Amelia County is a county located just southwest of Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The county is located in Central Virginia and is included in the Greater Richmond Region. Its county seat is Amelia Court House.
Amelia County was created in 1735 from parts of Prince George and Brunswick counties, and was named in honor of Princess Amelia of Great Britain. Parts of the county were later carved out to create Prince Edward and Nottoway counties.
As of the 2020 census, the county population was 13,265.
History
Amelia County was created by legislative act in 1734 and 1735 from parts of Prince George and Brunswick counties. The county is named for Princess Amelia of Great Britain, daughter of King George II. As was customary, Amelia County was reduced by the division of territory to form newer counties as the population increased in the region; in 1754, Prince Edward County was formed from parts of Amelia County, and in 1789, Nottoway County was formed. The area was developed for plantation agriculture dependent on slave labor.
During the Civil War, Confederate general Robert E. Lee and his army spent April 4 and 5, 1865, at Amelia Court House before his surrender on April 9 to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. The last major battle of his army was fought at Sayler's Creek, on the border of Amelia and Prince Edward counties, on April 6.
Amelia is known for its minerals, including the nation's best supply of amazonite, a green feldspar found at the Morefield mine. In the 19th century, spas were developed around its mineral springs, which were destinations for travelers.
In 1986 the Amelia County Fair sponsored a competition for the world's largest potato pancake (with apple sauce). It was constructed to raise money that year for the German American National Scholarship Fund. The pancake weighed more than two and one-quarter tons and used four truckloads of potatoes.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water.
Amelia County lies in the Piedmont region of Virginia, known for rolling hills and small ridges that lie between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Coastal Plain of Virginia. The county is bordered by the Appomattox River to the north and west, and Namozine Creek to the east.
Amelia County is drained by tributaries of the Appomattox. The lowest elevation in the county is , on Lake Chesdin on the Appomattox at the eastern extremity of the county. The highest elevation is , on SR 616 (S. Genito Road) at the community of Gills in the southwest corner of the county.
Adjacent counties
Powhatan County - north
Chesterfield County - east
Dinwiddie County - southeast
Nottoway County - south
Prince Edward County - southwest
Cumberland County - west
Transportation
Air
Richmond International Airport is located 51 miles (82 km) northeast of Amelia County.
US Highways
(Patrick Henry Highway. Eastbound to Richmond. Westbound to Burkeville and Danville.)
State Routes
(In Amelia Court House: Virginia Street, Court Street, Washington Street, Church Street, Five Forks Road. In Amelia County: N. Five Forks Road, to SR 153.)
(Military Road. To and Blackstone.)
(Holly Farms Road. To and Farmville.)
Secondary Routes
(Chula Rd and Genito Rd. To Powhatan and Chesterfield Counties.)
(Grub Hill Church Rd and Royalton Rd. To and Powhatan Court House.)
(Dennisville Rd. To Blackstone.)
(Genito Rd. Serves the northwest and southwest area of Amelia County. To SR 307 near Rice.)
Rail
Norfolk Southern - freight rail service
Demographics
2020 census
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,400 people, 4,240 households, and 3,175 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (12/km2). There were 4,609 housing units, at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 70.57% White, 28.05% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,240 households, of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.10% were non-families. 20.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07.
The median age was 38 years, with 25.30% under 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.
The median household income was $40,252, and the median family income was $47,157. Males had a median income of $32,315, versus $23,102 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,858. 8.40% of the population and 6.70% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.10% were under the age of 18 and 11.70% were 65 or older.
Culture
Seasonal Events
A countywide festival called Amelia Day is held each May on the Saturday before Mother's Day in Amelia Court House. The festival started in the 1980s to celebrate the town's founding. Vendors, local clubs, and citizens organize to enjoy music, dancing, and socializing. At the first Amelia Day in 1985, residents signed a long roll that, along with other items, was put in a time capsule and buried in the courthouse green near the Confederate War Memorial. The capsule is scheduled to be opened in 2035.
The Amelia County Fair is held in late summer or early fall each year at the Joe Paulette Memorial Park in Amelia Court House.
Each October, the Amelia Frightfest, a trail haunt, opens at Tom Scott Park in Amelia Court House.
Every year from April to October, on the second Saturday of every month, The Time Bandits car club hosts a car show at the Truist Bank parking lot on Patrick Henry Highway.
Attractions
Sayler's Creek Battlefield State Park
Lake Chesdin
Amelia Wildlife Management Area
Amelia Country Club
Government
Board of Supervisors
District 1: David M. Felts Jr. (Chairman)
District 2: Dexter Jones
District 3: Shaun Weyant, Vice Chairman (I)
District 4: H. Joseph Easter IV, Chairman (I)
District 5: Todd Robinson
Constitutional officers
Clerk of the Circuit Court: Marilyn L. Wilson (D)
Commissioner of the Revenue: Laura Walsh (I)
Commonwealth's Attorney: Lee R. Harrison (I)
Sheriff: Rick Walker (I)
Treasurer: Stephanie Coleman (I)
Amelia County is represented by Republican Amanda Chase in the Virginia Senate, Republican Thomas C. Wright Jr. in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Media
The Amelia Bulletin Monitor, a weekly newspaper, has covered the county since 1973.
Education
Public Primary and secondary schools
Amelia County is served by the Amelia County School District.
Amelia County High School
Amelia County Middle School
Amelia County Elementary School
Private Primary and secondary Schools
Amelia Academy
Communities
There are no incorporated communities in Amelia County.
Census-designated places
Amelia Court House
Unincorporated communities
Ammon
Chula
Clementown Mills
Coverly
Deatonville
Denaro
Earls
Fieldstown
Giles Mill
Gills
Haw Branch
Jetersville
Little Patrick
Lodore
Mannboro
Maplewood
Masons Corner
Mattoax
Morven
Namozine
Otterburn
Paineville
Pontons/Ponton's Store
Rodophil
Scotts Fork
Truxillo
Whites Store
Winterham
Historic sites
The following sites in Amelia County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
Barrett-Chumney House
Dykeland
Egglestetton
Farmer House
Haw Branch
Ingleside
St. John's Church (Grub Hill Church)
Sayler's Creek Battlefield
Wigwam
Winterham Plantation
Notable residents
William S. Archer, born in Amelia County, United States Senator from Virginia
Van T. Barfoot (1919-2012), U.S. Army Colonel and a U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
William Wyatt Bibb, born in Amelia County, United States Senator from Georgia and first Governor of Alabama
Jesse Bragg, Negro-league baseball player
William Cocke (1747–1828), born in Amelia County, first United States Senator from Tennessee
Henry William Connor (1793–1866), born near Amelia Court House, elected United States Congressman from North Carolina
David Fanning, (1755–1825), born in Amelia County. A Loyalist officer during the American Revolutionary War, he captured Thomas Burke, a court-martial judge and Governor of North Carolina. One of only three individuals excluded from the amnesty after the Revolutionary War, Fanning moved to New Brunswick in present-day Canada for resettlement.
William Branch Giles, (1762–1830), born in Amelia County. Planter, United States Congressman, United States Senator, and Governor of Virginia
Edmund Harrison (1764–1826), Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates (1802–1803)
John Winston Jones, (1791–1848), born in Amelia County. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Nellie A. Ramsey Leslie (c.1840s-c.1920s), born into slavery in Amelia County. She became a noted musician, teacher and composer, founding a musical conservatory in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Robert Russa Moton (1867–1940), noted African American educator. He was born in Amelia County but was raised in Rice in nearby Prince Edward County, Virginia.
Mary Virginia Terhune (1830-1922), born in Amelia County. A prolific and bestselling author in both fiction and non-fiction, the first woman elected to the Virginia Historical Society
