History of
Prince George County, Virginia
Prince George County was named for Prince George of Denmark, the consrt of England's Queen Anne. The county was formed from the part of Charles City County (then a Shire) that was divided by the James River. From May 1607 until 1613, the area that would become Prince George County was a corporation of the Virginia Company. Monthly courts were held on this land from about 1623 until it became inconvenient for the settlers on the south side of the James River to make the water crossing. Public protest caused the General Assembly in August of 1702 to declare the lands of Charles City County on the south side of the river to be Prince George County. The county was officially established in July of 1703.
Prince George County
is located 30 miles south of Richmond, the capitol of Virginia. It is bordered on the north by Hopewell and the Appomattox and James Rivers, on the east by Surry County, on the south by Sussex County, and on the west by Petersburg and Dinwiddie County. Captain Christopher Newport visited the area in May 1607 while looking for a permanent settlement for the English colonists. When the county was established, its only city was Bermuda City (later City Point) laid out in 1613. One of the few survivors of the original Jamestown settlers, John Martin, received a large land grant in the County, Martin’s Brandon in 1616. On this property, Benjamin Harrison built Brandon between 1765-1770. It is the only National Historic Landmark in the County, and there is architectural evidence and tradition that attribute its design to Thomas Jefferson. Merchant’s Hope Church, probably built on or after 1710, possesses a 1639 New Testament attached to a 1640 Old Testament. The towns of Petersburg and Blandford (established in 1748) were originally a part of the County. Blandford Church was built from 1735-1737 within what was then called Bristol Parish (formed in 1643). The church is now a Confederate Shrine with fifteen Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows. In 1752, Dinwiddie County was created, and contained part of what had been western Prince George County. Petersburg became part of Dinwiddie County at this time. During the Revolutionary War, British forces under Major General William Phillips marched through Prince George County to attack Americans defending Petersburg on April 25, 1781. The victorious British commander of this battle died in Petersburg on May 13. He was buried in the Blandford Church Cemetery in an unmarked grave.
Prince George County is best known for its association with the American Civil War. One of its native sons, Edmund Ruffin, is credited with firing the first shot of the war on April 12, 1861 at Fort Sumter. An agricultural innovator, he was born at Evergreen just east of present-day Hopewell. A rabid secessionist, Ruffin committed suicide after the end of the war in 1865.
Confederate leaders understood the military importance of Petersburg early in the war, and work to construct fortifications to defend the city began in 1862 under Captain Charles H. Dimmock. Ten miles of entrenchments, including 55 artillery batteries, ringed the city on its east, south, and west. Many of these earthworks were in Prince George County. From June 15-17, 1864 approximately 40% of the Army of the Potomac crossed the James River on a 2100-foot long pontoon bridge from Weyanoke Point in Charles City County to Windmill Point at Flowerdew Hundred Plantation in Prince George County. The movement of much of the Army of the Potomac south of the James River ended the 1864 Overland Campaign, and began the Petersburg/Richmond Campaign. Many battles occurred in the county during the siege of Petersburg. Among the 1864 battles were Baylor’s Farm (in present-day Hopewell) on June 15, Jerusalem Plank Road from June 21-24, Reams Station on August 25, and Confederate General Wade Hampton’s Beefsteak Raid from September 15-18.
The most famous battle fought in the county occurred on July 30, 1864, known as the Battle of the Crater. Coal miners from the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteers dug a tunnel 511 feet long under the Confederate earthwork known as Elliott’s Salient, and exploded 8000 pounds of gunpowder. The subsequent Union attack failed to break through the Confederate lines protecting Petersburg. The Battle of Fort Stedman, Lee’s last grand offensive, was fought on March 25, 1865. One week after this battle, the Union forces penetrated the Confederate entrenchments outside of Petersburg. Seven days later, Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House. Elements of the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia were in Prince George Country from June 9, 1864 until April 3, 1865 during the Petersburg Campaign. It was the longest siege in American history. The Petersburg National Battlefield was authorized by Congress in 1926.
Major historical developments in the county during the past century included the incorporation of Hopewell in 1916 and the virtual simultaneous establishment of Camp Lee. The new city of Hopewell contained historic City Point, as well as the new chemical plants that recently opened there. In June 1917, soon after American entry into World War I, Camp Lee was established on 8900 acres of Prince George County. After the war the camp became dormant, but in October 1940 survey work began on reopening the post for World War II. After the war the camp was renamed Fort Lee, and based on the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) provisions the post should more than double in population served by 2011.
On June 4, 2003 the Department of the Interior and the Department of Historic Resources created the Prince George County Courthouse Historic District. The district contains the 1883 Courthouse, ten other buildings, and three objects. The restored and renovated Courthouse is scheduled to open on June 30, 2007 as the Prince George County Historical Museum.
Prince George is a Jamestown 2007 community, with many activities being coordinated by the Prince George County Historical Society and surrounding areas.
Carol Marks Bowman, Executive Director
Board of Directors
Judy H. Hamby, President
Joseph (Joe) Vinsh, Vice President
Amanda Vtipil, Recording Secretary
Joanne Williams, Corresponding Secretary
Gillian P. Young, Treasurer
Randolph (Randy) Watkins, Historian
The Prince George County Regional Heritage Center is a 501(c)(3) Virginia Corporation.
All dues and donations are fully tax deductible.
The Center is a member of the Hopewell-Prince George Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Association of Museums, and the American Association for State and Local History.
Upcoming Events
- Memorial Day Observance
May 27, 2013
10:00 am
- Founder's Day
Jun 29, 2013
- Great Beefsteak Raid Steak Dinner
Sep 18, 2013
4-8 pm
- Czech & Slovak Folk Life Festival
Oct 19, 2013
11 am-4 pm
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