The Decline and Division of Clover and Lacks Town

Key Insight

Clover, a southern Virginia town situated near Difficult Creek, presented a pervasive atmosphere of decline and abandonment. Its downtown core was marked by a boarded-up gas station emblazoned with 'RIP' spray-paint, an empty lot where the train depot once stood, and a former movie theater with a roof that had long caved in. Remaining businesses like Abbott's clothing store, Rosie's restaurant, and Gregory and Martin Super Market appeared frozen in time, displaying decades-old inventory—from dust-covered Red Wing boots and starch-stiff men's shirts to half-full shopping carts alongside canned foods—with signs like 'OPEN 7 DAYS' juxtaposed with 'CLOSED' and clocks frozen at 6:34. This physical decay was mirrored by a significant population drop, from 227 residents in 1974 to 198 by 1998, leading to the town's charter loss in that same year. Most establishments, including several churches and beauty parlors, were rarely open, leaving only a closed post office as the last steady business.

A stark dividing line separated affluent areas from Lacks Town. On one side of the two-lane road were well-manicured rolling hills with horses, a small pond, a well-kept house, a minivan, and a white picket fence. Directly opposite began Lacks Town, starting with a small, unpainted wooden shack, approximately 7 feet wide and 12 feet long, featuring visible gaps between wallboards where vines grew. This community consisted of a single road, about a mile long, lined with dozens of houses in varying states of repair, some brightly painted, others unpainted, half caved-in, or nearly burnt down.

Lacks Town's residences spanned generations, including slave-era cabins alongside cinder-block homes and trailers; some were equipped with satellite dishes and porch swings, while others appeared rusted or half-buried. The road eventually transitioned to gravel past an 'END OF STATE MAINTENANCE' sign, leading to a tobacco field with a makeshift basketball court—a patch of red dirt with a bare hoop attached to a weathered tree trunk. Despite its physical decay, the community, largely composed of Henrietta Lacks's relatives, maintained a close-knit vigilance over newcomers.