Prince Edward County, Virginia
Prince Edward County | |
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UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 5th |
Website | www |
Prince Edward County is located in the
History
Formation and county seats
Prince Edward County was formed in the
The original county seat housed the courthouse and was called Prince Edward Courthouse; it is now the village of Worsham.
Near the headwaters of the Appomattox River, the Town of Farmville was formed in 1798 and was incorporated in 1912. The county seat was moved from Worsham to Farmville in 1871.
Railroads
In the 1850s, the Southside Railroad between Petersburg and Lynchburg was built through Farmville between Burkeville and Pamplin City. The route, which was subsidized by a contribution from Farmville, required an expensive crossing of the Appomattox River slightly downstream which became known as the High Bridge.
The Southside Railroad was heavily damaged during the American Civil War. The High Bridge played a key role during Confederate General Robert E. Lee's final retreat from Petersburg to Appomattox Courthouse, where the surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant took place in April 1865.
After the Civil War, under the leadership of former Confederate General
Due to the high cost of maintaining the High Bridge over the Appomattox River, the line through Farmville was downgraded and eventually abandoned, in favor of the Farmville Belt Line, which had been built on a more direct line between Burkeville and Pamplin City, as had originally been envisioned in the planning for the Southside Railroad.
Another railroad formerly served Farmville. In the late 19th century, the
Desegregation
Prince Edward County is the source of
The all-black R.R. Moton High School, named after
In Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, a state court rejected the suit, agreeing with defense attorney
Massive Resistance
In 1956, the
The state legislature (overwhelmingly dominated by whites since disfranchisement of African Americans in the state in the early 1900s) created a program of "tuition grants," which could be given to students so they could attend a private school of their choice. In practice, this meant state support of all-white schools that were developed as a way to evade integration of public schools. These newly formed schools became known as the "segregation academies".
As a result of the Brown decision, and changes in Virginia laws, in 1959, the Board of Supervisors for Prince Edward County refused to appropriate any funds at all for the County School Board. It effectively closed all public schools rather than integrate them. The Prince Edward County Public Schools remained closed for five years. While other Virginia and some southern school systems resisted integration, Prince Edward County was the only school district in the country to resort to such extreme measures.
During the interruption in access to Prince Edward County's public schools, white parents established the Prince Edward Foundation. It founded a series of private schools restricted to white children. These schools were supported by the tuition grants from the state and tax credits from the county. Collectively they became known as "Prince Edward Academy", one of Virginia's "segregation academies". Prince Edward Academy operated as the de facto school system and enrolled K-12 students at a number of facilities throughout the county.
From 1959 to 1964, black students in Prince Edward County had to go to school elsewhere or forgo their education altogether. Some got schooling by living with relatives in nearby communities or at makeshift schools the community created in church basements. Others were educated out of state with funds raised by groups such as the Quakers. In the final year (1963–1964), the NAACP-sponsored Prince Edward Free School picked up some of the slack by educating some of the black youth who had been unable to leave the county to attend public schools elsewhere.
In 1963, federal district courts ordered the public schools to open; Prince Edward County appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ruling in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, the Court unanimously agreed in May 1964 that Prince Edward County's actions violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. At that point, county and state supervisors gave in rather than risk prosecution and prison, ending the era of Massive Resistance in Virginia.[4]
The same summer, following the Griffith ruling, 16 students from
As a result of Prince Edward County's actions, some students missed part or all of their education for five years. This group has been called the "Lost Generation" of Prince Edward County's youth.
Private education since 1964
Even after the re-opening of the public schools, Prince Edward Academy remained segregated. Many of the segregated academies in Virginia eventually closed; others changed their missions and eliminated discriminatory policies. Some yielded on integration only after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revoked the tax-free status of non-profit discriminatory private schools. Prince Edward Academy was one of the latter and lost its tax-exempt status in 1978. In 1986, the school began to accept all students regardless of race or ethnicity. It was renamed the Fuqua School in 1992, in honor of J. B. Fuqua, a wealthy businessman who was born in Farmville and was a strong supporter of the school in its early years. Fuqua remains the only large private school in Prince Edward County, but a few other smaller private schools have been opened in recent decades.
Robert Russa Moton Museum
The former R.R. Moton High School building in Farmville has been recognized as a nationally significant community landmark. In 1998, it was designated a
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 354 square miles (920 km2), of which 350 square miles (910 km2) is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km2) (1.1%) is water.[6] Most of the county's streams drain into the Appomattox River, a tributary of the James River, but in the southeastern corner of the county, streams drain via the Nottoway River into the Chowan River and thence into Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. The highest point in the county is the top of Leighs Mountain at 714 feet above sea level.[7]
Adjacent counties
- Cumberland County – north
- Buckingham County – northwest
- Amelia County – northeast
- Appomattox County – west
- Nottoway County – east
- Charlotte County – southwest
- Lunenburg County – southeast
Major highways
- US 15 (Farmville Rd; merges with US 460 to bypass Farmville. US Business 15 goes through the town of Farmville)
- US 360(Patrick Henry Hwy)
- US 460 (Prince Edward Hwy)
- SR 45 (N. Main St in Farmville)
- SR 307 (Holly Farms Rd)
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 8,100 | — | |
1800 | 10,962 | 35.3% | |
1810 | 12,409 | 13.2% | |
1820 | 12,577 | 1.4% | |
1830 | 14,107 | 12.2% | |
1840 | 14,069 | −0.3% | |
1850 | 11,857 | −15.7% | |
1860 | 11,844 | −0.1% | |
1870 | 12,004 | 1.4% | |
1880 | 14,668 | 22.2% | |
1890 | 14,694 | 0.2% | |
1900 | 15,045 | 2.4% | |
1910 | 14,266 | −5.2% | |
1920 | 14,767 | 3.5% | |
1930 | 14,520 | −1.7% | |
1940 | 14,922 | 2.8% | |
1950 | 15,398 | 3.2% | |
1960 | 14,121 | −8.3% | |
1970 | 14,379 | 1.8% | |
1980 | 16,456 | 14.4% | |
1990 | 17,320 | 5.3% | |
2000 | 19,720 | 13.9% | |
2010 | 23,368 | 18.5% | |
2020 | 21,849 | −6.5% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010[12] 2020[13] |
2020 Census
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[12] | Pop 2020[13] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH)
|
14,544 | 10,513 | 62.24% | 48.12% |
Black or African American alone (NH)
|
7,668 | 9,194 | 32.81% | 42.08% |
Alaska Native alone (NH)
|
60 | 33 | 0.26% | 0.15% |
Asian alone (NH) | 203 | 196 | 0.87% | 0.90% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 15 | 0 | 0.06% | 0.00% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 33 | 61 | 0.14% | 0.28% |
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 320 | 764 | 1.37% | 3.50% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 525 | 1,088 | 2.25% | 4.98% |
Total | 23,368 | 21,849 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2000 Census
As of the
There were 6,561 households, out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% were married couples living together, 14.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.90% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.20% under the age of 18, 23.50% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,301, and the median income for a family was $38,509. Males had a median income of $29,487 versus $21,659 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,510.
Poverty
About 14.6 percent of families and 18.9 percent of the population were below the
Unemployment accounted for 10.3 percent in Prince Edward County compared to 7.2 in all of Virginia.[16]
Education
Prince Edward County Public Schools operates the following schools, all located on the same multi-school campus in the Town of Farmville:
- Prince Edward County Elementary School
- Prince Edward County Middle School
- Prince Edward County High School
Also located within the multi-school campus is the Prince Edward County Career & Technical Education Center, offering a range of specialized courses, such as business law, carpentry, agriculture and automotive technology.
The Fuqua School, member of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools, is the primary K-12 alternative to the public schools for Prince Edward County, having been founded as a segregation academy. It, like each of the county's public schools, is located in Farmville.
The private men's college
Longwood University, the third-oldest public university in Virginia, is located in Farmville.
Politics
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 4,434 | 46.31% | 4,973 | 51.94% | 167 | 1.74% |
2016 | 4,101 | 44.85% | 4,591 | 50.21% | 451 | 4.93% |
2012 | 3,952 | 42.78% | 5,132 | 55.55% | 155 | 1.68% |
2008 | 4,174 | 44.46% | 5,101 | 54.34% | 113 | 1.20% |
2004 | 3,571 | 48.81% | 3,632 | 49.64% | 113 | 1.54% |
2000 | 3,214 | 50.51% | 2,922 | 45.92% | 227 | 3.57% |
1996 | 2,530 | 44.56% | 2,678 | 47.16% | 470 | 8.28% |
1992 | 2,858 | 44.78% | 2,775 | 43.47% | 750 | 11.75% |
1988 | 3,147 | 55.02% | 2,434 | 42.55% | 139 | 2.43% |
1984 | 3,454 | 56.11% | 2,589 | 42.06% | 113 | 1.84% |
1980 | 2,774 | 49.55% | 2,553 | 45.61% | 271 | 4.84% |
1976 | 2,734 | 50.36% | 2,448 | 45.09% | 247 | 4.55% |
1972 | 3,199 | 65.96% | 1,585 | 32.68% | 66 | 1.36% |
1968 | 1,857 | 39.80% | 1,567 | 33.58% | 1,242 | 26.62% |
1964 | 2,545 | 62.62% | 1,512 | 37.20% | 7 | 0.17% |
1960 | 1,721 | 53.55% | 1,459 | 45.40% | 34 | 1.06% |
1956 | 932 | 31.43% | 437 | 14.74% | 1,596 | 53.83% |
1952 | 1,359 | 59.34% | 926 | 40.44% | 5 | 0.22% |
1948 | 459 | 26.72% | 740 | 43.07% | 519 | 30.21% |
1944 | 425 | 28.49% | 1,063 | 71.25% | 4 | 0.27% |
1940 | 313 | 21.81% | 1,110 | 77.35% | 12 | 0.84% |
1936 | 253 | 17.94% | 1,153 | 81.77% | 4 | 0.28% |
1932 | 196 | 16.37% | 970 | 81.04% | 31 | 2.59% |
1928 | 494 | 41.41% | 699 | 58.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
1924 | 140 | 16.22% | 714 | 82.73% | 9 | 1.04% |
1920 | 189 | 19.59% | 774 | 80.21% | 2 | 0.21% |
1916 | 108 | 13.92% | 668 | 86.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
1912 | 72 | 10.24% | 584 | 83.07% | 47 | 6.69% |
Communities
Towns
- Farmville (northern part of town in Cumberland County)
- Pamplin City (mostly in Appomattox County)
Census-designated place
Unincorporated communities
- Green Bay
- Meherrin
- Prospect
- Rice
- Tuggle
- Israel Hill- Former community for free black people, now part of Farmville.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Prince Edward County, Virginia
- Prince Edward County Public Schools Website
Notable people
- J. B. Fuqua, businessman, philanthropist, chairman of The Fuqua Companies and Fuqua Enterprises. He was a supporter of the Fuqua School until his death in 2006, and the school adopted his surname in his honor in 1992.
- Confederate ArmyGeneral
- Confederate Army officer, born in Prince Edward County.[18]
- Blanche Kelso Bruce, the first black, full-term US Senator (1875 to 1881), Republican, born a slave in Prince Edward County.
- Charles S. Venable, Confederate Army officer, lawyer, served on the wartime staff of General Robert E. Lee. Born in Prince Edward County.
- Abraham Bedford Venable (1758-1811), a US Representative and Senator from Prince Edward County. He was a lawyer and a president of the Bank of Virginia. He died in a fire in Richmond in 1811.[19]
- Reverend Vernon Johns, noted civil-rights leader
- James West (1931–present) is an inventor with over 250 patents.
- Lieutenant General Samuel V. Wilson, "General Sam," 5th Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and 22nd President of Hampden–Sydney College; credited for helping to create Delta Force
References
- ^ "Prince Edward County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Both Victors And Victims: Prince Edward County, Virginia, The NAACP, And Brown, Virginia Law Review, accessed September 24, 2011
- ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (January 25, 1995). "Albertis S. Harrison Jr., 88, Dies; Led Virginia as Segregation Fell". The New York Times.
- ^ [1], Queens College, CUNY
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Leigh Mountain (variant: Leighs Mountain)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 4, 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 4, 2014.
- ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Prince Edward 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) - Prince Edward County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ Income and Poverty in Prince Edward County, Virginia Archived February 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Recovery Tracker". Projects.propublica.org. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
- ^ "Bioguide Search".
Further reading
- Bonastia, Christopher. Southern stalemate: Five years without public education in Prince Edward County, Virginia (U of Chicago Press, 2012).
- Brookover, Wilbur B. "Education in Prince Edward County, Virginia, 1953-1993." Journal of Negro Education 62.2 (1993): 149–161. online
- Green, Kristen. Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County: A Family, a Virginia Town, a Civil Rights Battle. Harper, 2015.
- Ogline, Jill L. (2007). A Mission to a Mad County: Black Determination, White Resistance and Educational Crisis in Prince Edward County, Virginia. ISBN 978-0-549-17053-2. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- Peeples, Edward H. "Edward H. Peeples Prince Edward County (Va.) Public Schools Collection". VCU Libraries. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- Smith, Robert Collins. They Closed Their Schools: Prince Edward County, Virginia, 1951-1964 (U of North Carolina Press, 1965).
- Stolarick, Kevin M., et al. "Creativity, tourism and economic development in a rural context: The case of Prince Edward County." Journal of Rural and Community Development 5.1 (2011). online
- Turner, Kara Miles. "Both Victors and Victims: Prince Edward County, Virginia, the NAACP, and" Brown"." Virginia Law Review (2004): 1667–1691. online