History
Originally settled by French Huguenots in the early 1700s, Powhatan County was created by The Virginia General Assembly in 1777. The County was named in honor of the Indian Chief Powhatan, father of Pocahontas.
Original Courthouse & Boundaries
The original courthouse was constructed in 1778 and the immediate area was named Scottville after General Charles Scott, a revolutionary war hero. In 1850 a small portion of Chesterfield County was annexed, creating the current boundaries of Powhatan County.
Location
Located in Virginia's Central Piedmont between the Appomattox and James Rivers, Powhatan is 20 miles west of Richmond, the Commonwealth's capitol city, and is within an easy 2-hour drive from the Atlantic Ocean, Washington, D.C., Colonial Williamsburg, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Size
The county consists of 272 square miles (174,800 acres) and has a population of 28,046 (per the 2010 U.S. census), a 25% increase from the 2000 population of 22,370. Powhatan ranks as one of the fastest growing localities in Virginia.
