Everything about Charles City County totally explained
Charles City County is a
county located in the
U.S. state — officially, "
Commonwealth" — of
Virginia. As of the
2000 census, the population was 6,926. Its
county seat is Charles City. It is located in the
Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 204
square miles (529
km²), of which, 183 square miles (473 km²) of it's land and 21 square miles (56 km²) of it (10.51%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 6,926 people, 2,670 households, and 1,975 families residing in the county. The
population density was 38 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 2,895 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 35.66%
White, 54.85%
Black or
African American, 7.84%
Native American, 0.10%
Asian, 0.17% from
other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino 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. The
per 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.
History
Charles Cittie (sic) was one of four "boroughs" or "incorporations" created by the
Virginia Company in 1619. It was named for Prince Charles, second son of King
James I of England, who became the Duke of Wales and
heir apparent after the death of his older brother Henry in 1612. He later became King
Charles I of England after his father's death.
The Virginia Company lost its charter in 1624 under King James I, and Virginia became a
royal colony.
Charles City Shire was formed in 1634 in the
Virginia Colony by order of the King. Its name was changed to Charles City County in 1643, and it's considered one the five original
shires in Virginia which are still extant in essentially the same political entity (county) as they were originally formed in 1634.
The original central city of the county was Charles City Point, which was in an area south of the
James River at the confluence of the
Appomattox River. The first Charles City County courthouses were located along the James River at
Westover and at
City Point. The latter's name was shortened from Charles City Point.
All of the original area of Charles City County south of the James River was severed beginning in 1703 to form
Prince George and several other counties. The
incorporated town of
City Point in Prince George County was annexed by the
independent city of
Hopewell in 1923.
North of the river, the area remained Charles City County. During the ninteenth century, numerous crossroad communities developed to serve the religious, educational and mercantile needs of the citizenry of rural Charles City County. Crossroad communities, such as Adkins Store,Cedar Grove,
Binns Hall, Parrish Hill, Ruthville and Wayside, typically included a store, church and school.
In modern times, there's actually no "Charles City", or any centralized city or town, in the county. Charles City Court House, which uses the postal address
Charles City, Virginia, is the focal point of government. The building which serves as the courthouse was constructed in the 1750s and is one of only five courthouses in America that have been in continuous use for judicial purposes since before the Revolutionary War.
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Native Americans
The
Chickahominy River (pronounced chick-a-hom-a-nee) which forms much of the county's eastern and northern borders, is named after the
Native American people who still inhabit the region. Chickahominy means "coarse pounded corn people". At the time of the earliest English settlement, the Chickahominy people existed surrounded by the powerful
Powhatan Confederacy of which they were not a part.
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A substantial number of
Native Americans of the
Chickahominy and the
Eastern Chickahominy tribes (both groups recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia) still live in the county. The Chickahominy tribe is the second largest Native American tribe in Virginia with just under a thousand members.
(External Link) The Eastern Chickahominy tribe is much smaller, with about 130 members.
African Americans
During the late 17th century, African
slave labor quickly replaced white
indentured servitude as the major source of agricultural labor in the
Virginia Colony. Twenty-three black slaves were known to have been brought to Charles City County before 1660.
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The earliest record of a free-black living in Charles City County is on
September 16,
1677 when Susannah petitioned the court for her freedom. The Lott Cary House in the county has long been recognized as the birth site of
Lott Carey. Lott Cary bought his freedom and ultimately became a founding father of the new country of
Liberia in
Africa. After the
American Revolutionary War, during the following three decades, the large
Quaker community in Charles City freed their slaves and greatly added to the free-black population of the County.
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The unincorporated town of
Ruthville was the central point of the county's free
African American population for many years, even before the
American Civil War (1861-1865). Following emancipation, the crossroads community included the Mercantile Cooperative Company and Ruthville Training School. The United Sorgham Growers Club also met here. Earlier known by several other names, the name "Ruthville" recalls local resident Ruth Brown. Her name was selected when the Post Office was established there in 1880.
During
Reconstruction, various societies, such as the
Odd Fellows Lodge,
Knights of Gideon,
Order of St. Lukes and the
Benevolent Society, were active in solving common problems. In 1971,
James Bradby became the first black Virginian to win the office of County Sheriff in Charles City County.
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Transportation
Only
Henrico County to the west is accessible without a river crossing.
State Route 156 crosses the James River on the
Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge providing the only direct access to areas south of the river and to Hopewell, the closest city. Three bridges across the
Chickahominy River link the county with neighboring
James City County and
Providence Forge in
New Kent County.
The major east-west thoroughfare through the county is
State Route 5, which is a
National Scenic Byway. North-south thoroughfares include
State Route 156,
State Route 106, and
State Route 155.
Although there's no
Interstate Highway mileage or exits within the county, several exits on
Interstate 64 and one on
Interstate 295 (at SR 5), are located not far away, in New Kent and Henrico counties, respectively.
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James River plantations
Charles City County features some of the larger and older of the extant
James River plantations along
State Route 5. All are non-government-owned, and many of the houses and/or grounds are open daily to visitors with various admission fees applicable.
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Some of James River Plantations in the county that are open to the public, listed from west to east, include
Shirley Plantation,
Edgewood Plantation and Harrison's Mill,
Berkeley Plantation,
Westover Plantation,
Belle Air Plantation,
Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation,
North Bend Plantation,
Sherwood Forest Plantation. Other plantations, not open to the public include,
Evelynton Plantation and
Greenway Plantation.
William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, was born at Berkley Plantation on Feb.9, 1773. John Tyler, the tenth president, was born at Greenway Plantation in 1790 and bought the nearby Sherwood Plantation in 1842. Sherwood Plantation has been a continuous residence of the Tylers since then.
Agriculture
Some Charles City
farms along the James River have been under continuous crop production for more than 400 years, but they remain highly productive land. 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 farmers have also helped to develop the leading technology for controlling runoff from grain cultivation. Fully 90 % of crop land in Charles City is in a never-till cropping system. When
Hurricane 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 healthy
Chesapeake Bay.
Education
[CharlesCity County Public Schools[http://www.CCPS.net] employs a staff of approximately 235 persons to meet the needs of approximately 1000 students in its three 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Charles City County'.
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