from

When was Motley founded?

1887

The Motley post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Motley's Depot (1876), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 825139 years

How did Motley get its name?

Motley was named for a notable Virginia family in colonial times, the Motleys, two of whom, Joseph and his son David James Motley, fought in the American Revolution.

Founding year: the first Motley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What stands out about Motley’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Motley are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Motley’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Motley’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Motley, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Motley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Motley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. It was named for a notable Virginia family in colonial times, the Motleys, two of whom, Joseph and his son David James Motley, fought in the American Revolution. The population as of the 2010 Census was 1,015 and was 825 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1887. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,015 to 825 (-19%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Motley, 1876 to 1951

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1876Post officeThe Motley's Depot post office opens
  3. 1887Post officeThe Motley's Depot post office closes
  4. 1887Post officeThe Motley post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1928Post officeThe Motley post office closes
  7. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Motley, decade by decade

Today1 recent
2017-06-27 13 32 20 View north along U.S. Route 29 Business (Main Street) at Roark Mill Road in20172017-06-27 13 32 20 View north along U.S. Route 29 Bu…
On the map

Motley on the map, 1951 to 1972

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Motley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Motley on the 1951 USGS mapMotley on the 1966 USGS mapMotley on the 1972 USGS map1951Altavista sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Motley.

Famous people

Famous people close to Motley

Nobody well known was born in Motley itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Desmond DossAmerican solder, pacifist, and combat medic; re… · b. 1919
Jerry FalwellAmerican evangelical pastor, televangelist, and… · b. 1933
Skeet UlrichAmerican actor · b. 1970
David HuddlestonAmerican actor · b. 1930
Leland D. MelvinNASA astronaut and engineer · b. 1964
Jesse L. MartinAmerican stage, musical theatre, film and telev… · b. 1969
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Motley had its own post office from 1887 to 1928. Another post office, Motley's Depot, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Motley's Depot
1876–1887
Motley
1887–1928
18701950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Motley’s history

What year was Motley founded?

The Motley post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.