Henrico: Its Rich History
Henrico County is located in the state of Virginia of the United States of America. It has a rich history spanning over 400 years since its establishment in 1611.
Henrico: In 1611
The Colony of Virginia was a British colony from 1607 to 1775. After independence from Great Britain in 1783, the southwestern portion of the original Viginia Colony became the Commonwealth of Virginia. Eight states were formed in whole or in part from the territory of Virginia: West Virginia, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Henrico County was established in 1611. The outlined area in the map below indicates the span of land that made up Henrico County long ago. Its borders extended along the James River from its junction with the Appomattox River to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
From Henrico territory came nine other counties and part of a tenth: Goochland, founded in 1728; Albemarle in 1744; Chesterfield and Cumberland in 1749; Amherst and Buckingham in 1761; Fluvanna and Powhatan in 1777; Nelson in 1807. Part of Appomattox, in 1845, was also formed from the territory that had once been part of Henrico as well as the cities of Richmond (became a town still part of Henrico County in 1742, incorporated as a city in 1782 and completely independent in 1842), Charlottesville (formed by charter in 1762, incorporated as a town in 1801 and as a city in 1888), and Colonial Heights (established in 1910, became an incorporated town in 1926 and an independent city in 1948.) There have also been a series of annexations by the City of Richmond and an annexation in 1922 by Chesterfield County that claimed the site of Henricus, changing the boundary of Henrico to what it is today.
(County of Henrico)
Henrico: Today
Bordering the city of Richmond on the west, north, and east, the county of Henrico lies between the James and Chickahominy rivers, and constitutes approximately a third of the Richmond metropolitan area. Today, Henrico's nearly one-quarter of a million residents live in a well-planned community of 244.06 square miles consisting of beautiful residential communities, large expanses of fertile farm land, and carefully developed office, retail, and diversified industrial areas. From a government perspective, the county is divided into five magisterial districts: Brookland, Fairfield, Three Chopt, Tuckahoe, and Varina.
(County of Henrico)
Henrico: Online Historical Resources
Historical information about Henrico County is provided by the government of Henrico County's on its website at http://henrico.us/history/.
In 2011, the 400th anniversary of Henrico County's establishment in 1611 was commemorated. As part of the 2011 commemoration, the Henrico County, Virginia Historical Data Book was compiled. It is "a cumulative collection of historical data representing statistics as far back as 1790 through most recent 2012, and will continue to grown annually...Historical and current data has been researched and collected within County departments and outside agencies from an assortment of published and departmental reports." The Historical Databook is available at http://www.co.henrico.va.us/about-henrico/historical-databook/.
Henrico: The Signs Mark the Way
Historic roadside markers in Henrico reflect various events, places, and people who made an impact on Henrico history.
A list of State markers, managed by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, can be found at www.markerhistory.com/tag/henrico-county.
Information on the"Freeman Markers" related to the American Civil War can be found at http://historyarchives.org/freemanmarkers/history.html.
Henrico County has its own historic marker program as well. These include plaques, highway markers, and table top markers. Information about County historic markers can be found at http://henrico.us/history/landmarks/county-markers/.
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History: 1611-today
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