Prince Edward County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
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 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°13′N78°26′W / 37.22°N 78.44°W /37.22; -78.44 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1754 |
| Named after | Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany |
| Seat | Farmville |
| Largest town | Farmville |
| Area | |
• Total | 354 sq mi (920 km2) |
| • Land | 350 sq mi (910 km2) |
| • Water | 3.9 sq mi (10 km2) 1.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 21,849 |
| • Density | 62/sq mi (24/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | www |
Prince Edward County is located in theCommonwealth ofVirginia. As of the2020 census, the population was 21,849.[1] Itscounty seat isFarmville.[2]
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Prince Edward County was formed in theVirginia Colony in 1754 fromAmelia County. It was named forPrince Edward, second son ofFrederick, Prince of Wales, and younger brother ofGeorge III of the United Kingdom.
The originalcounty seat housed the courthouse and was called Prince Edward Courthouse; it is now the village ofWorsham.
Near the headwaters of theAppomattox River, the Town ofFarmville was formed in 1798 and was incorporated in 1912. The county seat was moved from Worsham to Farmville in 1871.
In the 1850s, theSouthside Railroad betweenPetersburg andLynchburg was built through Farmville betweenBurkeville andPamplin City. The route, which was subsidized by a contribution from Farmville, required an expensive crossing of the Appomattox River slightly downstream which became known as theHigh Bridge.
The Southside Railroad was heavily damaged during theAmerican Civil War. TheHigh Bridge played a key role during Confederate GeneralRobert E. Lee's final retreat from Petersburg toAppomattox Courthouse, where the surrender to Union GeneralUlysses S. Grant took place in April 1865.
After the Civil War, under the leadership of former Confederate GeneralWilliam "Billy" Mahone, the Southside Railroad was rebuilt. In 1870, it was combined with theNorfolk and Petersburg Railroad and theVirginia and Tennessee Railroad to form Mahone'sAtlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad (AM&O), which extended 400 miles across the southern tier of Virginia fromNorfolk onHampton Roads toBristol. After theFinancial Panic of 1873, the AM&O fell into default on its debt; it was purchased in the early 1880s by new owners who renamed it theNorfolk and Western (N&W). In 1982, it became part of the currentNorfolk Southern Railway system.
Due to the high cost of maintaining the High Bridge over the Appomattox River, the line through Farmville was downgraded and eventually abandoned, in favor of theFarmville Belt Line, which had been built on a more direct line between Burkeville and Pamplin City, as had originally been envisioned in the planning for the Southside Railroad.
Another railroad formerly served Farmville. In the late 19th century, thenarrow gaugeFarmville and Powhatan Railroad was built from Farmville throughCumberland,Powhatan, andChesterfield counties to reachBermuda Hundred on the navigable portion of theJames River near its confluence with theAppomattox River atCity Point. It was later renamed theTidewater and Western Railroad, but was dismantled in the early 20th century.
Prince Edward County is the source ofDavis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, a case incorporated intoBrown v. Board of Education, which ultimately resulted in theU.S. Supreme Court decision that racially segregated public schools were unconstitutional. This ultimately led to the desegregation of all U.S. public schools. Among the five cases decided underBrown, Davis was the only one initiated by students, after they walked out in 1951 to protest overcrowding and poor conditions at their segregated school underJim Crow laws.
The all-black R.R. Moton High School, named afterRobert Russa Moton, a noted educator from neighboringAmelia County, did not have a gymnasium, cafeteria, or teachers' restrooms. Due to overcrowding, three plywood buildings had been erected, and some students had to take classes in a school bus parked outside. Teachers and students did not have desks or blackboards. The school's requests for additional funds were denied by the all-white school board. On Monday, April 23, 1951,Barbara Johns, the sixteen-year-old niece ofReverend Vernon Johns, a civil rights activist, led students who staged a walkout protesting the conditions.[3] TheNAACP took up their case when the students agreed to petition for an integrated school rather than improved conditions at their black school. This vote passed by one count.Howard University-trained attorneysSpottswood W. Robinson andOliver Hill filed suit against the county school system on behalf of the students. As in otherSouthern states, since the turn of the twentieth century black voters in Virginia had been largelydisenfranchised, which resulted in their lacking political power.
InDavis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, a state court rejected the suit, agreeing with defense attorneyT. Justin Moore that Virginia was vigorously equalizing conditions in black and white schools. The state verdict was appealed to theU.S. District Court, which ruled for the plaintiffs, a decision the school district and the state appealed. Subsequently, it was one of five cases incorporated intoBrown v. Board of Education, the landmark case in which the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954 ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional.
In 1956, theVirginia General Assembly passed a series of laws (theStanley Plan) to implementMassive Resistance, a policy promoted by theByrd Organization led by U.S. SenatorHarry F. Byrd, to avoid compliance with the Supreme Court ruling inBrown and its direction to integrate public schools.
The state legislature (overwhelmingly dominated by whites since disfranchisement of African Americans in the state in the early 1900s) created a program of "tuition grants," which could be given to students so they could attend a private school of their choice. In practice, this meant state support of all-white schools that were developed as a way to evade integration of public schools. These newly formed schools became known as the "segregation academies".
As a result of theBrown decision, and changes in Virginia laws, in 1959, the Board of Supervisors for Prince Edward County refused to appropriateany funds at all for the County School Board. It effectively closed all public schools rather than integrate them. ThePrince Edward County Public Schools remained closed for five years. While other Virginia and some southern school systems resisted integration, Prince Edward County was the only school district in the country to resort to such extreme measures.
During the interruption in access to Prince Edward County's public schools, white parents established the Prince Edward Foundation. It founded a series of private schools restricted to white children. These schools were supported by the tuition grants from the state and tax credits from the county. Collectively they became known as "Prince Edward Academy", one of Virginia's "segregation academies". Prince Edward Academy operated as thede facto school system and enrolled K-12 students at a number of facilities throughout the county.
From 1959 to 1964, black students in Prince Edward County had to go to school elsewhere or forgo their education altogether. Some got schooling by living with relatives in nearby communities or at makeshift schools the community created in church basements. Others were educated out of state with funds raised by groups such as theQuakers. In the final year (1963–1964), the NAACP-sponsoredPrince Edward Free School picked up some of the slack by educating some of the black youth who had been unable to leave the county to attend public schools elsewhere.
In 1963, federal district courts ordered the public schools to open; Prince Edward County appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ruling inGriffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, the Court unanimously agreed in May 1964 that Prince Edward County's actions violated theEqual Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. At that point, county and state supervisors gave in rather than risk prosecution and prison, ending the era of Massive Resistance in Virginia.[4]
The same summer, following the Griffith ruling, 16 students fromQueens College (New York) ventured south to Prince Edward County during their "Student Help Project" Program, a precursor to the 1964Mississippi Freedom Summer. The students served as teachers to the many African-American children who had been denied an education. These volunteers worked with the students to prepare them to resume classes when schools reopened that fall. The volunteers from Queens College were housed among leading African-American families in the county that summer. They used local churches as school houses during the week. Many of the students involved in the program have since donated their archives to the Queens College Department of Special Collections and Archives.[5]
As a result of Prince Edward County's actions, some students missed part or all of their education for five years. This group has been called the "Lost Generation" of Prince Edward County's youth.
Even after the re-opening of the public schools, Prince Edward Academy remained segregated. Many of the segregated academies in Virginia eventually closed; others changed their missions and eliminated discriminatory policies. Some yielded on integration only after theInternal Revenue Service (IRS) revoked the tax-free status of non-profit discriminatory private schools. Prince Edward Academy was one of the latter and lost its tax-exempt status in 1978. In 1986, the school began to accept all students regardless of race or ethnicity. It was renamed theFuqua School in 1992, in honor ofJ. B. Fuqua, a wealthy businessman who was born in Farmville and was a strong supporter of the school in its early years. Fuqua remains the only large private school in Prince Edward County, but a few other smaller private schools have been opened in recent decades.
The former R.R. Moton High School building in Farmville has been recognized as a nationally significant community landmark. In 1998, it was designated aNational Historic Landmark. It now houses theRobert Russa Moton Museum, a center for the study ofcivil rights in education.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 354 square miles (920 km2), of which 350 square miles (910 km2) is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km2) (1.1%) is water.[6] Most of the county's streams drain into the Appomattox River, a tributary of the James River, but in the southeastern corner of the county, streams drain via the Nottoway River into the Chowan River and thence into Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. The highest point in the county is the top of Leighs Mountain at 714 feet above sea level.[7]
US 15 (Farmville Rd; merges withUS 460 to bypass Farmville. US Business 15 goes through the town of Farmville)
US 360 (Patrick Henry Hwy)
US 460 (Prince Edward Hwy)
SR 45 (N. Main St in Farmville)
SR 307 (Holly Farms Rd)| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 8,100 | — | |
| 1800 | 10,962 | 35.3% | |
| 1810 | 12,409 | 13.2% | |
| 1820 | 12,577 | 1.4% | |
| 1830 | 14,107 | 12.2% | |
| 1840 | 14,069 | −0.3% | |
| 1850 | 11,857 | −15.7% | |
| 1860 | 11,844 | −0.1% | |
| 1870 | 12,004 | 1.4% | |
| 1880 | 14,668 | 22.2% | |
| 1890 | 14,694 | 0.2% | |
| 1900 | 15,045 | 2.4% | |
| 1910 | 14,266 | −5.2% | |
| 1920 | 14,767 | 3.5% | |
| 1930 | 14,520 | −1.7% | |
| 1940 | 14,922 | 2.8% | |
| 1950 | 15,398 | 3.2% | |
| 1960 | 14,121 | −8.3% | |
| 1970 | 14,379 | 1.8% | |
| 1980 | 16,456 | 14.4% | |
| 1990 | 17,320 | 5.3% | |
| 2000 | 19,720 | 13.9% | |
| 2010 | 23,368 | 18.5% | |
| 2020 | 21,849 | −6.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010[12] 2020[13] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[12] | Pop 2020[13] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 14,544 | 10,513 | 62.24% | 48.12% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,668 | 9,194 | 32.81% | 42.08% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 60 | 33 | 0.26% | 0.15% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 203 | 196 | 0.87% | 0.90% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 15 | 0 | 0.06% | 0.00% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 33 | 61 | 0.14% | 0.28% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 320 | 764 | 1.37% | 3.50% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 525 | 1,088 | 2.25% | 4.98% |
| Total | 23,368 | 21,849 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[14] of 2000, there were 19,720 people, 6,561 households, and 4,271 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 56 people per square mile (22 people/km2). There were 7,527 housing units at an average density of 21 units per square mile (8.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 62.17%White, 35.82%Black orAfrican American, 0.18%Native American, 0.55%Asian, 0.10%Pacific Islander, 0.23% fromother races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 6,561 households, out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% weremarried couples living together, 14.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.90% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.20% under the age of 18, 23.50% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,301, and the median income for a family was $38,509. Males had a median income of $29,487 versus $21,659 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,510.
About 14.6 percent of families and 18.9 percent of the population were below thepoverty line, including 24.4 percent of those under age 18 and 15.9 percent of those ages 65 and over. Persons below poverty in the year of 2007 were 20.3 percent compared to 9.9 percent of Virginia. Native Americans accounted for 71.8 percent in 2000. There is a relatively large number of children between the ages of 12 and 17. This age group accounts for 27 percent of the poverty.[15]
Unemployment accounted for 10.3 percent in Prince Edward County compared to 7.2 in all of Virginia.[16]
Prince Edward County Public Schools, the only school division in the county,[17] operates the following schools, all located on the same multi-school campus in the Town of Farmville:
Also located within the multi-school campus is the Prince Edward County Career & Technical Education Center, offering a range of specialized courses, such as business law, carpentry, agriculture and automotive technology.
TheFuqua School, member of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools, is the primary K-12 alternative to the public schools for Prince Edward County, having been founded as asegregation academy. It, like each of the county's public schools, is located in Farmville.
The private men's collegeHampden-Sydney College is located in Prince Edward County, south of Farmville in the unincorporated community ofHampden Sydney, Virginia.
Longwood University, the third-oldest public university in Virginia, is located in Farmville.
Prince Edward County is a competitive county, voting Republican from 1960 to 1992, voting Democratic in 1996, voting Republican in 2000, voting Democratic from 2004 to 2020, and voting Republican in 2024.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 72 | 10.24% | 584 | 83.07% | 47 | 6.69% |
| 1916 | 108 | 13.92% | 668 | 86.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 189 | 19.59% | 774 | 80.21% | 2 | 0.21% |
| 1924 | 140 | 16.22% | 714 | 82.73% | 9 | 1.04% |
| 1928 | 494 | 41.41% | 699 | 58.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 196 | 16.37% | 970 | 81.04% | 31 | 2.59% |
| 1936 | 253 | 17.94% | 1,153 | 81.77% | 4 | 0.28% |
| 1940 | 313 | 21.81% | 1,110 | 77.35% | 12 | 0.84% |
| 1944 | 425 | 28.49% | 1,063 | 71.25% | 4 | 0.27% |
| 1948 | 459 | 26.72% | 740 | 43.07% | 519 | 30.21% |
| 1952 | 1,359 | 59.34% | 926 | 40.44% | 5 | 0.22% |
| 1956 | 932 | 31.43% | 437 | 14.74% | 1,596 | 53.83% |
| 1960 | 1,721 | 53.55% | 1,459 | 45.40% | 34 | 1.06% |
| 1964 | 2,545 | 62.62% | 1,512 | 37.20% | 7 | 0.17% |
| 1968 | 1,857 | 39.80% | 1,567 | 33.58% | 1,242 | 26.62% |
| 1972 | 3,199 | 65.96% | 1,585 | 32.68% | 66 | 1.36% |
| 1976 | 2,734 | 50.36% | 2,448 | 45.09% | 247 | 4.55% |
| 1980 | 2,774 | 49.55% | 2,553 | 45.61% | 271 | 4.84% |
| 1984 | 3,454 | 56.11% | 2,589 | 42.06% | 113 | 1.84% |
| 1988 | 3,147 | 55.02% | 2,434 | 42.55% | 139 | 2.43% |
| 1992 | 2,858 | 44.78% | 2,775 | 43.47% | 750 | 11.75% |
| 1996 | 2,530 | 44.56% | 2,678 | 47.16% | 470 | 8.28% |
| 2000 | 3,214 | 50.51% | 2,922 | 45.92% | 227 | 3.57% |
| 2004 | 3,571 | 48.81% | 3,632 | 49.64% | 113 | 1.54% |
| 2008 | 4,174 | 44.46% | 5,101 | 54.34% | 113 | 1.20% |
| 2012 | 3,952 | 42.78% | 5,132 | 55.55% | 155 | 1.68% |
| 2016 | 4,101 | 44.85% | 4,591 | 50.21% | 451 | 4.93% |
| 2020 | 4,434 | 46.31% | 4,973 | 51.94% | 167 | 1.74% |
| 2024 | 4,782 | 50.55% | 4,539 | 47.98% | 139 | 1.47% |
Places adjacent to Prince Edward County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofPrince Edward County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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