Road Trip in Powhatan County, Virginia
The last time we visited our son and granddaughter in Richmond we had some time to do a bit of sightseeing and found this tour of Powhatan (POW'-a-tan) County and decided to check it out.
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| Powhatan County's Driving Tour map, from the website http://www.powhatanva.gov/ |
Here's a bit of background from Powhatan County's website:
History
Originally settled by French Huguenots in the early 1700's, Powhatan County was created by The Virginia General Assembly in 1777. The County was named in honor of the Indian Chief Powhatan, father of Pocahontas. The original courthouse was constructed in 1778 and the immediate area was named Scottville after General Charles Scott, a revolutionary war hero. In 1850 a small portion of Chesterfield County was annexed, creating the current boundaries of Powhatan County.
Originally settled by French Huguenots in the early 1700's, Powhatan County was created by The Virginia General Assembly in 1777. The County was named in honor of the Indian Chief Powhatan, father of Pocahontas. The original courthouse was constructed in 1778 and the immediate area was named Scottville after General Charles Scott, a revolutionary war hero. In 1850 a small portion of Chesterfield County was annexed, creating the current boundaries of Powhatan County.
Location
Located in Virginia's Central Piedmont between the Appomattox and James rivers, Powhatan is twenty miles west of Richmond, the Commonwealth's capitol city, and is within an easy two-hour drive from the Atlantic Ocean, Washington, D.C., Colonial Williamsburg, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Located in Virginia's Central Piedmont between the Appomattox and James rivers, Powhatan is twenty miles west of Richmond, the Commonwealth's capitol city, and is within an easy two-hour drive from the Atlantic Ocean, Washington, D.C., Colonial Williamsburg, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Size
The county consists of 272 square miles (174,800 acres) and has a population of 28,046 (per the 2010 U.S. census), a 25% increase from the 2000 population of 22,370. Powhatan ranks as one of the fastest growing localities in Virginia.
The county consists of 272 square miles (174,800 acres) and has a population of 28,046 (per the 2010 U.S. census), a 25% increase from the 2000 population of 22,370. Powhatan ranks as one of the fastest growing localities in Virginia.
We found all sorts of fascinating places! I did some watercolor journaling and Bob took loads of photos. The weather was iffy and threatened rain all day and was on the cold side of comfortable so I didn't add color to my sketches but plan to. We barely scratched the surface and have lots more to see on this tour that you can find. Here's a link to Powhatan's Three Hour Driving Tour.
Here's our photo essay of the day: (click on the image for a better view!)
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| Powhatan Courthouse Village is a treasure trove of historic buildings |
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| Emmanuel Episcopal Church - the cemetery holds the graves of Confederate soldiers |
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| Belmead Mansion is in dire need of repair. On the National Register of Historic Places, it was once part of a school for African American men. |
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