|
COUNTY
|
HOST
|
FACTS
|
|
Accomack
|
Available for Adoption
|
Accomack, the original shire name, was created
from the Native American word Accawmack,
meaning "on the other side".
|
|
Albemarle
|
Available for Adoption
|
President Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
home is located in this county.
|
|
Alleghany
|
Available for Adoption
|
Alleghany Co is named for the Allegany Mountains.
|
|
Amelia
|
Available for Adoption
|
During the Civil War, Gen. Robert E Lee & his Army
spent time at the Amelia courthouse before surrendering
to Ulysses S Grant at Appomattox.
|
|
Amherst
|
Available for Adoption
|
In the early days, the major crop raised
in Amherst County was tobacco.
|
|
Appomattox
|
Available for Adoption
|
Appomattox Co was formed in 1845 from
Buckingham, Prince Edward, Campbell & Charlotte Counties
|
|
Arlington
|
Available for Adoption
|
Until 1920, it was known as Alexandria County.
The well-known Arlington Cemetery is located in this county.
|
|
Augusta
|
Available for Adoption
|
Augusta Co was formed in 1738 from Orange Co.
It was named for Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Princess of Wales & mother of the future King George III of the United
Kingdom.
|
|
Bath
|
Available for Adoption
|
Bath Co was established on December 14, 1790.
|
|
Bedford
|
Available for Adoption
|
Bedford Co was established on December 13, 1753.
|
|
Bland
|
Available for Adoption
|
Bland Co was formed in 1861 from Wythe, Tazewell & Giles Counties.
|
|
Botetourt
|
Available for Adoption
|
Botetourt Co was established in 1770 from Augusta Co.
|
|
Brunswick
|
Available for Adoption
|
Brunswick Co was established in 1720 from Prince George Co.
|
|
Buchanan
|
Available for Adoption
|
Buchanan Co was named for the 15th President, James Buchanan.
|
|
Buckingham
|
Available for Adoption
|
A fire destroyed the courthouse designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1869.
|
|
Campbell
|
Available for Adoption
|
Campbell Co was named for Revolutionary War hero
George William Campbell who was known for the 1780
Battle of Kings Mountain.
|
|
Caroline
|
Available for Adoption
|
Caroline Co was named for Caroline of Ansbach,
the wife of King George II of Great Britain.
|
|
Carroll
|
Available for Adoption
|
Carroll Co was named for Charles Carroll,
a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
|
|
Charles City
|
Available for Adoption
|
The Charles City Courthouse was constructed in the 1750s and is one
of the only five courthouses in America that have been in continuous use for judicial purposes since the Revolutionary
War.
|
|
Charlotte
|
Available for Adoption
|
Charlotte Co was formed in 1764.
|
|
Chesterfield
|
Available for Adoption
|
On May 25, 1749, the Virginia General Assembly passed the act that
separated Chesterfield from Henrico Co.
|
|
Clarke
|
Available for Adoption
|
Clarke Co is named for General George Rogers Clark
of the Revolutionary War.
|
|
Craig
|
Available for Adoption
|
Craig Co is located in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia
|
|
Culpeper
|
Available for Adoption
|
Culpeper Co was established in 1749 from Orange Co.
|
|
Cumberland
|
Available for Adoption
|
Cumberland Co was established in 1749 from Goochland Co.
|
|
Dickenson
|
Available for Adoption
|
Dickenson Co is Virginia's youngest county.
|
|
Dinwiddie
|
Available for Adoption
|
Dinwiddie Co was formed May 1, 1752 from Prince George Co.
|
|
Essex
|
Available for Adoption
|
Essex Co was established in 1692 from Rappahannock Co.
|
|
Fairfax
|
Available for Adoption
|
The Battle of Chantilly, or Ox Hill, during same campaign
as the 2nd Battle of Bull Run, was fought in this county.
|
|
Fauquier
|
Available for Adoption
|
Fauquier Co is located between bustling Northern Virginia
and the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
|
|
Floyd
|
Available for Adoption
|
Trader's Path is the earliest known travel way through Floyd Co.
|
|
Fluvanna
|
Available for Adoption
|
Fluvanna Co was once part of Henrico Co.
|
|
Franklin
|
Available for Adoption
|
Franklin Co was named after Benjamin Franklin.
|
|
Frederick
|
Available for Adoption
|
Frederick Co was established in 1743 out of Orange Co.
|
|
Giles
|
Available for Adoption
|
Giles Co was established in 1806 from
Montgomery, Monroe, Tazewell & Wythe Counties.
|
|
Gloucester
|
Available for Adoption
|
Gloucester Co borders the York River and the Lower Chesapeake Bay.
|
|
Goochland
|
Available for Adoption
|
General Lafayette stopped at the Powell's Tavern in Goochland
when he traveled from Richmond to Monticello
to visit Thomas Jefferson.
|
|
Grayson
|
Available for Adoption
|
Grayson Co was founded in 1793 from a part of Wythe County.
|
|
Greene
|
Available for Adoption
|
Greene Co was established in 1838 from Orange County.
It is named for the American Revolutionary Hero, Nathaniel Greene.
|
|
Greensville
|
Available for Adoption
|
Greenville Co was established in 1781 from Brunswick Co.
|
|
Halifax
|
Available for Adoption
|
In 1752, Halifax Co was established from Lunenburg Co.
|
|
Hanover
|
Available for Adoption
|
Hanover Co was created on November 26, 1720.
|
|
Henrico
|
Available for Adoption
|
Henrico Co was founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611.
|
|
Henry
|
Available for Adoption
|
Originally Henry Co was named Patrick Henry Co to
honor the first governor of VA after Independence.
|
|
Highland
|
Available for Adoption
|
The county seat for Highland is Monterey.
|
|
Isle of Wight
|
Available for Adoption
|
Isle of Wight Co was originally named Warrosquyoake Shire.
|
|
James City
|
Available for Adoption
|
James City Co is located on the VA Peninsula
in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.
|
|
King and
Queen
|
Available for Adoption
|
The county is named for King William III &
Queen Mary of England.
|
|
King George
|
Available for Adoption
|
King George Co was formed in 1720 out of Richmond Co VA.
|
|
King William
|
Available for Adoption
|
King William Co contains the oldest Courthouse still being used.
|
|
Lancaster
|
Available for Adoption
|
Established in 1651 from York and Northumberland Counties.
|
|
Lee
|
Available for Adoption
|
Lee Co was formed out of Russell Co in 1793.
|
|
Loudoun
|
Available for Adoption
|
Settlement begain in the 1720s-1730s with English,
Germans, Quakers, Scot-Irish and African Slaves.
|
|
Louisa
|
Available for Adoption
|
Patrick Henry won his first election in 1765 to represent Louisa County.
|
|
Lunenburg
|
Available for Adoption
|
Lunenburg Co was established on May 1, 1746 from Brunswick Co.
|
|
Madison
|
Available for Adoption
|
Madison Co was established in December 1792 and named
after the Madison family, and James Madison.
|
|
Mathews
|
Available for Adoption
|
Mathews Co was established out of a part of Gloucester Co in 1791.
|
|
Mecklenburg
|
Available for Adoption
|
Mecklenburg Co was established from Lunenburg Co in 1765.
|
|
Middlesex
|
Available for Adoption
|
Middlesex Co is bordered by Essex Co.
|
|
Montgomery
|
Available for Adoption
|
|
|
Nelson
|
Available for Adoption
|
Nelson Co was formed out of Amherst Co in 1807.
|
|
New Kent
|
Available for Adoption
|
New Kent Co is named after Kent, England.
|
|
Northampton
|
Available for Adoption
|
Northampton was originally named Accawmack.
In 1643 it was changed to Northampton.
|
|
Northumberland
|
Available for Adoption
|
The Virginia General Assembly created
Northumberland Co in 1648.
|
|
Nottoway
|
Available for Adoption
|
Nottoway Co was occupied by the Nadowa tribe, an Iroquoian
people of the American Indians, before European Settlers.
|
|
Orange
|
Available for Adoption
|
The county was previously inhabited by the Siouan Manahoac tribe.
|
|
Page
|
Available for Adoption
|
Page Co was formed from Shenandoah and Rockingham Couties in 1831.
|
|
Patrick
|
Available for Adoption
|
Patrick Co was named for Patrick Henry and formed in 1777.
|
|
Pittsylvania
|
Available for Adoption
|
Pittsylvania was formed in 1767 out of Halifax Co.
|
|
Powhatan
|
Available for Adoption
|
The area was inhabited by Native Americans before
the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century.
|
|
Prince Edward
|
Available for Adoption
|
Prince Edward Co was formed from the VA
Colony, from Amelia Co in 1754.
|
|
Prince George
|
Available for Adoption
|
Prince George Co was named in honor of
Prince George of Denmark, the husband of Queen Anne.
|
|
Prince William
|
Available for Adoption
|
The county was named after the Duke of Cumberland, Prince William Augustus,
son of King George II.
|
|
Pulaski
|
Available for Adoption
|
Pulaski Co is located in Southwestern VA.
|
|
Rappahannock
|
Available for Adoption
|
Formed from Culpeper County in 1833.
The county is named for the river that divides it from Fauquier Co.
|
|
Richmond
|
Available for Adoption
|
Richmond, the city and capital of VA is not in Richmond Co.
|
|
Roanoke
|
Available for Adoption
|
Roanoke Co is named after the Roanoke River.
Salem was the original county seat.
|
|
Rockbridge
|
Available for Adoption
|
Rockbridge Co is named for Natural Bridge.
|
|
Rockingham
|
Available for Adoption
|
Europeans began settling this area around 1745.
|
|
Russell
|
Available for Adoption
|
Russell Co was established on Jan 02 1786 from a section of Washington
Co.
|
|
Scott
|
Available for Adoption
|
June Carter Cash lived in Scott Co.
|
|
Shenandoah
|
Available for Adoption
|
Shenandoah Co was established in 1772 and named after the Senedos Indian
Tribe.
Originally named Dunmore county.
|
|
Smyth
|
Available for Adoption
|
Smyth Co was named after Alexander Smyth, a general during War of 1812
|
|
Southampton
|
Available for Adoption
|
Shortly after the establishment of Jamestown Settlement during 17th
century, English settlers explored and settled this area.
|
|
Spotsylvania
|
Available for Adoption
|
Civil War battles Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg,
Spotsylvania Courthouse and The Wilderness fought here.
|
|
Stafford
|
Available for Adoption
|
Stafford Co was named after Staffordshire England.
|
|
Surry
|
Available for Adoption
|
Surry Co orignally consisted of Lawne's Creek Parish & Southwark
Parish.
|
|
Sussex
|
Available for Adoption
|
Sussex Co is named after Sussex England
|
|
Tazewell
|
Available for Adoption
|
Tazewell Co was named after US Senator from VA named Henry Tazewell.
|
|
Warren
|
Available for Adoption
|
Warren Co was created from Frederick & Shenandoah Counties
and established in 1836.
|
|
Washington
|
Available for Adoption
|
Washington Co is named after George Washington.
|
|
Westmoreland
|
Available for Adoption
|
George Washington was born in Westmoreland Co VA.
James Monroe and Gen. Robert E Lee also were born here.
|
|
Wise
|
Available for Adoption
|
|
|
Wythe
|
Available for Adoption
|
Named after George Wythe, the first Virginian Signer
of the Declaration of Independence.
|
|
York
|
Available for Adoption
|
Named after the city York, in Northern England.
Originally called Charles River County
|
|
Extinct Counties
|
|
Accomac Shire
[Original Shire]
|
|
1634-1643
Extinct
|
|
Alexandria
|
|
1749-1791 and 1846-1920.
From 1791-1846, it was part of the District of Columbia. In 1920, it changed its name to Arlington County
|
|
Charles River County
|
|
1637-1643.
Renamed York county
|
|
Dunmore County
|
|
1772-1778.
Renamed Shenandoah County
|
|
Elizabeth River Shire
[Original Shire]
|
|
1634-1636 became Elizabeth City Shire in 1636.
Name changed to Elizabeth
City County
|
|
Elizabeth
City County
(Merged with the town of Phoebus into Hampton, then became the independent
city of Hampton)
|
|
Located in southeastern Virginia from 1634 to 1952. Originally created
in 1634, it was one of eight shires created in the Virginia Colony by order of the King of England. Named for Elizabeth
of Bohemia, daughter of King James I, sister of Princes Henry and Charles.
|
|
Fincastle
|
|
1772-1776.
Divided into Montgomery, Washington and Kentucky County (now part of KY)
|
|
Lower Norfolk
|
|
1637-1691
Divided into Norfolk and Princess Anne Counties
Present day Norfolk
|
|
Nansemond County
|
|
1646-1972
Became the independent city of Nansemond (which later consolidated with Suffolk)
|
|
New Norfolk County
|
|
1636-1637.
Divided into Lower Norfolk and Upper Norfolk County
|
|
Norfolk
|
|
Incorporated in 1705, "New Norfolk" formerly consisted of
Upper Norfolk and Lower Norfolk.
Norfolk County existed from 1691 to 1963, when it was re-organized, along with South Norfolk, into the City of
Chesapeake
|
|
Patrick Henry County
|
|
1777-1790
Split into two counties, the western part becoming Patrick County and the rest becoming Henry County.
|
|
Princess Anne
|
|
1691-1963
Became independent city of Virginia Beach
|
|
Rappahannock County
(old)
|
|
1656-1692
Divided into Essex and Richmond Counties
|
|
Upper Norfolk
|
|
1637-1646
Became Nansemond County
|
|
Warwick River Shire
[Original Shire]
|
|
1634-1643.
Became Warwick County, then the City of Warwick until 1952.
Now extinct.
|
