Disputanta, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Disputanta
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Disputanta, along U.S. Route 460
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 Disputanta
Location in Virginia
Disputanta
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Prince George |
| Elevation | 115 ft (35 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 373 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
23842
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| GNIS ID | 1492869 |
Disputanta is a small community in Prince George County, Virginia, in the United States. It's a place where people live, but it's not a city or town with its own government. It's counted as a "census-designated place" (CDP), which means the government tracks its population for official records. In 2020, about 373 people lived there. Disputanta is part of the larger Richmond-Petersburg area. Its postal code is 23842.
Contents
History of Disputanta
How Disputanta Got Its Name
The name Disputanta has a fun story! It's said that William Mahone (1826–1895) and his wife, Otelia, were naming train stations along a new railroad. William was building the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad. Otelia was reading a book called Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. From this book, she chose names like Windsor and Waverly for other stations. She also used the Scottish clan "McIvor" to name Ivor.
As they traveled, they reached a spot in Prince George County. Here, they couldn't agree on a name from their books. So, the story goes, they made up a new name to remember their "dispute" or disagreement. That's how Disputanta supposedly got its unique name!
The Railroad and General Mahone
The Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad was finished in 1858. William Mahone later became a Major General in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he was even elected to the United States Senate. A large part of U.S. Highway 460 is named General Mahone Highway in his honor.
Disputanta as a Rail Town
For the first half of the 1900s, Disputanta was a busy train town. It was an important stop for trains on the Norfolk and Western Railroad. This was because it had two large water tanks. These tanks held 50,000 gallons of water each. The water was used to power the boilers of steam locomotives.
Back then, Disputanta had hundreds of residents. It had two schools, nine stores, three banks, and businesses like peanut warehouses and a saw mill.
Changes and Decline
In 1960, the Norfolk and Western Railroad stopped using steam locomotives. They switched to modern diesel locomotives. They also ended passenger train service. Because of these changes, trains no longer stopped in Disputanta. Many rail workers left, and the town's population went down.
Today, the old train depot and most of the original businesses are gone. Disputanta is now a small community with about 75 homes. It has two churches, a fire station, a post office, a Dollar General store, and an elementary school. Nearby, along Highway 460, there's a large Food Lion warehouse, an auto parts factory, and a big truck stop.
Czech and Slovak Settlers
In the late 1800s, over 700 families from Czech Republic and Slovakia moved to Prince George and nearby counties. They came because farmland was cheap after the American Civil War. Some came directly from Europe. Others had first settled in Pennsylvania or the Midwest before moving to Virginia. Many descendants of these Czech and Slovak immigrants still live and farm in the Disputanta area today.
Historic Places Nearby
Two historic places close to Disputanta are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are the Chester Plantation, located west of town on U.S. Route 460, and Cedar Ridge, which is just east of Disputanta.
