Amherst County, Virginia: History and Information

Amherst County, Virginia

Amherst County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Amherst
Year Organized: 1761
Square Miles: 475

Court House:

P.O. Box 410
County Sheriff's Office
Amherst, VA 24521-0390

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Amherst County was formed in 1761, from parts of Albemarle County. The county was named for Sir Jeffrey Amherst, known as the "Conqueror of Canada". Jeffrey Amherst was named Governor of Virginia, although he never came to the colony.

Demographics:

History

Amherst County was named for Major Jeffery Amherst, British commander in North America during the French and Indian War and governor of Virginia from 1759 to 1768. Amherst County, Virginia formed from Albemarle County and certain islands in the Fluvanna River in 1761. Its area is 470 square miles, and the county seat is Amherst. [Virginia Counties: Those Resulting from Virginia Legislation, by Morgan Poitiaux Robinson, originally published as Bulletin of the Virginia State Library, Volume 9, January, April, July 1916, reprinted 1992 by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD.]

Amelia County was named for Amelia Sophia Eleanora, daughter of George II of England, was created by a legislative act in 1734, and in 1735, it was created from Prince George and Brunswick Counties in 1734. Then, in 1754, Prince Edward County was formed from Amelia County, and later the County was reduced to its current size when Nottoway County was separated in 1789.Its area is 366 square miles and the county seat is Amelia. The population is 11,400 according to the 2000 census.

During the Revolutionary War, in 1781, Amelia was raided by British forces under General Tarleton. Eighty-four years later, the Amelia County records amazingly survived through the Civil War. According to legend, they were saved in April, 1865 because Federal General George Custer, of Little Big Horn fame, placed a guard over the Amelia County Clerk's Office with orders that all records be preserved.

The County of Amelia's Courthouse, located on a two-acre square in the center of the village, was moved several times before finally reaching its present location. The first Courthouse, located near Pridesville, was destroyed by fire in 1766. Another location for the Courthouse was chosen at Dennisville. In 1849, the Courthouse was moved to its present location. The Courthouse building presently in use was constructed in 1924. A Confederate Monument, erected in 1905 by the Amelia Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, stands in the courtyard in honor of the sons of Amelia County who served the Confederacy. General Robert E. Lee and his Army spent the days of April 4 and 5 at Amelia Courthouse on the retreat to Appomattox in 1865.

The last major battle of the Civil War was fought at what is now Sailor's (Sayler's) Creek Battlefield Historical State Park located on the western edge of Amelia County. The 220-acre state-owned battlefield is operated by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation through its Division of State Parks. The Sailor's (Sayler's) Creek site commemorates the battle which took place on April 6, 1865. In this battle alone, General Lee lost half his army during the three days of conflicts. The Confederate Army suffered a crippling defeat which led to General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox seventy-two hours later. The Hillsman House, restored in 1945 and located at the park, was used as a federal field hospital during the battle. The park offers an audio tour with maps and markers of the battlefield. Reenactments of the Sailor's (Sayler's) Creek Battle are also held in the park.

Neighboring Counties:

Rockbridge County, Virginia - northwest

Nelson County, Virginia - northeast

Appomattox County, Virginia - southeast

Campbell County, Virginia - south

Lynchburg, Virginia - south

Bedford County, Virginia - southwest

Cities and Towns:

- Amherst (County Seat)

town

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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