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Henry County, Virginia facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Henrico County, Virginia.
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Henry County
U.S. county
Beaver Creek Plantation
Flag of Henry County
Flag
 Official seal of Henry County
Seal
Official logo of Henry County
Logo
Map of Virginia highlighting Henry County
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Virginia
Founded 1777
Named for Patrick Henry
Seat Martinsville
Largest town Ridgeway
Area
 • Total 384 sq mi (990 km2)
 • Land 382 sq mi (990 km2)
 • Water 2 sq mi (5 km2)  0.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 50,948
 • Density 132.68/sq mi (51.23/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 9th
Virginia state historical marker Henry County Virginia
Virginia state historical marker for Henry County

Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,948. The county seat is usually identified as Martinsville; however, the administration building (where county offices are located and where the board of supervisors holds meetings), county courthouse, and Henry County Sheriff's Office are located on Kings Mountain Road (SR 174) in Collinsville.The Henry County Adult Detention Center is located on DuPont Road in Henry County, just south of Martinsville.

Henry County is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Major John Redd
Major John Redd, Continental Army, pioneer settler of Henry County

The county was established in 1777 when it was carved from Pittsylvania County. The new county was initially named Patrick Henry County in honor of Patrick Henry, who was then serving as the first Governor of Virginia, and some of whose relatives had settled in the area. Governor Henry also had a 10,000-acre (40 km2) plantation called "Leatherwood plantation" (for Leatherwood Creek) in the newly named county (where he ended up spending 5 years between his third and fourth gubernatorial terms).

In 1785 the northern part of Patrick Henry County was combined with part of Bedford County to form Franklin County. In 1790, Patrick Henry County was split again: the western part became Patrick County and the rest remained Henry County.

Other notable early settlers included: George Waller, Captain George Hairston and Major John Redd, all of whom were present at the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown; Col. Abram Penn, a native of Amherst County, Virginia, who led his Henry County militia troops with the intention of joining General Nathanael Greene at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse during the Revolutionary War; and Brigadier General Joseph Martin, for whom Martinsville is named. Also prominent were Mordecai Hord, a native of Louisa County and explorer, who lived on his plantation called Hordsville; and Col. John Dillard, born in Amherst County, Virginia in 1751, wounded at the Battle of Princeton during the Revolution, and later a member of the Committee of Safety. Captain Robert Hairston, a noted politician in the Colony of Virginia, owned Marrowbone plantation, commanded a militia company and served as Henry County's first high sheriff.

During the War of 1812, the 64th Virginia Militia, under Captain Graves, was formed in 1815 from Henry County. Benjamin Dyer was a lieutenant, then later a captain, of the 5th company of the 64th Virginia Militia. Private Alexander Hunter Bassett would later work large tobacco plantations in the county, and Wyatt Jarrett. Tavner Hailey (b.1793) of Martinsville became an early pioneer in Tennessee and served in the War of 1812. He was 1st Cpl. in Captain Brice Edward's Company, 64th Regiment, Virginia Militia."

During the American Civil War, the 42nd Virginia Infantry was formed in part from Henry County volunteers. Its state senator, Christopher Y. Thomas, owned Henry's former Leatherwood plantation and would later briefly serve in the U.S. House of Representatives after the war. He was succeeded by George Cabell, a Confederate army veteran (38th Virginia Infantry) born in nearby Danville and from a family long prominent in the area.

In 1902, the Henry County Historical Society was incorporated at Martinsville with its first officers being John W. Carter, J. Harrison Spencer and C. B. Bryant.

Geography

Colonel Joseph Martin Greenwood
Greenwood, built by Col. Joseph Martin, son of General Joseph Martin, namesake of Martinsville, at Axton, Henry County, 1808–1810

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (990 km2), of which 382 square miles (990 km2) is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.5%) is water. Henry County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

Districts

The county's six districts are as follows, in alphabetical order: Axton, Bassett, Collinsville, Horsepasture, Reed Creek, and Ridgeway.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

  • I-73 (future)
  • US 58
  • US 220
  • SR 57
  • SR 87
  • SR 108
  • SR 174
  • SR 457

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 8,479 —
1800 5,259 −38.0%
1810 5,611 6.7%
1820 5,624 0.2%
1830 7,100 26.2%
1840 7,335 3.3%
1850 8,872 21.0%
1860 12,105 36.4%
1870 12,303 1.6%
1880 16,009 30.1%
1890 18,208 13.7%
1900 19,265 5.8%
1910 18,459 −4.2%
1920 20,238 9.6%
1930 20,088 −0.7%
1940 26,481 31.8%
1950 31,219 17.9%
1960 40,335 29.2%
1970 50,901 26.2%
1980 57,654 13.3%
1990 56,942 −1.2%
2000 57,930 1.7%
2010 54,151 −6.5%
2020 50,948 −5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010 2020

2020 census

Henry County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition
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 may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 38,737 34,307 71.54% 67.34%
Black or African American alone (NH) 11,786 11,062 21.77% 21.71%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 78 68 0.14% 0.13%
Asian alone (NH) 236 284 0.44% 0.56%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 2 6 0.00% 0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 43 153 0.08% 0.30%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 724 1,767 1.34% 3.47%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2,545 3,301 4.70% 6.48%
Total 54,151 50,948 100.00% 100.00%

Communities

Patrick Henry's Leatherwood Home Henry County Virginia
Virginia state historic marker for plantation of Patrick Henry, county's namesake, Leatherwood, Henry County

As an independent city since 1928, Martinsville is not part of Henry County, but exists as an enclave, surrounded by the county.

Town

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Notable people

  • Ward Armstrong
  • Alexander Hunter Bassett
  • John D. Bassett
  • John Breathitt
  • Thomas G. Burch
  • H. Clay Earles
  • Patrick Henry
  • Jeff Hensley
  • Jimmy Hensley
  • J. C. Martin
  • Joseph Martin (general)
  • Otis Martin
  • Barry Michaels
  • Shawn Moore
  • Abram Penn
  • A. L. Philpott
  • Carr Waller Pritchett Sr.
  • Robert Hairston
  • Rodney Sawyers
  • Jessamine Shumate
  • Thomas B. Stanley
  • John H. Traylor
  • Christopher Thomas
  • Anne Spencer

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Henry (Virginia) para niños

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