Henry County, Virginia - Wikipedia
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| Henry County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
| County | |
 Beaver Creek Plantation | |
 Flag Seal Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Virginia | |
| Coordinates: 36°40′N 79°53′W / 36.67°N 79.88°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1777 |
| Named after | Patrick Henry |
| Seat | Martinsville |
| Largest town | Ridgeway |
| Area | |
| • Total | 384 sq mi (990 km2) |
| • Land | 382 sq mi (990 km2) |
| • Water | 2 sq mi (5.2 km2) 0.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 50,948 |
| • Density | 133/sq mi (51.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
| Website | www.henrycountyva.gov |
Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,948.[1] The county seat is tradtionally identified as Martinsville;[2] however it is essentially a ghost seat, as 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
[edit]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).[3][4][5][6]
Founding and Nomenclature
[edit]Despite common misconceptions, Henry County was never formally named "Patrick Henry County." According to The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia (William Waller Hening, Vol. 9, pp. 241–242), the legislative act passed during the October 1776 session defined the new entity as follows:
"An act for dividing the county of Pittsylvania into two distinct counties... Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly of the commonwealth of Virginia... That from and after the last day of December next ensuing the said county of Pittsylvania be divided into two counties... and that all that part of the said county which lies to the westward of the said line shall be one distinct county, and called and known by the name of Henry, and that all the other part thereof which lies to the eastward of the said line shall be one other distinct county, and retain the name Pittsylvania."
The act further mandated the establishment of local governance:
"And for the administration of justice in the said county of Henry, Be it enacted... That after the said last day of December a court for the said county of Henry be held by the justices thereof upon the third Monday in every month..."
Historical Analysis of the Founding Date
[edit]While the enabling legislation was passed in late 1776, the statutory language dictates that Henry County did not legally or operationally exist until January 1, 1777.
- Effective Date: The clause "from and after the last day of December next ensuing" establishes January 1 as the effective date of the county’s legal birth.
- Administrative Activation: The first county court—the primary body of local government and record-keeping at the time—was not authorized to meet until the third Monday of January 1777.
- Nomenclature: The legislative record confirms the county was designated solely as "Henry." While named in honor of then-Governor Patrick Henry, the formal title "Patrick Henry County" does not appear in the founding statutes.
Founding and Nomenclature
[edit]Despite common misconceptions, Henry County was never formally named "Patrick Henry County." According to The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia (William Waller Hening, Vol. 9, pp. 241–242), the legislative act passed during the October 1776 session defined the new entity as follows:
"An act for dividing the county of Pittsylvania into two distinct counties... Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly of the commonwealth of Virginia... That from and after the last day of December next ensuing the said county of Pittsylvania be divided into two counties... and that all that part of the said county which lies to the westward of the said line shall be one distinct county, and called and known by the name of Henry, and that all the other part thereof which lies to the eastward of the said line shall be one other distinct county, and retain the name Pittsylvania."
The act further mandated the establishment of local governance:
"And for the administration of justice in the said county of Henry, Be it enacted... That after the said last day of December a court for the said county of Henry be held by the justices thereof upon the third Monday in every month..."
Historical Analysis of the Founding Date
[edit]While the enabling legislation was passed in late 1776, the statutory language dictates that Henry County did not legally or operationally exist until January 1, 1777.
- Effective Date: The clause "from and after the last day of December next ensuing" establishes January 1 as the effective date of the county’s legal birth.
- Administrative Activation: The first county court—the primary body of local government and record-keeping at the time—was not authorized to meet until the third Monday of January 1777.
- Nomenclature: The legislative record confirms the county was designated solely as "Henry." While named in honor of then-Governor Patrick Henry, the formal title "Patrick Henry County" does not appear in the founding statutes.
Early Settlers
[edit]
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,[7] Captain George Hairston and Major John Redd,[8] 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;[9] and Brigadier General Joseph Martin, for whom Martinsville is named.[10] Also prominent were Mordecai Hord, a native of Louisa County and explorer, who lived on his plantation called Hordsville;[11] 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."[12]
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.[13]
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.[14]
Geography
[edit]
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.[15] Henry County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission,[16] 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.[17]
Districts
[edit]The county's six districts are as follows, in alphabetical order: Axton, Bassett, Collinsville, Horsepasture, Reed Creek, and Ridgeway.
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Franklin County - north
- Pittsylvania County - east
- Rockingham County, North Carolina - south
- Stokes County, North Carolina - southwest
- Patrick County - west
- Martinsville - surrounded by Henry County
Major highways
[edit]
I-73 (future)
US 58
US 220
SR 57
SR 87
SR 108
SR 174
SR 457
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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[18]1790-1960[19] 1900-1990[20]1990-2000[21] 2010[22] 2020[23] | |||
Racial and ethnic composition
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[22] | Pop 2020[23] | % 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% |
2020 census
[edit]As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 50,948. The median age was 47.6 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.7 males age 18 and over.[24][25]
The racial makeup of the county was 68.8% White, 21.9% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.2% from some other race, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.5% of the population.[25]
34.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 65.1% lived in rural areas.[26]
There were 22,199 households in the county, of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 31.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[24]
There were 25,422 housing units, of which 12.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.0% were owner-occupied and 28.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.2%.[24]
2000 Census
[edit]As of the census[27] of 2000, there were 57,930 people, 23,910 households, and 16,952 families residing in the county. The population density was 152 people per square mile (59 people/km2). There were 25,921 housing units at an average density of 68 units per square mile (26 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.47% White, 10% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 3.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 23,910 households, out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,816, and the median income for a family was $38,649. Males had a median income of $26,660 versus $20,766 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,110. About 8.80% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.
Government
[edit]
Board of supervisors
[edit]- Blackberry District: Jimmie L. "Jim" Adams (I)
- Collinsville District: Joe Bryant (I)
- Horsepasture District: Debra Parsons Buchanan (I)
- Iriswood District: Garrett Dillard (I)
- Reed Creek District: T.J. "Tommy" Slaughter (I)
- Ridgeway District: Ryan Zehr (I)
Constitutional officers
[edit]- Clerk of the Circuit Court: Jennifer Ashworth (I)
- Commissioner of the Revenue: Tiffany R. Hairston (I)
- Commonwealth's Attorney: Andrew Nester (I)
- Sheriff: D. Wayne Davis Jr. (I)
- Treasurer: Scott B. Grindstaff (I)
- General Registrar: Dawn Stultz-Vaughn
Henry County is represented by Republican William M. "Bill" Stanley in the Virginia Senate, Republicans Wren Williams and Eric Phillips in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican H. Morgan Griffith in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Law enforcement
[edit]The Henry County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency in Henry County.
Robert Hairston was appointed the first "High sheriff" by Governor Thomas Nelson Jr. when Henry County was formed in 1777. Alexander Hunter also served as sheriff of Henry County for one year in 1803.
In 2006, a federal Grand Jury charged 20 defendants for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy that included the distribution of illegal drugs, theft of drugs and firearms under the custody of the Henry County Sheriff's Office, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. Thirteen of the twenty defendants were current or former employees of the Sheriff's Office. Eighteen of the defendants, including sheriff Frank Cassell, were convicted of felony offenses. This case, United States v. Frank Cassell, was prosecuted by US Attorney John L. Brownlee.[28][29]
Politics
[edit]| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 216 | 16.58% | 707 | 54.26% | 380 | 29.16% |
| 1916 | 567 | 39.68% | 851 | 59.55% | 11 | 0.77% |
| 1920 | 698 | 44.04% | 871 | 54.95% | 16 | 1.01% |
| 1924 | 565 | 33.29% | 1,097 | 64.64% | 35 | 2.06% |
| 1928 | 1,139 | 47.34% | 1,267 | 52.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 342 | 22.75% | 1,146 | 76.25% | 15 | 1.00% |
| 1936 | 458 | 20.34% | 1,790 | 79.48% | 4 | 0.18% |
| 1940 | 474 | 20.79% | 1,795 | 78.73% | 11 | 0.48% |
| 1944 | 727 | 32.03% | 1,538 | 67.75% | 5 | 0.22% |
| 1948 | 730 | 28.77% | 1,318 | 51.95% | 489 | 19.27% |
| 1952 | 1,871 | 44.34% | 2,323 | 55.05% | 26 | 0.62% |
| 1956 | 2,436 | 47.75% | 2,582 | 50.61% | 84 | 1.65% |
| 1960 | 2,323 | 41.17% | 3,306 | 58.59% | 14 | 0.25% |
| 1964 | 2,844 | 34.75% | 5,295 | 64.70% | 45 | 0.55% |
| 1968 | 3,946 | 25.92% | 4,175 | 27.42% | 7,103 | 46.66% |
| 1972 | 7,556 | 62.84% | 4,042 | 33.62% | 426 | 3.54% |
| 1976 | 5,612 | 35.02% | 9,680 | 60.41% | 732 | 4.57% |
| 1980 | 8,258 | 46.44% | 8,800 | 49.49% | 725 | 4.08% |
| 1984 | 12,693 | 63.76% | 6,976 | 35.04% | 237 | 1.19% |
| 1988 | 10,871 | 58.04% | 7,536 | 40.24% | 322 | 1.72% |
| 1992 | 9,005 | 41.26% | 9,296 | 42.59% | 3,524 | 16.15% |
| 1996 | 9,110 | 43.64% | 9,061 | 43.41% | 2,703 | 12.95% |
| 2000 | 11,870 | 55.30% | 8,898 | 41.46% | 695 | 3.24% |
| 2004 | 13,358 | 56.94% | 9,851 | 41.99% | 249 | 1.06% |
| 2008 | 13,758 | 54.56% | 11,118 | 44.09% | 339 | 1.34% |
| 2012 | 13,984 | 56.02% | 10,317 | 41.33% | 662 | 2.65% |
| 2016 | 15,208 | 63.13% | 8,198 | 34.03% | 685 | 2.84% |
| 2020 | 16,725 | 64.07% | 9,127 | 34.96% | 253 | 0.97% |
| 2024 | 16,800 | 65.95% | 8,457 | 33.20% | 217 | 0.85% |
Communities
[edit]
As an independent city since 1928, Martinsville is not part of Henry County, but exists as an enclave, surrounded by the county.
Town
[edit]- Ridgeway
Census-designated places
[edit]- Bassett
- Chatmoss
- Collinsville
- Fieldale
- Horsepasture
- Laurel Park
- Oak Level
- Sandy Level
- Stanleytown
- Villa Heights
Other unincorporated communities
[edit]- Axton
- Preston
- Spencer
Notable people
[edit]- 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
[edit]- National Register of Historic Places listings in Henry County, Virginia
References
[edit]- ^ "Henry County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Patrick Henry Leatherwood Plantation".
- ^ Places Associated with Patrick Henry, virginiaplaces.org
- ^ National Register of Historic Places Form, dhr.virginia.gov
- ^ "History, Martinsville and Henry County, Virginia, martinsville.com". Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
- ^ born in Stafford County, Virginia, George Waller lived on his plantation at what was once known as Waller's Ford, today's Fieldale. He married Ann Winston (Carr) Waller, Patrick Henry's first cousin. Col. Waller's wife's sister was married to Col. Mordecai Hord. [1] Col. George Waller's daughter, Mary Winston Carr Waller, married Major John Redd of the Continental Army.
- ^ General Joseph Martin, by John Redd, Publications of the Southern History Association, Vol. VII, No. 1, January 1903, Washington, D.C.
- ^ Lord Dunmore's Little War of 1774, Warren Skidmore, Donna Kaminsky, Heritage Books, 2002
- ^ Henry County, The Carolina Road, virginia.org Archived August 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Thomas Hord, Gentleman, Arnold Harris Hord, Thomas Hord, Philadelphia, 1903
- ^ Hailey Family
- ^ Brock, Robert Alonzo (1888). Virginia and Virginians: Eminent Virginians : Executives of the Colony of Virginia, from Sir Thomas Smyth to Lord Dunmore :executives of the State of Virginia, from Patrick Henry to Fitzhugh Lee : Sketches of Gens. Ambrose Powel Hill, Robert E. Lee, Thos. Jonathan Jackson, Commodore Maury. H.H. Hardesty.
- ^ Acts and Joint Resolutions, Passed by the General Assembly, of the State of Virginia, During the Session of 1901–2, J. H. O'Hannon, Superintendent of Public Printing, Richmond, 1902
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "About the Appalachian Region". Appalachian Regional Commission. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ Woodard, Colin. "The Maps That Show That City vs. Country Is Not Our Political Fault Line". New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 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 3, 2014.
- ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Henry 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) - Henry County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ "Sheriff, 12 Deputies Among Those Arrested On Drug, Racketeering Charges In Southern VA County". www.dea.gov. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ Gangloff, Mike (September 11, 2007). "Sheriff heads to prison". Roanoke Times. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
External links
[edit]- Henry County, Official site
- Henry County Public Schools
- Patrick Henry Monument, Henry County, Virginia, virginia.org
- Henry County – The Carolina Road, Wilderness Road, virginia.org
- Architectural Survey of Henry County/Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society
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36°40′N 79°53′W / 36.67°N 79.88°W
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