The Masonic Hall has been used by the fraternity for one hundred and eighteen years and is next to the oldest building for that purpose in Virginia, the one in Richmond ante-dating it by three years.

     In 1840 there were ten stores (of all sorts), one Episcopal, one Methodist and one Baptist church, and less than one thousand inhabitants. In 1906 there were twenty general stores, six grocery and fresh-meat stores, one cabinet maker, three undertakers, two druggists, three barbershops, one hotel, six boarding houses, five liquor stores, five eating houses, one saddlery shop, two dentists, three blacksmiths, five attorneys, eight ham curing establishments, of which the reputation of E. M. Todd & Co. is world-wide, three shoemakers, six oyster dealers, four hay and grain dealers, two banks, one ice factory, one Chinese laundry, four lumber dealers, one planing mill, twenty vessels in the fishing and oystering business, one private school, one colored free school, one white public high school which gives a full course of instruction, including music, and affords to its patrons all the advantages given in any city high school in the State, and in which the prospective citizens will find ample and increasing school facilities for their children, three white churches-Episcopal, Methodist and Baptist, and two colored churches-Methodist and Baptist.

     The town has well paved brick sidewalks and a smooth and solid roadbed, made of granite spall, for its streets. Nearly all of the stores and a great many of the residences are lighted by gas of an excellent quality, as well as the town, the gas being furnished by a plant recently installed. Its streets are beautifully ornamented by many old majestic trees, and numerable porches of the dwellings near to the street give it an air of cosy hospitality that is inviting. There are a number of large and attractive residences, both of colonial and modern style and architecture, which, being interspersed, render each other mutually attractive. The Smithfield Water Company furnishes an excellent supply of water for domestic purposes, which is inexhaustible and at a very high pressure, to the numerous public hydrants and fire plugs. This plant has been severely tested on several occasions and each time has met with the needs. The pressure is sufficient and the plugs sufficiently close together as to enable the town authorities to handle fires without the use of fire engines. This water company has been in operation about six years, being, in the beginning, constructed on the very best lines and of the finest material, under the supervision of the general manager of the company, Mr. B. P. Gay, to whose undaunted energy and public spirit the town of Smithfield owes a debt of gratitude which would be difficult to pay, and a competent engineer.

      There are four firms of contracting architects and builders employing about twenty carpenters; these and four brick masons are kept busy the year round with the building going on in the town and at times requisition has to be made on workmen outside of the town, so many new buildings being under construction as to render the local force incompetent to handle the business. The town government consists of a mayor and six councilmen, elected every two years, a town sergeant, two policemen, a treasurer and a commissioner of the revenue. The following named persons have served as mayors of Smithfield:

Archibald Atkinson, from 1852 to 1855

Charles B. Hayden, from 1855 to 1860 S.

Junius Wilson, from 1860 to 1863 John R. Purdie, from 1862 to 1866

W. D. Folk, from 1866-1871

Warren Van Deventer, from 1871 to 1874 C. F. Day, from 1874 to 1882

J. H. Nelms, from 1882 to 1884

W. D. Folk, from 1884 to 1893

J. D. Jordan, from 1893 to 1899

C. F. Day from 1899 to 1905

V. W. Joyner, from 1905. (Present Mayor)