Amelia Court House (also known as Amelia Courthouse and Amelia) is the county seat of Amelia County in the U.S. state of Virginia[2][3] and a census-designated place (CDP).[4] The population as of the 2010 census was 1,099.[5] The town was named for Princess Amelia of Great Britain, the second daughter of Great Britain's King George II, in 1735.
Amelia Court House | |
|---|---|
Census-designated place (CDP) | |
County courthouse in Amelia | |
Amelia Court House Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia Amelia Court House Amelia Court House (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 37°20′32″N 77°58′52″W / 37.34222°N 77.98111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Amelia |
| Area (as defined by U.S. Census Bureau)[1] | |
• Total | 3.78 sq mi (9.8 km2) |
| • Land | 3.77 sq mi (9.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 380 ft (120 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 1,099 |
| • Density | 290/sq mi (110/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 23002 |
| Area code | 804 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1498446 |
History
editAmelia Court House was founded in a rural area of the Virginia Piedmont developed for plantations of mixed crops. In the 19th century, spas were developed around nearby mineral springs, which served as vacation destinations for travelers. Visitors arrived by railroad after one was built to serve the area. Among the planters who came to the spas with their families was Robert E. Lee, the future Confederate general.
By the 1850s, the new Richmond and Danville Railroad (later the Southern Railway) had been extended to the village.[6] The R&D was a crucial supply line for the Confederacy during the Civil War. After General Robert E. Lee retreated from Petersburg in 1865, he spent April 4 and 5 in Amelia Court House waiting for desperately needed supplies from Richmond. Those supplies never arrived. Instead, a train came through carrying government documents. The last major engagement of Lee's army with Union forces occurred April 6, 1865, on the border of Amelia County at the Battle of Sayler's Creek. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.
The offices of Amelia's court clerks contain records dating before the Civil War, unlike many other Virginia courthouses, which lost such records in wartime destruction. The Union forces were rushing to catch up to Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and did not ensure that the courthouse records were burned. The iron shutters and brick construction of the courthouse protected its contents [citation needed].
In the 20th century, the area was still known for the amazonite produced at the Morefield Mine.[7] Amazonite is a crystallized stone, a green variety of microcline feldspar.[8][9]
A countywide festival called Amelia Day is held each May on the Saturday before Mother's Day. The festival started in the 1980s to celebrate the town's founding. Vendors, local clubs, and citizens organize to enjoy music, dancing, and socializing. At the first Amelia Day, residents signed a long roll that, along with other items, was put in a time capsule and buried in the courthouse green near the Confederate War Memorial.
Tornadoes
editIn 2003, Amelia Day was cancelled after the courthouse green was struck by an F1 tornado[10] on Friday, May 8, the day before the festival. The tornado destroyed most of the trees on the green.
A small Virginia tornado alley exists in Central Virginia, and Amelia County has had numerous tornado touchdowns. Tornadoes of note include the April 30, 1924, twister that passed east of the courthouse area, traveling from Jetersville to Chula, killing one person and injuring seven others.[10] A tornado hit Amelia County on October 13, 1983, one of a family of tornadoes that affected much of Central and Northern Virginia.[10] Other strong tornadoes have affected the county, especially to the east.
Transportation
editBusiness Routes
edit
US 360 Bus. (Goode's Bridge Rd.)
State Routes
edit SR 38 (Five Forks Rd., N. Five Forks Rd., and Virginia, Court, Washington, & Church Streets)
Climate
editLike much of the South, the area is characterized by long, hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Amelia Court House has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[11]
| Climate data for Amelia Court House, Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1970–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) |
82 (28) |
90 (32) |
96 (36) |
96 (36) |
104 (40) |
106 (41) |
102 (39) |
99 (37) |
99 (37) |
87 (31) |
82 (28) |
106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 67.8 (19.9) |
72.4 (22.4) |
80.4 (26.9) |
86.6 (30.3) |
90.9 (32.7) |
95.0 (35.0) |
98.0 (36.7) |
98.2 (36.8) |
92.6 (33.7) |
86.1 (30.1) |
76.5 (24.7) |
71.3 (21.8) |
98.5 (36.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 48.6 (9.2) |
52.3 (11.3) |
59.9 (15.5) |
71.1 (21.7) |
77.4 (25.2) |
85.2 (29.6) |
89.2 (31.8) |
87.2 (30.7) |
81.3 (27.4) |
71.0 (21.7) |
60.9 (16.1) |
52.1 (11.2) |
69.7 (20.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 38.1 (3.4) |
40.6 (4.8) |
47.8 (8.8) |
58.1 (14.5) |
66.1 (18.9) |
74.4 (23.6) |
78.5 (25.8) |
76.7 (24.8) |
70.4 (21.3) |
59.2 (15.1) |
49.2 (9.6) |
41.4 (5.2) |
58.4 (14.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 27.7 (−2.4) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
35.7 (2.1) |
45.1 (7.3) |
54.8 (12.7) |
63.7 (17.6) |
67.9 (19.9) |
66.2 (19.0) |
59.4 (15.2) |
47.5 (8.6) |
37.4 (3.0) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
47.1 (8.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 8.0 (−13.3) |
13.2 (−10.4) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
28.7 (−1.8) |
39.6 (4.2) |
49.4 (9.7) |
57.9 (14.4) |
56.0 (13.3) |
45.8 (7.7) |
32.1 (0.1) |
21.1 (−6.1) |
16.3 (−8.7) |
6.1 (−14.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) |
−12 (−24) |
10 (−12) |
17 (−8) |
30 (−1) |
38 (3) |
45 (7) |
41 (5) |
32 (0) |
23 (−5) |
10 (−12) |
−1 (−18) |
−12 (−24) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.66 (93) |
2.89 (73) |
4.44 (113) |
3.41 (87) |
4.33 (110) |
3.60 (91) |
3.90 (99) |
4.03 (102) |
4.08 (104) |
3.79 (96) |
3.38 (86) |
3.91 (99) |
45.42 (1,154) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.3 (8.4) |
2.3 (5.8) |
1.1 (2.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.6 (4.1) |
8.3 (21) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.2 | 9.7 | 11.2 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 10.2 | 10.1 | 8.9 | 9.4 | 9.0 | 8.2 | 10.8 | 121.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 4.2 |
| Source: NOAA[12][13] | |||||||||||||
Points of interest
edit- Amelia Golf & Country Club
- Joe Paulette Memorial Park
- Tom Scott Park
- Rennie Memorial Presbyterian Church, a historic congregation south of town
Notable people
edit- Worth McMillion, racing driver
- Landon Pembelton, racing driver
- Toby Wing, early 20th century actress, was born in Amelia Court House.
References
edit- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ "Amelia Court House". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Amelia Court House Census Designated Place". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ Virginia Trend Report 2: State and Complete Places (Sub-state 2010 Census Data). Archived 2012-07-11 at archive.today Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 8, 2011
- ^ Henry Gannett. A Gazetteer of Virginia, USGS: 1904, page 15. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ D. Allen Penick Jr. and Palmer C. Sweet, "Mineral Collecting Sites in Virginia," Virginia Minerals, May 1992, V. 38, No. 2, pp. 10–11 Archived 2012-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "amazonstone - mineral". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ Barthelmy, Dave. "Microcline Mineral Data". WebMineral.com. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c Bill Sammler (July 1, 2008). "Tornado History". Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM)-Vaemergency.gov. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- ^ "Climate Summary – Amelia, Virginia". Weatherbase.com. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "Station: Amelia Courthouse, VA". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 5, 2021.