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Goochland County, Virginia

Goochland County is a county located in the Piedmont of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its southern border is formed by the James River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,727.[2] Its county seat is Goochland.[3]

Goochland County
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°43′N 77°56′W / 37.72°N 77.93°W / 37.72; -77.93
Country United States
State Virginia
Founded1728[1]
Named forSir William Gooch
SeatGoochland
Area
 • Total290 sq mi (800 km2)
 • Land281 sq mi (730 km2)
 • Water8 sq mi (20 km2)  2.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total24,727
 • Density85/sq mi (33/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district5th
Websitewww.co.goochland.va.us

Goochland County is included in the Greater Richmond Region.

History edit

 
Dover Mills, depicted in 1865

Native Americans edit

See Native American tribes in Virginia

Long before the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century, all of the territory of Virginia, including the Piedmont area, was populated by various tribes of Native Americans. They were the historic tribes descended from thousands of years of succeeding and varied indigenous cultures. Among the historic tribes in the Piedmont were the Monacan, who were Siouan-speaking and were recorded as having several villages west of what the colonists later called Manakin Town on the James River.

They and other Siouan tribes traditionally competed with and were in conflict with the members of the Powhatan Confederacy, Algonquian-speaking tribes who generally inhabited the coastal Tidewater area along the Atlantic and the rivers feeding it. They also were subject to raids by Iroquois nations from the north, who were based south of the Great Lakes in present-day New York and Pennsylvania.

By the end of the 17th century, the Monacan had been decimated by warfare and infectious diseases carried by the mostly English colonists and traders; their survivors were absorbed into other Siouan tribes.

Portions of the historic Three Chopt Trail, a Native American trail, run through a large portion of the county. The trail was marked by three hatchet chops in trees to show the way. The modern-day U.S. Route 250 roughly follows this route from Richmond to Charlottesville.

Henrico Shire edit

In 1634, the colonial government organized the territory of Virginia into eight shires, to be governed as shires in England. Henrico was one of these shires.[4]

Formation of Goochland County edit

Among the earliest European settlers in this area of the Piedmont were several hundred French Huguenot religious refugees, who were given land in 1700 and 1701 by the Crown and colonial authorities about 20 miles above the falls of the James River. They settled the villages collectively known as Manakin-Sabot in this area. Soon they moved out to farms and plantations they developed. In neighboring Powhatan County, to the south across the James, they settled Manakin Town, but by 1750 had mostly moved out to farms.[5]

Goochland was founded in 1728 as the first county formed from Henrico shire, followed by Chesterfield County in 1749. Goochland originally included all of the land from Tuckahoe Creek, on both sides of the James River, west as far as the Blue Ridge Mountains.[1] In its original form, Goochland contained the modern counties of Goochland, Powhatan, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Buckingham, Nelson, and Amherst, in their entireties. In addition, the northern sections of Appomattox, Campbell, and Bedford, and the southern two-thirds of Albemarle County were also within Goochland's original boundaries. The creation of Albemarle County in 1744 and Cumberland County in 1749 removed most of Goochland's southern and western territory, reducing it to its modern size and boundaries.

The county was named for Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet,[6] the royal lieutenant governor from 1727 to 1749. The nominal governor, the Earl of Albemarle, had remained in England. As acting royal governor, Gooch promoted settlement of the Virginia backcountry as a means to insulate the Virginia colony from Native American and New France settlements in the Ohio Country.[7]

As the colonists moved into the Piedmont west of Richmond, they first developed tobacco plantations like those of the Tidewater. After the Revolution, tobacco did not yield as high profits as markets changed. In Goochland, as in other areas of Virginia, many planters switched to growing wheat and mixed crops. This reduced their need for labor. In the early nineteenth century, some planters sold slaves in the domestic slave trade, as demand was high in the developing Deep South where cotton plantations were developed.

Goochland Courthouse edit

The first court was held in May 1728. The exact location of this first court is unknown, but researchers believe that the first courthouse was constructed in Goochland County between 1730 and 1737. A new courthouse was built in 1763 in Beaverdam, a short distance from the first, on the land of Alexander Baine. In the early 19th century, the courthouse was moved to its current location along Rt. 6 in central Goochland. The Goochland County Court Square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.[8]

Revolutionary War edit

During the early part of 1781, Lord Cornwallis marched his sizable army through the boundaries of Goochland. They occupied and thoroughly destroyed Elkhill, a small estate of Thomas Jefferson, slaughtering the livestock for food, burning barns and fences, and finally burning down the house. They took 27 slaves as prisoners of war, and 24 died of disease in the camp.[9]

One point along the James River came to be known as Cornwallis Hill. It is said that the British general, who paused here on his way to Yorktown, where he would be defeated and surrender, remarked that this spot with its magnificent vista of the James River Valley would make an ideal site for a house.[10]

General Lafayette, a French hero of the Revolution, returned to the United States for a grand tour in 1824 and 1825. On November 2, 1824, General Lafayette "left Richmond on his way to Monticello to visit Mr. Jefferson."[4] On the way, Gen. Lafayette stopped at Powell's Tavern in Goochland. ("I spent some time at the Tavern and there was much celebration at his arrival.")[11] While there, the general met with American officers and many citizens of the county.

Civil War edit

The county was a site of a battle late in the war. When the war broke out, James Pleasants, a native of Goochland County and descendant of the 22nd governor of the state, insisted he replace his uncle in the Goochland Light Dragoons (known during the war as Co. F, 4th Virginia Cavalry). In 1861, he was allowed to take his uncle's place. In the winter of 1864, any troops who were close to home were allowed to return to recruit more soldiers.

At the same time, the young Union Colonel Ulric Dahlgren had a plan to infiltrate central Virginia, break out nearly 12,000 Union prisoners from Belle Isle in Richmond, the Confederate capital, and destroy the city. On March 1, 1864, Dahlgren's forces reached the plantations of Sabot Hill, Dover, and Eastwood in eastern Goochland.[4]

On Pleasants's first night home, Dahlgren's raiders stole his horses but did not search the property. When Pleasants found out what happened, he grabbed his carbine and started off on foot after the raiders. Hearing a noise, he hid in the woods, and ordered a single Union cavalryman to surrender. Pleasants mounted the man's horse and forced the soldier to walk in front of him to search for more soldiers. Within a short amount of time, Pleasants had captured several Union prisoners and took them as prisoners back to Bowles' store. In all, he captured 15 Union soldiers, recovered 16 horses, and shot one officer who refused to surrender to him.[4]

Eastwood was occupied by Plumer Hobson and his wife, the daughter of Brigadier General Henry A. Wise, the last governor of Virginia before the war. On the previous night General Wise had arrived at Eastwood. When a Union detail arrived at Eastwood looking for him, his daughter said that he was in Charleston, South Carolina. Instead, he was already riding rapidly southeast to Richmond to warn the troops of the Union raiders.[4] Dahlgren went to Sabot Hill, the home of James Seddon and his wife. She answered the door and invited the officer in for some wine and Southern hospitality; she knew that Wise was on his way to Richmond and wanted to delay Dahlgren. Ultimately, due to the quick thinking by the families in Goochland, Wise was able to warn forces in Richmond, who defeated Dahlgren's raid.[4]

Convict lease program edit

After Reconstruction, Goochland County leased convicts as laborers to build roads in 1878. The state's practice of convict leasing was effectively a means of keeping African Americans in near-slavery conditions. The legislature passed a variety of minor nuisance laws, with penalties of fees, which they knew the cash-poor sharecroppers could not readily pay.[12] When convicted of minor offenses and unable to pay the fine, black men were jailed and leased out as convicts. They suffered frequent abuse under this system, as the state exercised little supervision of conditions.

Monument edit

As part of their effort at commemoration after the war, the Daughters of the Confederacy commissioned a monument to the Confederate dead, to be erected on the green of the Goochland Courthouse. It was unveiled on June 22, 1918. Among those in attendance was Robert E. Lee, a grandson of General Robert E. Lee.

Churches edit

In 1720, there were two parishes in Henrico County, St. James and Henrico. When Goochland County was formed, St. James Parish fell within the boundaries on both sides of the James River and westward. When Albemarle County was formed from Goochland in 1744, the Parish was divided into three. St. Anne's Parish covered Albemarle, St. James Southam Parish covered the south side of the river (now Powhatan County), and St. James Northam Parish covered the rest of Goochland.[4]

In St. James Northam Parish there were three early churches, all Anglican (and Episcopal after the church was disestablished after the Revolution): Dover Episcopal, Beaverdam Episcopal, and Lickinghole Episcopal. Dover was the first, being built in 1724; it closed sometime after the Revolutionary War. Its location and closing date are unknown. Beaverdam was located near what is now Whitehall Road, but its exact location is also unknown.

One notable church is Byrd Presbyterian Church. The congregation has some members descended from the original worshippers who were organized in 1748 at Tucker Woodson's farm by Samuel Davies, a theologian. He later served as president of Princeton University. By 1759 the group had constructed its own building on Byrd Creek. In 1838 descendants of the original congregation built a new church and began worshiping here; this church is still in use. It retains many of its original architectural features, including its slate roof and interior window valances. The cemetery has been preserved since it was established in 1838.

One of the first independent black congregations founded after the Civil War was what is now called Second Union Baptist Church, founded in 1865 near Fife/Bula northwest of Richmond. Most freedmen left white Baptist churches to form their own, and soon set up state associations with the aid of organizers from free states. Today the numerous churches in the county include several Episcopal, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and non-denominational Christian churches.

Historic homes edit

Other historic homes and mansions in Goochland can be found through the Goochland County Historical Society (see links below).

School buses edit

In 1973, Wayne Corporation of Richmond, Indiana introduced a safer design in school bus construction, the Lifeguard. Shortly afterward, the manufacturer held a nationwide contest to gain ideas to improve school bus safety, with the grand prize to be the award of a new Lifeguard school bus. Pearl P. Randolph, the first black member of the Goochland County School Board, created the winning entry.

As a result, the Goochland County Public Schools received the new school bus. Her idea was to install sound baffles in the ceilings of school bus bodies to help reduce driver distraction. Compact forms of such equipment were later developed in the 1980s by Wayne and other bus manufacturers when diesel engines (and their greater noise) became commonplace.

Government edit

Board of Supervisors edit

  • District 1: Susan F. Lascolette
  • District 2: Neil Spoonhower
  • District 3: John Lumpkins Jr.
  • District 4: Don Sharpe
  • District 5: Ken C. Peterson

Constitutional officers edit

Goochland is represented by Republican Mark J. Peake in the Virginia Senate, Republicans John McGuire and R. Lee Ware in the House of Delegates, Democrats Timothy M. Kaine and Mark Warner in the U.S. Senate, and Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Education edit

The Goochland County Public Schools system provides public school from K-12 for the county at five schools for 2,500 students.[1] In 2020 the all-boys Benedictine College Preparatory and all-girls Saint Gertrude High School moved from their separate campuses in downtown Richmond to a combined campus in Goochland under the Benedictine Schools of Richmond.[15]

United States presidential election results for Goochland County, Virginia[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 9,966 58.80% 6,685 39.44% 299 1.76%
2016 8,384 59.73% 4,889 34.83% 764 5.44%
2012 8,448 63.45% 4,676 35.12% 191 1.43%
2008 7,643 60.84% 4,813 38.31% 106 0.84%
2004 6,668 64.50% 3,583 34.66% 87 0.84%
2000 5,378 61.27% 3,197 36.42% 202 2.30%
1996 4,119 55.47% 2,784 37.49% 522 7.03%
1992 3,834 51.26% 2,589 34.62% 1,056 14.12%
1988 3,765 62.61% 2,209 36.74% 39 0.65%
1984 3,404 60.60% 2,178 38.78% 35 0.62%
1980 2,423 49.68% 2,290 46.96% 164 3.36%
1976 2,104 47.23% 2,259 50.71% 92 2.07%
1972 2,127 60.98% 1,254 35.95% 107 3.07%
1968 1,216 35.13% 1,389 40.13% 856 24.73%
1964 1,241 46.01% 1,452 53.84% 4 0.15%
1960 851 48.66% 862 49.29% 36 2.06%
1956 748 50.10% 508 34.03% 237 15.87%
1952 714 46.12% 820 52.97% 14 0.90%
1948 292 25.61% 683 59.91% 165 14.47%
1944 230 24.86% 691 74.70% 4 0.43%
1940 180 17.93% 820 81.67% 4 0.40%
1936 228 26.21% 638 73.33% 4 0.46%
1932 166 20.49% 629 77.65% 15 1.85%
1928 318 42.18% 431 57.16% 5 0.66%
1924 164 27.42% 394 65.89% 40 6.69%
1920 212 35.22% 384 63.79% 6 1.00%
1916 193 31.59% 413 67.59% 5 0.82%
1912 114 21.76% 322 61.45% 88 16.79%

Economy edit

West Creek Business Park edit

Contributors to Goochland's increased growth in the early 2000s was the construction of the West Creek Business Park, as well as the completion of Richmond's semi-circumferential State Route 288. The latter connected the county to the major travel corridors of I-64 and I-95. The industrial park began attracting many businesses, including the corporate headquarters for Farm Bureau of Virginia and Performance Food Group (PFG), as well as Hallmark Youth Care, and CarMax.

Top employers edit

According to the county's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[17] the top employers in the county are:

# Employer # of employees Community
1 Capital One 5,600 West Creek Business Park
2 CarMax 987 West Creek Business Park
3 Luck Stone 331 Manakin-Sabot
4 Virginia Farm Bureau 300 West Creek Business Park
5 Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond 200 West Creek Business Park
6 Performance Food Group 180 West Creek Business Park
7 Hermitage Country Club 150 Manakin-Sabot
8 Food Lion 110 Manakin-Sabot and Goochland
9 Elk Hill 100 Goochland

Geography edit

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 290 square miles (750 km2), of which 281 square miles (730 km2) is land and 8 square miles (21 km2) (2.9%) is water.[18] Goochland County is drained by the James River.

Goochland, VA[19]
Climate chart (explanation)
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Metric conversion
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

Adjacent counties edit

Major highways edit

  •   I-64 - Skirts the northern county line with Louisa County
  •   US 250 - Runs parallel to I-64, also skirting the Louisa County line
  •   US 522 - Runs through the county, intersecting with SR 6 as well as both US-250 and I-64 in Louisa County
  •   SR 6 - Runs along the James River in the southern part of the county
  •   SR 45 - Runs north from Cartersville in Cumberland County to SR 6
  •   SR 271 - Runs from Henrico County to Hanover County across the north east corner of the county
  •   SR 288 - Runs along the eastern county line from I-64 to Powhatan County

Demographics edit

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
17909,053
18009,6967.1%
181010,2035.2%
182010,007−1.9%
183010,3693.6%
18409,760−5.9%
185010,3526.1%
186010,6562.9%
187010,313−3.2%
188010,292−0.2%
18909,958−3.2%
19009,519−4.4%
19109,237−3.0%
19208,863−4.0%
19307,953−10.3%
19408,4546.3%
19508,9345.7%
19609,2063.0%
197010,0699.4%
198011,76116.8%
199014,16320.4%
200016,86319.1%
201021,71728.8%
202024,72713.9%
2021 (est.)25,488[20]3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[21]
1790–1960[22] 1900–1990[23]
1990–2000[24] 2010[25] 2020[26]

2020 census edit

Goochland County, Virginia - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[25] Pop 2020[26] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 16,583 19,081 76.36% 77.17%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4,151 3,252 19.11% 13.15%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 50 58 0.23% 0.23%
Asian alone (NH) 219 493 1.01% 1.99%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 4 3 0.02% 0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 25 146 0.12% 0.59%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 230 832 1.06% 3.36%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 455 862 2.10% 3.49%
Total 21,717 24,727 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2000 Census edit

As of the census[27] of 2000, there were 16,863 people, 6,158 households, and 4,710 families residing in the county. The population density was 59 people per square mile (23 people/km2). There were 6,555 housing units at an average density of 23 units per square mile (8.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.71% White, 25.64% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The largest ethnic/ancestry groups in Goochland County are: English (16.3%), "American" (13.0%), German (11.8%), Irish (9.3%), Scots-Irish (4.0%) and Scottish (3.9%).[28]

There were 6,158 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.50% were non-families. 19.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.30% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 28.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $56,307, and the median income for a family was $64,685. Males had a median income of $41,663 versus $29,519 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,105. 6.90% of the population and 4.30% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.70% are under the age of 18 and 8.10% are 65 or older.

Notable people edit

Communities edit

No incorporated communities are located in Goochland County. Unincorporated communities include the following:

Census-designated place edit

Other unincorporated communities edit

See also edit

References edit

Specific
  1. ^ a b "Goochland". Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "Goochland County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. ^ . National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Agee, Helene. Facets of Goochland County's History, Richmond, VA: Dietz Press, 1962.
  5. ^ "MANAKIN TOWN / The French Huguenot Settlement in Virginia * 1700-ca. 1750" (includes primary sources), Becoming American: The British Atlantic Colonies, 1690-1763, National Humanities Center, 2009; accessed 11 January 2019
  6. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 139.
  7. ^ "Backcountry Frontier of Colonial Virginia", Encyclopedia Virginia http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Backcountry_Frontier_of_Colonial_Virginia#start_entry Quote: "The major push toward the British occupation of the backcountry began with a series of land orders totaling close to 400,000 acres (160,000 ha) west of the Blue Ridge, issued by Lieutenant Governor William Gooch between 1730 and 1732" ..."Settlement of the valley by British subjects would secure and defend Virginia, not only in conflicts with northern and southern Indians, but also in the imperial struggles that had convulsed the Atlantic world for the previous three decades, during which New France had extended settlements and garrisons from Canada to Louisiana along the broad Ohio and Mississippi river systems."
  8. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  9. ^ Places: "Elkhill", Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia, Monticello, accessed January 10, 2012.
  10. ^ Bullard, Cece. Goochland Yesterday and Today: A Pictorial History, Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 1994.
  11. ^ "037-0023 Powell's Tavern". Virginia Landmarks Register. State of Virginia. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  12. ^ Virginia (1878). Acts Passed at a General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia. pp. 436–442.
  13. ^ a b "Tuckahoe Plantation", Official website.
  14. ^ Elie Weeks, "Clover Forest", Goochland County Historical Society Magazine, 5-A, 1973, pp. 7–13.
  15. ^ "Private Single-Gendered Schools in Richmond Virginia". www.benedictineschools.org. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  17. ^ County of Goochland CAFR
  18. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  19. ^ http://www.usa.com/goochland-va-weather.htm#HistoricalTemperature[bare URL]
  20. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021". Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  21. ^ "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  22. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  23. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  24. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  25. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Goochland County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
  26. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Goochland County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
  27. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  28. ^ Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder – Results". Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  29. ^ Sluby, Patricia Carter (March 15, 2013). "Jackson, Giles Beecher". Oxford African American Studies Center. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.35759. ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1.
General
  • Dover Mill – Account of an Excavation

External links edit

  • Information Site for Goochland County, Virginia
  • Goochland County Historical Society
  • Tuckahoe Plantation
  • Goochland County Chamber of Commerce
  • The Goochland Gazette``

37°43′N 77°56′W / 37.72°N 77.93°W / 37.72; -77.93

goochland, county, virginia, goochland, county, county, located, piedmont, commonwealth, virginia, southern, border, formed, james, river, 2020, census, population, county, seat, goochland, goochland, countycountygoochland, county, court, squareseallocation, w. Goochland County is a county located in the Piedmont of the Commonwealth of Virginia Its southern border is formed by the James River As of the 2020 census the population was 24 727 2 Its county seat is Goochland 3 Goochland CountyCountyGoochland County Court SquareSealLocation within the U S state of VirginiaVirginia s location within the U S Coordinates 37 43 N 77 56 W 37 72 N 77 93 W 37 72 77 93Country United StatesState VirginiaFounded1728 1 Named forSir William GoochSeatGoochlandArea Total290 sq mi 800 km2 Land281 sq mi 730 km2 Water8 sq mi 20 km2 2 9 Population 2020 Total24 727 Density85 sq mi 33 km2 Time zoneUTC 5 Eastern Summer DST UTC 4 EDT Congressional district5thWebsitewww wbr co wbr goochland wbr va wbr usGoochland County is included in the Greater Richmond Region Contents 1 History 1 1 Native Americans 1 2 Henrico Shire 1 3 Formation of Goochland County 1 4 Goochland Courthouse 1 5 Revolutionary War 1 6 Civil War 1 7 Convict lease program 1 8 Monument 1 9 Churches 1 10 Historic homes 2 School buses 3 Government 3 1 Board of Supervisors 3 2 Constitutional officers 3 3 Education 4 Economy 4 1 West Creek Business Park 4 2 Top employers 5 Geography 5 1 Adjacent counties 5 2 Major highways 6 Demographics 6 1 2020 census 6 2 2000 Census 7 Notable people 8 Communities 8 1 Census designated place 8 2 Other unincorporated communities 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksHistory edit nbsp Dover Mills depicted in 1865Native Americans edit See Native American tribes in VirginiaLong before the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century all of the territory of Virginia including the Piedmont area was populated by various tribes of Native Americans They were the historic tribes descended from thousands of years of succeeding and varied indigenous cultures Among the historic tribes in the Piedmont were the Monacan who were Siouan speaking and were recorded as having several villages west of what the colonists later called Manakin Town on the James River They and other Siouan tribes traditionally competed with and were in conflict with the members of the Powhatan Confederacy Algonquian speaking tribes who generally inhabited the coastal Tidewater area along the Atlantic and the rivers feeding it They also were subject to raids by Iroquois nations from the north who were based south of the Great Lakes in present day New York and Pennsylvania By the end of the 17th century the Monacan had been decimated by warfare and infectious diseases carried by the mostly English colonists and traders their survivors were absorbed into other Siouan tribes Portions of the historic Three Chopt Trail a Native American trail run through a large portion of the county The trail was marked by three hatchet chops in trees to show the way The modern day U S Route 250 roughly follows this route from Richmond to Charlottesville Henrico Shire edit In 1634 the colonial government organized the territory of Virginia into eight shires to be governed as shires in England Henrico was one of these shires 4 Formation of Goochland County edit Among the earliest European settlers in this area of the Piedmont were several hundred French Huguenot religious refugees who were given land in 1700 and 1701 by the Crown and colonial authorities about 20 miles above the falls of the James River They settled the villages collectively known as Manakin Sabot in this area Soon they moved out to farms and plantations they developed In neighboring Powhatan County to the south across the James they settled Manakin Town but by 1750 had mostly moved out to farms 5 Goochland was founded in 1728 as the first county formed from Henrico shire followed by Chesterfield County in 1749 Goochland originally included all of the land from Tuckahoe Creek on both sides of the James River west as far as the Blue Ridge Mountains 1 In its original form Goochland contained the modern counties of Goochland Powhatan Cumberland Fluvanna Buckingham Nelson and Amherst in their entireties In addition the northern sections of Appomattox Campbell and Bedford and the southern two thirds of Albemarle County were also within Goochland s original boundaries The creation of Albemarle County in 1744 and Cumberland County in 1749 removed most of Goochland s southern and western territory reducing it to its modern size and boundaries The county was named for Sir William Gooch 1st Baronet 6 the royal lieutenant governor from 1727 to 1749 The nominal governor the Earl of Albemarle had remained in England As acting royal governor Gooch promoted settlement of the Virginia backcountry as a means to insulate the Virginia colony from Native American and New France settlements in the Ohio Country 7 As the colonists moved into the Piedmont west of Richmond they first developed tobacco plantations like those of the Tidewater After the Revolution tobacco did not yield as high profits as markets changed In Goochland as in other areas of Virginia many planters switched to growing wheat and mixed crops This reduced their need for labor In the early nineteenth century some planters sold slaves in the domestic slave trade as demand was high in the developing Deep South where cotton plantations were developed Goochland Courthouse edit The first court was held in May 1728 The exact location of this first court is unknown but researchers believe that the first courthouse was constructed in Goochland County between 1730 and 1737 A new courthouse was built in 1763 in Beaverdam a short distance from the first on the land of Alexander Baine In the early 19th century the courthouse was moved to its current location along Rt 6 in central Goochland The Goochland County Court Square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 8 Revolutionary War edit During the early part of 1781 Lord Cornwallis marched his sizable army through the boundaries of Goochland They occupied and thoroughly destroyed Elkhill a small estate of Thomas Jefferson slaughtering the livestock for food burning barns and fences and finally burning down the house They took 27 slaves as prisoners of war and 24 died of disease in the camp 9 One point along the James River came to be known as Cornwallis Hill It is said that the British general who paused here on his way to Yorktown where he would be defeated and surrender remarked that this spot with its magnificent vista of the James River Valley would make an ideal site for a house 10 General Lafayette a French hero of the Revolution returned to the United States for a grand tour in 1824 and 1825 On November 2 1824 General Lafayette left Richmond on his way to Monticello to visit Mr Jefferson 4 On the way Gen Lafayette stopped at Powell s Tavern in Goochland I spent some time at the Tavern and there was much celebration at his arrival 11 While there the general met with American officers and many citizens of the county Civil War edit This section relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources Goochland County Virginia news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2020 The county was a site of a battle late in the war When the war broke out James Pleasants a native of Goochland County and descendant of the 22nd governor of the state insisted he replace his uncle in the Goochland Light Dragoons known during the war as Co F 4th Virginia Cavalry In 1861 he was allowed to take his uncle s place In the winter of 1864 any troops who were close to home were allowed to return to recruit more soldiers At the same time the young Union Colonel Ulric Dahlgren had a plan to infiltrate central Virginia break out nearly 12 000 Union prisoners from Belle Isle in Richmond the Confederate capital and destroy the city On March 1 1864 Dahlgren s forces reached the plantations of Sabot Hill Dover and Eastwood in eastern Goochland 4 On Pleasants s first night home Dahlgren s raiders stole his horses but did not search the property When Pleasants found out what happened he grabbed his carbine and started off on foot after the raiders Hearing a noise he hid in the woods and ordered a single Union cavalryman to surrender Pleasants mounted the man s horse and forced the soldier to walk in front of him to search for more soldiers Within a short amount of time Pleasants had captured several Union prisoners and took them as prisoners back to Bowles store In all he captured 15 Union soldiers recovered 16 horses and shot one officer who refused to surrender to him 4 Eastwood was occupied by Plumer Hobson and his wife the daughter of Brigadier General Henry A Wise the last governor of Virginia before the war On the previous night General Wise had arrived at Eastwood When a Union detail arrived at Eastwood looking for him his daughter said that he was in Charleston South Carolina Instead he was already riding rapidly southeast to Richmond to warn the troops of the Union raiders 4 Dahlgren went to Sabot Hill the home of James Seddon and his wife She answered the door and invited the officer in for some wine and Southern hospitality she knew that Wise was on his way to Richmond and wanted to delay Dahlgren Ultimately due to the quick thinking by the families in Goochland Wise was able to warn forces in Richmond who defeated Dahlgren s raid 4 Convict lease program edit After Reconstruction Goochland County leased convicts as laborers to build roads in 1878 The state s practice of convict leasing was effectively a means of keeping African Americans in near slavery conditions The legislature passed a variety of minor nuisance laws with penalties of fees which they knew the cash poor sharecroppers could not readily pay 12 When convicted of minor offenses and unable to pay the fine black men were jailed and leased out as convicts They suffered frequent abuse under this system as the state exercised little supervision of conditions Monument edit As part of their effort at commemoration after the war the Daughters of the Confederacy commissioned a monument to the Confederate dead to be erected on the green of the Goochland Courthouse It was unveiled on June 22 1918 Among those in attendance was Robert E Lee a grandson of General Robert E Lee Churches edit In 1720 there were two parishes in Henrico County St James and Henrico When Goochland County was formed St James Parish fell within the boundaries on both sides of the James River and westward When Albemarle County was formed from Goochland in 1744 the Parish was divided into three St Anne s Parish covered Albemarle St James Southam Parish covered the south side of the river now Powhatan County and St James Northam Parish covered the rest of Goochland 4 In St James Northam Parish there were three early churches all Anglican and Episcopal after the church was disestablished after the Revolution Dover Episcopal Beaverdam Episcopal and Lickinghole Episcopal Dover was the first being built in 1724 it closed sometime after the Revolutionary War Its location and closing date are unknown Beaverdam was located near what is now Whitehall Road but its exact location is also unknown One notable church is Byrd Presbyterian Church The congregation has some members descended from the original worshippers who were organized in 1748 at Tucker Woodson s farm by Samuel Davies a theologian He later served as president of Princeton University By 1759 the group had constructed its own building on Byrd Creek In 1838 descendants of the original congregation built a new church and began worshiping here this church is still in use It retains many of its original architectural features including its slate roof and interior window valances The cemetery has been preserved since it was established in 1838 One of the first independent black congregations founded after the Civil War was what is now called Second Union Baptist Church founded in 1865 near Fife Bula northwest of Richmond Most freedmen left white Baptist churches to form their own and soon set up state associations with the aid of organizers from free states Today the numerous churches in the county include several Episcopal Baptist Methodist Presbyterian and non denominational Christian churches Historic homes edit Tuckahoe Plantation One of the older James River plantation mansions in the county it has grounds that include a private schoolhouse where Thomas Jefferson and his Randolph cousins were educated 13 Sabot Hill Built in 1855 it was owned by James A Seddon the Secretary of War for the Confederate States of America CSA during the Civil War The large home was damaged in Dahlgren s Raid Woodlawn This is a Georgian Colonial style home built prior to 1760 by Josiah Leake In 1834 it was purchased by Colonel Thomas Taylor a hero of the Mexican American War Clover Forest Plantation The land was first patented in 1714 The central core of the home was not built until 1807 1811 by Captain Thomas Pemberton of the Continental Dragoons He was later a member of the Society of the Cincinnati It has had several owners since then 14 Other historic homes and mansions in Goochland can be found through the Goochland County Historical Society see links below School buses editIn 1973 Wayne Corporation of Richmond Indiana introduced a safer design in school bus construction the Lifeguard Shortly afterward the manufacturer held a nationwide contest to gain ideas to improve school bus safety with the grand prize to be the award of a new Lifeguard school bus Pearl P Randolph the first black member of the Goochland County School Board created the winning entry As a result the Goochland County Public Schools received the new school bus Her idea was to install sound baffles in the ceilings of school bus bodies to help reduce driver distraction Compact forms of such equipment were later developed in the 1980s by Wayne and other bus manufacturers when diesel engines and their greater noise became commonplace Government editBoard of Supervisors edit District 1 Susan F Lascolette District 2 Neil Spoonhower District 3 John Lumpkins Jr District 4 Don Sharpe District 5 Ken C PetersonConstitutional officers edit Clerk of the Circuit Court Amanda S Adams R Commissioner of the Revenue Jennifer Brown I Commonwealth s Attorney D Michael Caudill R Sheriff Steven N Creasey I Treasurer Pamela Duncan R Goochland is represented by Republican Mark J Peake in the Virginia Senate Republicans John McGuire and R Lee Ware in the House of Delegates Democrats Timothy M Kaine and Mark Warner in the U S Senate and Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the U S House of Representatives Education edit The Goochland County Public Schools system provides public school from K 12 for the county at five schools for 2 500 students 1 In 2020 the all boys Benedictine College Preparatory and all girls Saint Gertrude High School moved from their separate campuses in downtown Richmond to a combined campus in Goochland under the Benedictine Schools of Richmond 15 United States presidential election results for Goochland County Virginia 16 Year Republican Democratic Third partyNo No No 2020 9 966 58 80 6 685 39 44 299 1 76 2016 8 384 59 73 4 889 34 83 764 5 44 2012 8 448 63 45 4 676 35 12 191 1 43 2008 7 643 60 84 4 813 38 31 106 0 84 2004 6 668 64 50 3 583 34 66 87 0 84 2000 5 378 61 27 3 197 36 42 202 2 30 1996 4 119 55 47 2 784 37 49 522 7 03 1992 3 834 51 26 2 589 34 62 1 056 14 12 1988 3 765 62 61 2 209 36 74 39 0 65 1984 3 404 60 60 2 178 38 78 35 0 62 1980 2 423 49 68 2 290 46 96 164 3 36 1976 2 104 47 23 2 259 50 71 92 2 07 1972 2 127 60 98 1 254 35 95 107 3 07 1968 1 216 35 13 1 389 40 13 856 24 73 1964 1 241 46 01 1 452 53 84 4 0 15 1960 851 48 66 862 49 29 36 2 06 1956 748 50 10 508 34 03 237 15 87 1952 714 46 12 820 52 97 14 0 90 1948 292 25 61 683 59 91 165 14 47 1944 230 24 86 691 74 70 4 0 43 1940 180 17 93 820 81 67 4 0 40 1936 228 26 21 638 73 33 4 0 46 1932 166 20 49 629 77 65 15 1 85 1928 318 42 18 431 57 16 5 0 66 1924 164 27 42 394 65 89 40 6 69 1920 212 35 22 384 63 79 6 1 00 1916 193 31 59 413 67 59 5 0 82 1912 114 21 76 322 61 45 88 16 79 Economy editWest Creek Business Park edit Contributors to Goochland s increased growth in the early 2000s was the construction of the West Creek Business Park as well as the completion of Richmond s semi circumferential State Route 288 The latter connected the county to the major travel corridors of I 64 and I 95 The industrial park began attracting many businesses including the corporate headquarters for Farm Bureau of Virginia and Performance Food Group PFG as well as Hallmark Youth Care and CarMax Top employers edit According to the county s 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 17 the top employers in the county are Employer of employees Community1 Capital One 5 600 West Creek Business Park2 CarMax 987 West Creek Business Park3 Luck Stone 331 Manakin Sabot4 Virginia Farm Bureau 300 West Creek Business Park5 Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond 200 West Creek Business Park6 Performance Food Group 180 West Creek Business Park7 Hermitage Country Club 150 Manakin Sabot8 Food Lion 110 Manakin Sabot and Goochland9 Elk Hill 100 GoochlandGeography editAccording to the U S Census Bureau the county has a total area of 290 square miles 750 km2 of which 281 square miles 730 km2 is land and 8 square miles 21 km2 2 9 is water 18 Goochland County is drained by the James River Goochland VA 19 Climate chart explanation J F M A M J J A S O N D 2 9 46 24 2 8 50 26 3 7 59 32 3 2 69 42 4 77 50 3 6 85 60 4 4 88 64 3 8 87 63 3 7 80 55 3 5 70 44 3 7 60 35 3 1 49 27 Average max and min temperatures in F Precipitation totals in inchesMetric conversionJ F M A M J J A S O N D 74 8 4 71 10 3 94 15 0 81 21 5 102 25 10 91 29 16 112 31 18 97 30 17 94 27 13 89 21 7 94 15 1 79 10 3 Average max and min temperatures in C Precipitation totals in mmAdjacent counties edit Louisa County north Hanover County northeast Henrico County east Powhatan County south Cumberland County southwest Fluvanna County westMajor highways edit nbsp I 64 Skirts the northern county line with Louisa County nbsp US 250 Runs parallel to I 64 also skirting the Louisa County line nbsp US 522 Runs through the county intersecting with SR 6 as well as both US 250 and I 64 in Louisa County nbsp SR 6 Runs along the James River in the southern part of the county nbsp SR 45 Runs north from Cartersville in Cumberland County to SR 6 nbsp SR 271 Runs from Henrico County to Hanover County across the north east corner of the county nbsp SR 288 Runs along the eastern county line from I 64 to Powhatan CountyDemographics editHistorical population CensusPop Note 17909 053 18009 6967 1 181010 2035 2 182010 007 1 9 183010 3693 6 18409 760 5 9 185010 3526 1 186010 6562 9 187010 313 3 2 188010 292 0 2 18909 958 3 2 19009 519 4 4 19109 237 3 0 19208 863 4 0 19307 953 10 3 19408 4546 3 19508 9345 7 19609 2063 0 197010 0699 4 198011 76116 8 199014 16320 4 200016 86319 1 201021 71728 8 202024 72713 9 2021 est 25 488 20 3 1 U S Decennial Census 21 1790 1960 22 1900 1990 23 1990 2000 24 2010 25 2020 26 2020 census edit Goochland County Virginia Demographic Profile NH Non Hispanic Race Ethnicity Pop 2010 25 Pop 2020 26 2010 2020White alone NH 16 583 19 081 76 36 77 17 Black or African American alone NH 4 151 3 252 19 11 13 15 Native American or Alaska Native alone NH 50 58 0 23 0 23 Asian alone NH 219 493 1 01 1 99 Pacific Islander alone NH 4 3 0 02 0 01 Some Other Race alone NH 25 146 0 12 0 59 Mixed Race Multi Racial NH 230 832 1 06 3 36 Hispanic or Latino any race 455 862 2 10 3 49 Total 21 717 24 727 100 00 100 00 Note the US Census treats Hispanic Latino as an ethnic category This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category Hispanics Latinos can be of any race 2000 Census edit As of the census 27 of 2000 there were 16 863 people 6 158 households and 4 710 families residing in the county The population density was 59 people per square mile 23 people km2 There were 6 555 housing units at an average density of 23 units per square mile 8 9 units km2 The racial makeup of the county was 72 71 White 25 64 Black or African American 0 20 Native American 0 47 Asian 0 01 Pacific Islander 0 20 from other races and 0 77 from two or more races 0 85 of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race The largest ethnic ancestry groups in Goochland County are English 16 3 American 13 0 German 11 8 Irish 9 3 Scots Irish 4 0 and Scottish 3 9 28 There were 6 158 households out of which 29 90 had children under the age of 18 living with them 64 60 were married couples living together 8 40 had a female householder with no husband present and 23 50 were non families 19 90 of all households were made up of individuals and 7 40 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older The average household size was 2 51 and the average family size was 2 88 In the county the population was spread out with 21 30 under the age of 18 5 30 from 18 to 24 32 10 from 25 to 44 28 90 from 45 to 64 and 12 50 who were 65 years of age or older The median age was 40 years For every 100 females there were 101 50 males For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98 30 males The median income for a household in the county was 56 307 and the median income for a family was 64 685 Males had a median income of 41 663 versus 29 519 for females The per capita income for the county was 29 105 6 90 of the population and 4 30 of families were below the poverty line Out of the total people living in poverty 7 70 are under the age of 18 and 8 10 are 65 or older Notable people editThomas Jefferson lived at Shadwell then within the boundaries of the county 13 Thomas Mann Randolph Jr 21st Governor of Virginia James Pleasants 22nd Governor of Virginia Edward Bates served as the 26th United States Attorney General under President Abraham Lincoln James Seddon served as the Confederate Secretary of War under Jefferson Davis 4 John Berry Meachum businessman educator and founder of the oldest black church in Missouri Josephine Turpin Washington 1861 1949 educator and writer distant cousin of Thomas Jefferson Justin Verlander Houston Astros starting pitcher was raised in the county John Hicks catcher and first baseman for the Detroit Tigers Giles Beecher Jackson 1853 1924 African American lawyer newspaper publisher entrepreneur and civil rights activist 29 Communities editNo incorporated communities are located in Goochland County Unincorporated communities include the following Census designated place edit GoochlandOther unincorporated communities edit Centerville Crozier Fife Hadensville Maidens Manakin Sabot Oilville Sandy Hook Shannon HillSee also editNational Register of Historic Places listings in Goochland County VirginiaReferences editSpecific a b Goochland Retrieved February 17 2017 Goochland County Virginia United States Census Bureau Retrieved January 30 2022 Find a County National Association of Counties Archived from the original on May 31 2011 Retrieved June 7 2011 a b c d e f g h Agee Helene Facets of Goochland County s History Richmond VA Dietz Press 1962 MANAKIN TOWN The French Huguenot Settlement in Virginia 1700 ca 1750 includes primary sources Becoming American The British Atlantic Colonies 1690 1763 National Humanities Center 2009 accessed 11 January 2019 Gannett Henry 1905 The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States Govt Print Off pp 139 Backcountry Frontier of Colonial Virginia Encyclopedia Virginia http www encyclopediavirginia org Backcountry Frontier of Colonial Virginia start entry Quote The major push toward the British occupation of the backcountry began with a series of land orders totaling close to 400 000 acres 160 000 ha west of the Blue Ridge issued by Lieutenant Governor William Gooch between 1730 and 1732 Settlement of the valley by British subjects would secure and defend Virginia not only in conflicts with northern and southern Indians but also in the imperial struggles that had convulsed the Atlantic world for the previous three decades during which New France had extended settlements and garrisons from Canada to Louisiana along the broad Ohio and Mississippi river systems National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service July 9 2010 Places Elkhill Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia Monticello accessed January 10 2012 Bullard Cece Goochland Yesterday and Today A Pictorial History Virginia Beach VA The Donning Company 1994 037 0023 Powell s Tavern Virginia Landmarks Register State of Virginia Retrieved October 9 2020 Virginia 1878 Acts Passed at a General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia pp 436 442 a b Tuckahoe Plantation Official website Elie Weeks Clover Forest Goochland County Historical Society Magazine 5 A 1973 pp 7 13 Private Single Gendered Schools in Richmond Virginia www benedictineschools org Retrieved April 4 2023 Leip David Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections uselectionatlas org Retrieved December 9 2020 County of Goochland CAFR US Gazetteer files 2010 2000 and 1990 United States Census Bureau February 12 2011 Retrieved April 23 2011 http www usa com goochland va weather htm HistoricalTemperature bare URL Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties April 1 2020 to July 1 2021 Retrieved April 6 2022 Census of Population and Housing from 1790 2000 US Census Bureau Retrieved January 24 2022 Historical Census Browser University of Virginia Library Retrieved January 2 2014 Population of Counties by Decennial Census 1900 to 1990 United States Census Bureau Retrieved January 2 2014 Census 2000 PHC T 4 Ranking Tables for Counties 1990 and 2000 PDF United States Census Bureau Archived PDF from the original on October 9 2022 Retrieved January 2 2014 a b P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE 2010 DEC Redistricting Data PL 94 171 Goochland County Virginia United States Census Bureau a b P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE 2020 DEC Redistricting Data PL 94 171 Goochland County Virginia United States Census Bureau U S Census website United States Census Bureau Retrieved May 14 2011 Bureau U S Census American FactFinder Results Archived from the original on February 12 2020 Retrieved February 17 2017 Sluby Patricia Carter March 15 2013 Jackson Giles Beecher Oxford African American Studies Center doi 10 1093 acref 9780195301731 013 35759 ISBN 978 0 19 530173 1 GeneralHistory of Goochland County Virginia Dover Mill Account of an ExcavationExternal links editInformation Site for Goochland County Virginia Goochland County Historical Society Tuckahoe Plantation Goochland County Public Schools Goochland County Chamber of Commerce Goochland Yellow Pages The Goochland Gazette 37 43 N 77 56 W 37 72 N 77 93 W 37 72 77 93 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Goochland County Virginia amp oldid 1195606101, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, 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