Middlesex County, Virginia facts for kids

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Middlesex County

U.S. county

Middlesex County Courthouse in Saluda

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Virginia

Virginia's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Virginia

Founded

1668

Largest town

Area

• Total

211 sq mi (550 km²)

• Land

130 sq mi (300 km²)

• Water

80 sq mi (200 km²) 38.2%

Population

(2020)

• Total

10,625

• Density

50.36/sq mi (19.44/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional district

1st

Middlesex County is a county located in the state of Virginia, USA. It's found on a piece of land called the Middle Peninsula. In 2020, about 10,625 people lived here. The main town where the county government is located is Saluda.

History of Middlesex County
Geography of Middlesex County
- Adjacent counties
Population of Middlesex County
- Population in 2020
- Ethnic Backgrounds
Education in Middlesex County
Communities in Middlesex County
See also

History of Middlesex County

Long ago, this area was home to Native American tribes. They spoke the Algonquian language and were part of a group called the Powhatan Confederacy. One tribe, the Nimcock, had a village where the town of Urbanna is today.

English settlers started arriving around 1640. Middlesex County was officially created in 1668. It was formed from a part of Lancaster County. The arrival of English settlers caused the Nimcock people to move further up the river.

The only official town in the county, Urbanna, was started in 1680. It was one of 20 port towns chosen by the colonial government for trade. Urbanna became an important port on the Rappahannock River. Farmers used it to ship their crops, especially tobacco. Tobacco was a very important crop back then. As the county grew, Urbanna became its main business and government center.

Rosegill Estate and Plantations

The Rosegill Estate was a large farm, called a plantation. It was started in 1649 by Ralph Wormeley. Many buildings were built there during the 1600s. Rosegill even served as the temporary capital of the Virginia colony for a short time. Two royal governors stayed there.

Like other plantations in the county, Rosegill grew a lot of tobacco. Growing tobacco needed many workers. Enslaved African Americans were forced to do this hard work through the 1700s.

In the 1800s, some plantation owners in Virginia started growing different crops. These crops needed fewer workers. So, many enslaved people were sold to plantations in the southern states. Other plantation owners moved south themselves, taking enslaved people with them. For example, Thomas Wingfield moved to Georgia in 1783 with 23 enslaved people.

After the American Civil War, enslaved people became free. Many freedmen stayed in Middlesex County. They worked on farms for pay or a share of the crops. Others moved to towns to find different jobs.

Today, the Rosegill mansion is still a private home. In recent years, a company bought most of the land. They plan to build many new homes there. During surveys of the land, archaeologists found interesting things. They found what seems to be parts of the old Nimcock village. They also found signs of the community where enslaved African Americans lived at Rosegill.

The American Civil War and Urbanna

During the American Civil War, Urbanna was almost a key landing spot for Union General George B. McClellan. He planned to land his troops there in 1862. His goal was to march to Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. However, McClellan changed his plan. He decided to start from Fort Monroe instead. This made his journey to Richmond much longer. The delay gave the Confederate army more time to build strong defenses. This was one reason why the Union army failed in this campaign.

Middlesex County Courthouses

The historic Middlesex County Courthouse was built between 1850 and 1874. It is a very important building and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A new county courthouse was built in 2003-2004. However, it wasn't used until 2007 because of a legal disagreement. The old historic courthouse has been updated. It is now used for county meetings and the Registrar's Office.

Urbanna became an official town on April 2, 1902. It is still the county's largest business center and its only official town. The county government's main office moved to the village of Saluda. Saluda is located on U.S. Route 17.

To the east, near Stingray Point, is the village of Deltaville. It is on State Route 33. Deltaville was once famous for building wooden boats. Now, it is known for its businesses and fun activities. Its waterfront has many marinas, especially around Broad Creek.

Geography of Middlesex County

Middlesex County is located at the eastern end of Virginia's Middle Peninsula region. The county covers a total area of about 211 square miles (546 square kilometers). About 130 square miles (337 square kilometers) is land, and 80 square miles (207 square kilometers) is water. This means a large part of the county is water, about 38.2%.

The Rappahannock River forms the northern border of the county. The Chesapeake Bay is to the east. The Piankatank River and Dragon Run Swamp are to the southwest. Essex County is to the northwest. The county has about 135 miles (217 kilometers) of shoreline.

Adjacent counties

Lancaster County – North
Mathews County – South
Gloucester County – Southwest
King and Queen County – West
Essex County – Northwest

Population of Middlesex County

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	4,140	—
1800	4,203	1.5%
1810	4,414	5.0%
1820	4,057	−8.1%
1830	4,122	1.6%
1840	4,392	6.6%
1850	4,394	0.0%
1860	4,364	−0.7%
1870	4,981	14.1%
1880	6,252	25.5%
1890	7,458	19.3%
1900	8,220	10.2%
1910	8,852	7.7%
1920	8,157	−7.9%
1930	7,273	−10.8%
1940	6,673	−8.2%
1950	6,715	0.6%
1960	6,319	−5.9%
1970	6,295	−0.4%
1980	7,719	22.6%
1990	8,653	12.1%
2000	9,932	14.8%
2010	10,959	10.3%
2020	10,625	−3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

Population in 2020

The table below shows the different groups of people living in Middlesex County. It shows how the population changed between 2010 and 2020. The US Census counts people by race and also by whether they are Hispanic or Latino. People who are Hispanic or Latino can be of any race.

**Middlesex 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)	8,604	8,339	78.51%	78.48%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,956	1,519	17.85%	14.30%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	35	24	0.32%	0.23%
Asian alone (NH)	37	26	0.34%	0.24%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	3	0.01%	0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	5	40	0.05%	0.38%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	155	415	1.41%	3.91%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	166	259	1.51%	2.44%
Total	10,959	10,625	100.00%	100.00%

Ethnic Backgrounds

In 2016, the largest groups of people in Middlesex County, based on their family's background, were:

English - 29.9%
Irish - 14.1%
German - 11.5%
American - 10.8%
French - 3.7%

Education in Middlesex County

Middlesex County Public Schools (MCPS) is the public school system for the county. Here are the schools in the system:

Middlesex Elementary (Grades Pre-Kindergarten - 5th)
St. Clare Walker Middle (Grades 6th - 8th)
Middlesex High School (Grades 9th - 12th)

Another school in Middlesex County is:

Christchurch School (Grades 9th - 12th, a private school for both boys and girls)

Communities in Middlesex County

Town

Urbanna

Census-designated places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated.

Other unincorporated communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially towns or census-designated places.