SERP: In downtown Emporia, Virginia—part of Greensville County, which was first established back in the late 1700s—the Greensville County Courthouse stands tall beside a rare World War I German Krupp artillery cannon, one of only 27 in the nation. Captured by American forces in 1917 and gifted to the city in 1920, the cannon now serves as a memorial to the thousands of young men who gave their lives in France to “make the world safe for democracy.” Restored in 1993, it sits in front of the court

SERP: Emporia, Virginia is a small city near the North Carolina border that has always been shaped by transportation and history. It began as two towns, Hicksford and Belfield, on opposite sides of the Meherrin River, which merged in 1887 to form Emporia—named after a Kansas town with railroad ties. The river supported early mills and trade, while the arrival of the railroads turned the area into a vital link for commerce. During the Civil War, rail lines through the region were critical to Conf