County of Charles City | |
|---|---|
 Iona Whitehead-Adkins Courthouse | |
 Seal  Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°21′N77°04′W / 37.35°N 77.06°W /37.35; -77.06 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1619 |
| Named after | Charles I of England |
| Seat | Charles City |
| Area | |
• Total | 204 sq mi (530 km2) |
| • Land | 183 sq mi (470 km2) |
| • Water | 21 sq mi (54 km2) 10.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 6,773 |
• Estimate (2024) | 6,564 |
| • Density | 37/sq mi (14/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www |
Charles City County is acounty located in theU.S. commonwealth ofVirginia. The county is situated southeast ofRichmond and west ofJamestown. It is bounded on the south by theJames River and on the east by theChickahominy River.
The area that would become Charles City County was first established as "Charles Cittie" by theVirginia Company in 1619. It was one of the first four "boroughs" of Virginia, and was named in honor of Prince Charles, who would later become KingCharles I of England. After Virginia became a royal colony, the borough was changed to "Charles City Shire" in 1634, as one of the five originalShires of Virginia. It acquired the present name of Charles City County in 1643.
In the 21st century, Charles City County is part of theGreater Richmond Region of the state of Virginia. As of the2020 census, the county population was 6,773;[1] it is still relatively rural and one of the smaller counties in Virginia by population. Itscounty seat is the community ofCharles City.[2]
Notable natives include the9th and 10thpresidents of the United States,William Henry Harrison andJohn Tyler.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
VariousIndian tribes had used this area for thousands of years. When the region was explored by the English in the 17th century, theAlgonquian-speakingChickahominy tribe inhabited areas along theChickahominy River that was later named for them by English colonists. ThePaspahegh lived in Sandy Point, and theWeanoc lived in the Weyanoke Neck area. The latter two tribes were part of thePowhatan Confederacy. At the time of the earliest English settlement, the independent Chickahominy people occupied territory surrounded by numerous tribes of the powerfulPowhatan Confederacy, but they were not part of it.[3] Chickahominy descendants still inhabit the region. These three tribes were all Algonquian-speaking tribes, the language family of the varied peoples who occupied the Tidewater and low country in Virginia and along the East Coast from Canada to south of the Carolinas.[4]
The English named the Weyanoke Peninsula after the Weyanoc tribe, whom they encountered in the area. The Weyanoc were gradually displaced by colonial encroachment. They merged with other, larger tribes about the time ofBacon's Rebellion (1676-1677).
The English began to colonize the area under the auspices of theVirginia Company, a private company formed to support this effort and gain profits from expected development and trade.
In 1619, the Virginia Company establishedCharles Cittie [sic] as one of the first four "boroughs" or "incorporations" in the region. West of James County, it was named for Prince Charles, second son of KingJames I of England, who became the Prince of Wales andheir apparent after the death of his older brother Henry in 1612. After his father's death, he became KingCharles I of England.[5]
1619 marked the arrival of the firstenslavedAfricans in the Tidewater area. They had been captured from a Spanish ship and were taken toWeyanoke Peninsula. They were treated as indentured servants in the colony, and at least one later became a landowner after gaining his freedom. They created the first African community in what became the United States.Weyanoke, Virginia continues as a small, unincorporated community.[citation needed]
The Virginia Company lost its charter in 1624 under King James I, and Virginia became aroyal colony.Charles City Shire was formed in 1634 in theVirginia Colony by order of the King. Its name was changed to Charles City County in 1643. It is one of the five originalshires in Virginia that are extant in essentially the same political entity (county) as they were originally formed in 1634. Colonists developed the land as tobaccoplantations and produced this commodity crop for export.[citation needed]
Cultivation and processing of this crop required intensive labor. The wealthier planters recruitedindentured servants from the British Isles and Africa, and later purchased numerousenslaved Africans. In Virginia and the Upper South, historians have classified persons holding 20 or more slaves as planters.
The majority of the colonists were English people who arrived as indentured servants and who owed labor, often as much as seven years, to wealthy patrons who had paid for their passage to gain land and laborers. The English government offered land grants to these patrons under aheadright system, which was a way to encourage settlement in the colony. During the 17th century, for economic times encouraged many to settle in the North American colonies. In the early years, the Chesapeake Bay Colony had many more men than women, but more women entered began emigrating and families were begun.
As the indentured servants worked off their passage, they would be granted land of their own. By then the most successful planter families already controlled the valuable riverfront property. This gave them ready access to the waterways, the transportation system for trade and travel. Hence, later planters generally settled in the upland section of the county.
The original central city of the county was Charles City Point, located south of theJames River at the confluence of theAppomattox River. The first Charles City County courthouses were located along the James River atWestover on the north side and atCity Point on the south side. The latter's name was shortened from Charles City Point.
In 1703, all of the original area of Charles City County south of the James River was severed to formPrince George County. This in turn was later divided, in a pattern typical of colonial development, into several other counties and independent cities.[6] From Charles City County through Prince George County cameBrunswick County in 1732;Amelia County in 1735; andPrince Edward County in 1754.[6] Theincorporated town ofCity Point, then in Prince George County, was annexed by theindependent city ofHopewell in 1923.
After 1703, Charles City County was limited to land on the north bank of the James River, between James City County to its east and Henrico County to its west (both also previously colonial shires). Charles City County is bordered by New Kent County to its north and Henrico County to its north-west.[citation needed] During the late 19th century, numerous crossroads communities developed among the plantations to serve the religious, educational and mercantile needs of the citizenry of rural Charles City County.[citation needed] Crossroad communities, such as Adkins Store, Cedar Grove, Binns Hall, Parrish Hill, Ruthville and Wayside, typically included a store, church and school. (Public schools were not established until after the Civil War, when the Reconstruction legislature founded the system.)[citation needed]
All told, five counties:Prince George County,Brunswick,Dinwiddie,Amelia, andPrince Edward; and three independent cities:Hopewell,Petersburg andColonial Heights have been formed from the original territory of Charles City Shire.[7]
As in other parts of the Tidewater, common planters and merchants of Charles City County were attracted by the appeal ofMethodist andBaptist preachers in theGreat Awakening in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Several Methodist and Baptist churches were established in the early 19th century, mostly in the upland areas of the county. The county also had numerousQuaker settlers. The elite planters of the James River plantations tended to remain Anglican; the United States Episcopal Church was founded after the American Revolution.[citation needed]
With the growth of tobacco as a cash crop, demand for workers increased. Twenty-three African slaves were known to have been brought to Charles City County before 1660.[8] During the late 1600s and early 1700s, African slave labor rapidly supplanted European indentured servants. By the eighteenth century, slaves had become the major source of agricultural labor in theVirginia Colony, then devoted primarily to the labor-intensive commodity crop of tobacco.
The earliest record of a free black living in Charles City County is the September 16, 1677, petition for freedom by a woman named Susannah. TheLott Cary House in the county has long been honored as the birth site ofLott Cary, a slave who purchased his freedom and that of his children.[9] In the 19th century, he became a founding father of the new country ofLiberia in Africa.[10]
Beginning as early as the 17th century, some planters freed individual slaves bymanumission. Some freemixed-race families, established before theAmerican Revolution, were formed by descendants of unions or marriages between whiteindentured or free women and African men, indentured, slave or free. Colonial law and the principle ofpartus sequitur ventrem, provided that children were born into the status of their mother. Thus, the mixed-race children of white women were born free. If illegitimate, they had to serve time in lengthy apprenticeships, but freedom gave them an important step forward.[11]
In the first two decades after the American Revolution, numerous planters in Charles City County freed their slaves, persuaded by Quaker, Baptist and Methodist abolitionists.[12] Many free blacks settled together in today'sRuthville, Virginia, a crossroads and one of the first free-black communities in present-day Charles City County and the state of Virginia.[12] The unincorporated town ofRuthville was the center of the county's free black population for many years. Followingemancipation, Ruthville became the site of the Mercantile Cooperative Company and the Ruthville Training School. The United Sorghum Growers Club also met here. Known previously by several other names, the name "Ruthville" recalls local resident Ruth Brown. Her name was selected for the local Post Office established there in 1880.[9]
When the Union Army began recruiting black troops during theAmerican Civil War, many black Americans from Charles City County enlisted. In 1864,United States Colored Troops stationed atFort Pocahontas roundly repelled an attack by 2500 Confederate troops commanded by Major GeneralFitzhugh Lee, nephew of General Robert E. Lee.[13]
Virginia established statewide legal racial segregation when white Democrats regained control of the state legislature. They disfranchised most blacks at the turn of the century, maintaining this exclusion until after passage of civil rights legislation. In 1968, following passage of the federalCivil Rights Act andVoting Rights Act of the 1960s, and federal enforcement of the black franchise,James Bradby of Charles City County was the first black American Virginian to be elected to the position of CountySheriff.[14]
Charles City County is the location of several historic plantations.
| Ruthville, VA[19] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 204 square miles (530 km2), of which 183 square miles (470 km2) is land and 21 square miles (54 km2) (10.5%) is water.[20]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 5,588 | — | |
| 1800 | 5,365 | −4.0% | |
| 1810 | 5,186 | −3.3% | |
| 1820 | 5,255 | 1.3% | |
| 1830 | 5,500 | 4.7% | |
| 1840 | 4,774 | −13.2% | |
| 1850 | 5,200 | 8.9% | |
| 1860 | 5,609 | 7.9% | |
| 1870 | 4,975 | −11.3% | |
| 1880 | 5,512 | 10.8% | |
| 1890 | 5,066 | −8.1% | |
| 1900 | 5,040 | −0.5% | |
| 1910 | 5,253 | 4.2% | |
| 1920 | 4,793 | −8.8% | |
| 1930 | 4,881 | 1.8% | |
| 1940 | 4,275 | −12.4% | |
| 1950 | 4,676 | 9.4% | |
| 1960 | 5,492 | 17.5% | |
| 1970 | 6,158 | 12.1% | |
| 1980 | 6,692 | 8.7% | |
| 1990 | 6,282 | −6.1% | |
| 2000 | 6,926 | 10.3% | |
| 2010 | 7,256 | 4.8% | |
| 2020 | 6,773 | −6.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 6,564 | [21] | −3.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[22] 1790–1960[23] 1900–1990[24] 1990–2000[25] 2010–2020[26] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[27] | Pop 2020[26] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 2,939 | 2,997 | 40.50% | 44.25% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,511 | 2,836 | 48.39% | 41.87% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 495 | 441 | 6.82% | 6.51% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 24 | 34 | 0.33% | 0.50% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 5 | 6 | 0.07% | 0.09% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 18 | 50 | 0.25% | 0.74% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 176 | 308 | 2.43% | 4.55% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 88 | 101 | 1.21% | 1.49% |
| Total | 7,256 | 6,773 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 7,256 people living in the county. 48.4% wereBlack or African American, 40.9%White, 7.1%Native American, 0.3%Asian,Pacific Islander, 0.6% of some other race and 2.6%of two or more races. 1.2% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of thecensus[28] of 2000, there were 6,926 people, 2,670 households, and 1,975 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 38 people per square mile (15 people/km2). There were 2,895 housing units at an average density of 16 units per square mile (6.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 54.85%Black orAfrican American, 35.66%White, 7.84%Native American, 0.10%Asian, 0.17% fromother races, and 1.37% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 2,670 households, out of which 27.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.60% were married couples living together, 15.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.10% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 28.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,745, and the median income for a family was $49,361. Males had a median income of $32,402 versus $26,000 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,182. 10.60% of the population and 8.00% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 13.00% are under the age of 18 and 18.50% are 65 or older.
Charles City County features some of the larger and older of the extantJames River plantations alongState Route 5. All are privately owned. Many of the houses and/or grounds are open daily to visitors with various admission fees applicable, and more may be open during Garden Week, usually in late April.[29]
Some James River plantations open to the public, listed from west to east, includeShirley Plantation,Edgewood Plantation and Harrison's Mill,Berkeley Plantation,Westover Plantation,Belle Air Plantation,Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation,North Bend Plantation, andSherwood Forest Plantation. Plantations not open to the public includeEvelynton Plantation, Oak Hill, andGreenway Plantation.[citation needed]
Some Charles City Countyfarms along the James River have been under continuous crop production for more than 400 years, but they remain highly productive. Local farmers have won national contests in bushel per acre grain production. A Charles City farmer has been the National Corn Grower in three years, producing 300+ bushels of corn per acre (18.8 t/ha) in the "no-till non-irrigated" category. Two Charles City farmers have won the National Wheat Growers First Place, producing 140+ bushels per acre (9.4 t/ha) of soft red winter wheat.
Charles City County farmers have also helped develop the leading technology for controlling runoff from grain cultivation. Fully 90% of crop land in Charles City County is in a never-till cropping system. WhenHurricane Floyd in 1999 dropped approximately 19 inches (480 mm) of rain in 24 hours on some long-term never-till fields, visual observation showed virtually no erosion. A scientific study conducted in 2000 on one long-term never-till field demonstrated a 99.9% reduction in sediment runoff compared to conventional tillage, and a 95% reduction of runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus. This new technology could become a primary strategy to achieve a healthyChesapeake Bay.
Charles City County is represented by DemocratLashrecse Aird in the13th district of theSenate of Virginia, and DemocratDelores McQuinn in the81st district of theVirginia House of Delegates. On the Federal level, the County is represented by DemocratJennifer McClellan inVirginia's 4th congressional district in theU.S. House of Representatives, and by Democratic senatorsTim Kaine andMark Warner in theU.S. Senate.
The county has no "City", or any centralized city or town. Charles City Court House, which has a Charles City postal address, is the focal point of government. The building that served as the courthouse was constructed in the 1730s. Used until 2007, it was one of only five courthouses in America that was in continuous use for judicial purposes since before the Revolutionary War.[30] A new courthouse has since been built.
OnlyHenrico County to the west is accessible without a river crossing.State Route 106 crosses the James River on theBenjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge, providing the only direct access to areas south of the river and to Hopewell, the closest city. Three bridges across theChickahominy River link the county with neighboringJames City County andProvidence Forge inNew Kent County.
Charles City County Public Schools employs a staff of approximately 100 persons to meet the needs of approximately 500 students in its two schools. All schools are technologically advanced with full wireless Internet access in both labs and classrooms. The school system strives to serve the whole child by offering students a broad spectrum of programs that includes core studies, electives gifted education, honors, dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, Army Junior ROTC, comprehensive vocational and technical programs, exceptional education programs, Title I reading, alternative education, pre-kindergarten program, and regional Governor's School program participation.[31]
Charles City County has favored the Democratic candidate in each of the last seventeen presidential elections, during which the Democratic candidate has always received over fifty-four percent of the vote from the county. It was the only county or independent city in Virginia won byGeorge McGovern during the1972 election,[32] when in fact, Charles City proved McGovern’s fourth strongest county nationwide.[33]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 37 | 20.44% | 121 | 66.85% | 23 | 12.71% |
| 1916 | 57 | 28.93% | 139 | 70.56% | 1 | 0.51% |
| 1920 | 82 | 40.59% | 119 | 58.91% | 1 | 0.50% |
| 1924 | 82 | 35.34% | 141 | 60.78% | 9 | 3.88% |
| 1928 | 207 | 66.35% | 105 | 33.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 85 | 25.37% | 245 | 73.13% | 5 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | 79 | 25.32% | 233 | 74.68% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 92 | 27.88% | 238 | 72.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 139 | 29.89% | 326 | 70.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 167 | 33.60% | 258 | 51.91% | 72 | 14.49% |
| 1952 | 342 | 40.24% | 492 | 57.88% | 16 | 1.88% |
| 1956 | 661 | 72.08% | 174 | 18.97% | 82 | 8.94% |
| 1960 | 337 | 34.96% | 623 | 64.63% | 4 | 0.41% |
| 1964 | 323 | 23.96% | 1,023 | 75.89% | 2 | 0.15% |
| 1968 | 320 | 16.33% | 1,457 | 74.34% | 183 | 9.34% |
| 1972 | 535 | 30.84% | 1,177 | 67.84% | 23 | 1.33% |
| 1976 | 439 | 22.50% | 1,455 | 74.58% | 57 | 2.92% |
| 1980 | 506 | 23.74% | 1,564 | 73.39% | 61 | 2.86% |
| 1984 | 776 | 30.03% | 1,776 | 68.73% | 32 | 1.24% |
| 1988 | 826 | 30.59% | 1,839 | 68.11% | 35 | 1.30% |
| 1992 | 729 | 24.19% | 2,010 | 66.69% | 275 | 9.12% |
| 1996 | 729 | 26.16% | 1,842 | 66.09% | 216 | 7.75% |
| 2000 | 1,023 | 33.37% | 1,981 | 64.61% | 62 | 2.02% |
| 2004 | 1,254 | 36.46% | 2,155 | 62.66% | 30 | 0.87% |
| 2008 | 1,288 | 31.01% | 2,838 | 68.34% | 27 | 0.65% |
| 2012 | 1,396 | 32.99% | 2,772 | 65.50% | 64 | 1.51% |
| 2016 | 1,476 | 35.94% | 2,496 | 60.77% | 135 | 3.29% |
| 2020 | 1,761 | 39.65% | 2,624 | 59.09% | 56 | 1.26% |
| 2024 | 1,917 | 44.04% | 2,384 | 54.77% | 52 | 1.19% |
There are no incorporated towns in Charles City County, but the followingunincorporated communities are located in the county:
Places adjacent to Charles City County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Municipalities and communities ofCharles City County, Virginia,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| CDP |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
37°21′N77°04′W / 37.35°N 77.06°W /37.35; -77.06
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
