Place Information
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Modern Henrico County
Henrico County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 262,300. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Founded in 1634 as one of the eight original shires of Virginia, Henrico is one of the oldest counties in the United States. The independent city of Richmond was located within Henrico County until a state constitutional change in 1871 created independent cities. Due to the geography in which the James River approaches Richmond from almost due west, and turns almost due south below the fall line for about 8 miles before turning east again, the land within Henrico County currently encompasses much of Metropolitan Richmond's West End, its North Side, and East End areas. Richmond International Raceway is located in the central portion of Henrico County near Mechanicsville, just north of the City of Richmond corporate limits. History
Henrico County (pronounced Hen-RYE-co) is one of the eight original Shires of Virginia established in 1634 in the Virginia Colony, and one of six considered still extant in their original form (county). HenricusFormed originally as Henrico Shire, and shortly thereafter termed a "county," Henrico County was named for Henricus (also known as Henricopolis and Henrico Town), founded in 1611 by Sir Thomas Dale, a settlement wiped out during the Indian Massacre of 1622. Cape Henry at the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Henricus, Henrico Cittie, and later Henrico County, were all named for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of James I of England. Prince Henry showed great promise, and his death from typhoid fever at the age of eighteen was regarded as a tragedy for England. On, November 18, 1618, the Virginia Company of London, proprietor of the colony, gave instructions on the formation of a laudable government for the Colony to Sir George Yeardley when he departed from London to become full governor of Virginia. As directed, in 1619, Governor Yeardly established four large corporations, termed citties (sic), which were designated to encompass the developed portion of the colony. These were Kecoughtan (later renamed Elizabeth Cittie), James Cittie, Charles Cittie, and Henrico Cittie. In 1634, the King of England ordered the colony, which numbered about 5,000 settlers, to be divided into eight shires, or counties. One of these original shires )of which six are still considered extant) was Henrico County. Henrico County originally extended to both the north and south sides of the James River (named in 1607 for King James I). Henrico's first boundaries incorporated an area from which 10 Virginia counties were later formed in whole or in part, as well as the independent cities of Richmond, Charlottesville, and Colonial Heights. The original site of Henricus was located by archeologists late in the 20th century. On the south side of the James River (across from the original site of Varina, it is now in Chesterfield County, which developed Henricus Historical Park there. County Seat, College of William and MaryThe original county seat was at Varina, at the Varina Farms plantation estate across the James River from Henricus where John Rolfe and Pocahontas had lived and their son Thomas Rolfe was born. (In modern times, Varina Farm is still actively cultivated and can be seen from Interstate 295 to the east just north of the Varina-Enon Bridge, not far from the WRVA transmitter site and dual radio towers). The Henrico-Glebe house at Varina was the location where Reverend Dr. James Blair, rector of Henrico Parish, is believed to have drawn up the plans for a new school, long a goal of the colonists of Virginia. These plans, developed in the last quarter of the 17th century, are believed to have used the earlier plans from Henricus, where a college had been started earlier, as a basis. After his two year mission to England at the request of the House of Burgesses, the charter was granted. The new school became the College of William and Mary at Middle Plantation in 1693, the second oldest school of higher education in the United States. The county seat remained at Varina until 1752, when it was relocated to the new Henrico County Court House, located at 20th and Main streets in what is now the City of Richmond. There it remained for over 200 years. In the 1970s, a new county court house complex was built in the western portion of the county. Currently, the county seat is at 4301 East Parham Road, which is inside Henrico County, although the 1752 courthouse was still standing in Richmond (as of 2007). American Civil War Battle SitesDuring the Civil War, the battles of Seven Pines, Savage's Station, Oak Grove, Garnett's and Golding's Farms, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, and Malvern Hill took place in Henrico County in 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign. Additional significant battles took place in 1864 during the Overland Campaign prior to and during the Siege of Petersburg, which led to the fall of Richmond. Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart was killed in Henrico County at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 12, 1864. Timeline
Population History
Note: Richmond city, formed from Henrico County, but has annexed much territory from Chesterfield County; annexed Manchester city (originally formed from Chesterfield) in 1910. Research TipsCounty Specific Research SourcesSource:Chamberlayne, 1898 The vestry book and register of Bristol Parish, Virginia, 1720-1789 (covers modern Henrio and Chesterfield Counties.
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