Henry County, Virginia | |
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 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°40′N79°53′W / 36.67°N 79.88°W /36.67; -79.88 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1777 |
| Named after | Patrick Henry |
| Seat | Martinsville |
| Largest town | Ridgeway |
| Area | |
• Total | 384 sq mi (990 km2) |
| • Land | 382 sq mi (990 km2) |
| • Water | 2 sq mi (5.2 km2) 0.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 50,948 |
| • Density | 133/sq mi (51.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
| Website | www |
Henry County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofVirginia. As of the2020 census, the population was 50,948.[1] Thecounty seat is usually identified asMartinsville;[2] however, the administration building (where county offices are located and where theboard of supervisors holds meetings), county courthouse, and Henry County Sheriff's Office are located on Kings Mountain Road (SR 174) inCollinsville.The Henry County Adult Detention Center is located on DuPont Road in Henry County, just south of Martinsville.
Henry County is part of theMartinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The county was established in 1777 when it was carved fromPittsylvania County. The new county was initially namedPatrick Henry County in honor ofPatrick Henry, who was then serving as the firstGovernor of Virginia, and some of whose relatives had settled in the area. Governor Henry also had a 10,000-acre (40 km2)plantation called "Leatherwood plantation" (for Leatherwood Creek) in the newly named county (where he ended up spending 5 years between his third and fourth gubernatorial terms).[3][4][5][6]
Henry County was never named Patrick Henry County according toThe statutes at large; being a collection of all the laws of Virginia, from the first session of the Legislature in the year 1619. By William Waller Hening. In Volume 9, on pages 241 & 242, in the October 1776 session, it is stated: An act for dividing the county of Pittsylvania into two distinct counties....Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly of the commonwealth of Virginia, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That from and after the last day of December next ensuing the said county of Pittsylvania be divided into two counties, by a line beginning at the mouth of Blackwater, on Staunton river, and running parallel with the line of Halifax county, till it strikes the country line, and that all that part of the said county which lies to the westward of the said line shall be one distinct county, and called and known by the name of Henry, and that all the other part thereof which lies to the eastward of the said line shall be one other distinct county, and retain the name Pittsylvania. And for the administration of justice in the said county of Henry, Be it enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That after the said last day of December a court for the said county of Henry be held by the justices thereof upon the third Monday in every month, in such manner as by the laws of this state is provided, and shall be by their commissions directed....p. 242....An act to establish the places of holding courts in the counties of Pittsylvania and Henry. For fixing the places of holding courts in the counties of Pittsylvania and Henry, Be it enacted, by the General Assembly of the commonwealth of Virginia, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the justices to be names in the commission of the peace for the said counties of Pittsylvania and Henry, respectively, shall meet....
In 1785 the northern part of Patrick Henry County was combined with part ofBedford County to formFranklin County. In 1790, Patrick Henry County was split again: the western part becamePatrick County and the rest remained Henry County.
Other notable early settlers included:George Waller,[7]CaptainGeorge Hairston andMajor John Redd,[8] all of whom were present at the surrender ofGeneral Cornwallis atYorktown; Col.Abram Penn, a native ofAmherst County, Virginia, who led his Henry Countymilitia troops with the intention of joining GeneralNathanael Greene at theBattle of Guilford Courthouse during theRevolutionary War;[9] andBrigadier GeneralJoseph Martin, for whom Martinsville is named.[10] Also prominent were Mordecai Hord, a native ofLouisa County and explorer, who lived on his plantation calledHordsville;[11] and Col. John Dillard, born inAmherst County, Virginia in 1751, wounded at theBattle of Princeton during the Revolution, and later a member of theCommittee of Safety. CaptainRobert Hairston, a noted politician in theColony of Virginia, ownedMarrowbone plantation, commanded a militia company and served as Henry County's first high sheriff.
During theWar of 1812, the 64th Virginia Militia, under Captain Graves, was formed in 1815 from Henry County.Benjamin Dyer was a lieutenant, then later a captain, of the 5th company of the 64th Virginia Militia. PrivateAlexander Hunter Bassett would later work large tobacco plantations in the county, and Wyatt Jarrett. Tavner Hailey (b.1793) of Martinsville became an early pioneer in Tennessee and served in the War of 1812. He was 1st Cpl. in Captain Brice Edward's Company, 64th Regiment, Virginia Militia."[12]
During theAmerican Civil War, the42nd Virginia Infantry was formed in part from Henry County volunteers. Its state senator,Christopher Y. Thomas, owned Henry's former Leatherwood plantation and would later briefly serve in the U.S. House of Representatives after the war. He was succeeded byGeorge Cabell, a Confederate army veteran (38th Virginia Infantry) born in nearbyDanville and from a family long prominent in the area.[13]
In 1902, the Henry County Historical Society was incorporated at Martinsville with its first officers being John W. Carter, J. Harrison Spencer and C. B. Bryant.[14]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (990 km2), of which 382 square miles (990 km2) is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.5%) is water.[15] Henry County is one of the 423 counties served by theAppalachian Regional Commission,[16] and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his bookAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.[17]
The county's six districts are as follows, in alphabetical order: Axton, Bassett, Collinsville, Horsepasture, Reed Creek, and Ridgeway.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 8,479 | — | |
| 1800 | 5,259 | −38.0% | |
| 1810 | 5,611 | 6.7% | |
| 1820 | 5,624 | 0.2% | |
| 1830 | 7,100 | 26.2% | |
| 1840 | 7,335 | 3.3% | |
| 1850 | 8,872 | 21.0% | |
| 1860 | 12,105 | 36.4% | |
| 1870 | 12,303 | 1.6% | |
| 1880 | 16,009 | 30.1% | |
| 1890 | 18,208 | 13.7% | |
| 1900 | 19,265 | 5.8% | |
| 1910 | 18,459 | −4.2% | |
| 1920 | 20,238 | 9.6% | |
| 1930 | 20,088 | −0.7% | |
| 1940 | 26,481 | 31.8% | |
| 1950 | 31,219 | 17.9% | |
| 1960 | 40,335 | 29.2% | |
| 1970 | 50,901 | 26.2% | |
| 1980 | 57,654 | 13.3% | |
| 1990 | 56,942 | −1.2% | |
| 2000 | 57,930 | 1.7% | |
| 2010 | 54,151 | −6.5% | |
| 2020 | 50,948 | −5.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] 1790-1960[19] 1900-1990[20] 1990-2000[21] 2010[22] 2020[23] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[22] | Pop 2020[23] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 38,737 | 34,307 | 71.54% | 67.34% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 11,786 | 11,062 | 21.77% | 21.71% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 78 | 68 | 0.14% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 236 | 284 | 0.44% | 0.56% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 2 | 6 | 0.00% | 0.01% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 43 | 153 | 0.08% | 0.30% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 724 | 1,767 | 1.34% | 3.47% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,545 | 3,301 | 4.70% | 6.48% |
| Total | 54,151 | 50,948 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[24] of 2000, there were 57,930 people, 23,910 households, and 16,952 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 152 people per square mile (59 people/km2). There were 25,921 housing units at an average density of 68 units per square mile (26 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.47%White, 10%Black orAfrican American, 0.16%Native American, 0.41%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 1.39% fromother races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 3.46% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 23,910 households, out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% weremarried couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,816, and the median income for a family was $38,649. Males had a median income of $26,660 versus $20,766 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,110. About 8.80% of families and 11.70% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.
Henry County is represented by Republican William M. "Bill" Stanley in the Virginia Senate, Republicans Wren Williams and Eric Phillips in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican H. Morgan Griffith in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Henry County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency in Henry County.
Robert Hairston was appointed the first "High sheriff" by GovernorThomas Nelson Jr. when Henry County was formed in 1777.Alexander Hunter also served as sheriff of Henry County for one year in 1803.
In 2006, a federal Grand Jury charged 20 defendants for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy that included the distribution of illegal drugs, theft of drugs and firearms under the custody of the Henry County Sheriff's Office, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. Thirteen of the twenty defendants were current or former employees of the Sheriff's Office. Eighteen of the defendants, including sheriff Frank Cassell, were convicted of felony offenses. This case,United States v. Frank Cassell, was prosecuted by US AttorneyJohn L. Brownlee.[25][26]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 216 | 16.58% | 707 | 54.26% | 380 | 29.16% |
| 1916 | 567 | 39.68% | 851 | 59.55% | 11 | 0.77% |
| 1920 | 698 | 44.04% | 871 | 54.95% | 16 | 1.01% |
| 1924 | 565 | 33.29% | 1,097 | 64.64% | 35 | 2.06% |
| 1928 | 1,139 | 47.34% | 1,267 | 52.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 342 | 22.75% | 1,146 | 76.25% | 15 | 1.00% |
| 1936 | 458 | 20.34% | 1,790 | 79.48% | 4 | 0.18% |
| 1940 | 474 | 20.79% | 1,795 | 78.73% | 11 | 0.48% |
| 1944 | 727 | 32.03% | 1,538 | 67.75% | 5 | 0.22% |
| 1948 | 730 | 28.77% | 1,318 | 51.95% | 489 | 19.27% |
| 1952 | 1,871 | 44.34% | 2,323 | 55.05% | 26 | 0.62% |
| 1956 | 2,436 | 47.75% | 2,582 | 50.61% | 84 | 1.65% |
| 1960 | 2,323 | 41.17% | 3,306 | 58.59% | 14 | 0.25% |
| 1964 | 2,844 | 34.75% | 5,295 | 64.70% | 45 | 0.55% |
| 1968 | 3,946 | 25.92% | 4,175 | 27.42% | 7,103 | 46.66% |
| 1972 | 7,556 | 62.84% | 4,042 | 33.62% | 426 | 3.54% |
| 1976 | 5,612 | 35.02% | 9,680 | 60.41% | 732 | 4.57% |
| 1980 | 8,258 | 46.44% | 8,800 | 49.49% | 725 | 4.08% |
| 1984 | 12,693 | 63.76% | 6,976 | 35.04% | 237 | 1.19% |
| 1988 | 10,871 | 58.04% | 7,536 | 40.24% | 322 | 1.72% |
| 1992 | 9,005 | 41.26% | 9,296 | 42.59% | 3,524 | 16.15% |
| 1996 | 9,110 | 43.64% | 9,061 | 43.41% | 2,703 | 12.95% |
| 2000 | 11,870 | 55.30% | 8,898 | 41.46% | 695 | 3.24% |
| 2004 | 13,358 | 56.94% | 9,851 | 41.99% | 249 | 1.06% |
| 2008 | 13,758 | 54.56% | 11,118 | 44.09% | 339 | 1.34% |
| 2012 | 13,984 | 56.02% | 10,317 | 41.33% | 662 | 2.65% |
| 2016 | 15,208 | 63.13% | 8,198 | 34.03% | 685 | 2.84% |
| 2020 | 16,725 | 64.07% | 9,127 | 34.96% | 253 | 0.97% |
| 2024 | 16,800 | 65.95% | 8,457 | 33.20% | 217 | 0.85% |
As anindependent city since 1928,Martinsville is not part of Henry County, but exists as anenclave, surrounded by the county.
Places adjacent to Henry County, Virginia | |
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Municipalities and communities ofHenry County, Virginia,United States | ||
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