Buckingham County is a rural United States county located in the Commonwealth of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and containing the geographic center of the state. Buckingham County is part of the Piedmont region of Virginia, and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Buckingham. Buckingham County was created in 1761 from the southeastern portion of

Albemarle County Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Char ...

and was predominantly farmland. The county was probably named in honor of the

Duke of Buckingham Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham. ...

, though the precise origin is uncertain. Several changes were made to the borders, until the existing boundaries were established in 1860. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 16,824. Buckingham is part of the

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

Buckingham County, lying south of the James River and in the Piedmont at the geographic center of the state, was established on May 1, 1761 from the southeastern portion of

. The origin of the county name probably comes from the

( Buckinghamshire, England). Some sources say that the county was named for Archibald Cary's estate "Buckingham," which was located on Willis Creek. This is the only Buckingham County in the United States. In 1778 a small triangular area bordering the James River was given to Cumberland County. In 1845, another part was taken from Buckingham to form the northern portion of Appomattox County. A final adjustment of the Appomattox-Buckingham county line was made in 1860, and Buckingham's borders then became fixed in their current form. A fire destroyed the courthouse (designed by Thomas Jefferson) in 1869, and most of the early records of this county were lost. In the nineteenth century the county was settled more heavily by people migrating from the Tidewater area. It was devoted chiefly to plantations, worked by enslaved African Americans. These were converted from tobacco cultivation to mixed farming and pulpwood harvesting as the markets changed and the soil became exhausted from tobacco. These new types of uses required fewer slaves, and many were sold from the Upper South in the domestic

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

to the Deep South, where cotton cultivation expanded dramatically in the antebellum period. During the twentieth century, Joe Thompson bought the Buckingham Mill. In 1945 he put into place the long system of utilizing grain which used sifters as the grain was ground. Seven years later he added grain elevators. This was the last mill to make flour in Buckingham County and represents a time when America relied on the small farm and small business owner. In the 21st century, large tracts of land are held by companies such as WestVaco, which sell pulpwood and other timber products to the paper mills and wood product producers. It is still largely rural, with areas devoted to recreation such as fishing and hunting. The County is home to families who can trace their ancestry to the early colonial history of Virginia. Many families still live on tracts of land that were granted to their ancestors in that period. Some of the land grants were originally given to French Huguenots, who resettled from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England in the southwestern part of the county in the early 1700s. During the American Civil War, General Robert E. Lee's army marched through the county during his retreat on their way to surrender at Appomattox, Virginia. A marker in the cemetery o
Trinity Presbyterian Church
in New Canton reads,

According to the oral history of Trinity Presbyterian Church and this community, here are 45 Confederate and Union soldiers buried in mass graves directly behind this church. They left Appomattox after the surrender and headed for their homes north of here. Sick with disease, they died in a nearby camp. That they may not be forgotten, this plaque is placed by the Elliott Grays UDC Chapter #1877 2003.

In 2011, the county celebrated its 250th anniversary.Yeck, Joanne L. '' "At a Place Called Buckingham" ... Historic Sketches of Buckingham County, Virginia'' (Kettering, OH: Slate River Press, 2011).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. The geographic center of Virginia is located in Buckingham County, near the Mt. Rush community.

Adjacent counties

* Fluvanna County - northeast * Cumberland County - east * Prince Edward County - south * Appomattox County - southwest * Nelson County - west *

- northwest

Major highways

* * * * *

Demographics

2020 census

''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 can be of any race.''

2010 Census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 17,146 people and 5,695 households residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 29.6 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 7,294 housing units . The racial makeup of the county was 62.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 35.1%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

alone, 0.3% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 1.7%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino, and 1.6% from two or more races. 60.9% of the population identified as White Alone, not Hispanic or Latino. The largest ancestry groups are listed as 18.7% American, 9.2% English, and 5.4% German. People of African American descent comprise 35.1% of the population, usually having European ancestry as well. There were 5,965 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6 had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.1% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals living alone. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, .6% from 20 to 24, 13% from 25 to 34, 22.8% from 35 to 49, and 22% from 50–64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. There were 9,493 males and 7,653 females. The median age was 41.7. The median income for a household in the county was $36,378. Males had a median income of $36,420 versus $32,327 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,938. About 21.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

. In education, 38.2% of the population over age 25 graduated high school (or equivalent), 13.9% had some college, no degree, 3.8% hold an associate degree, 10.9% hold a bachelor's degree, and 10.9% hold a Graduate or Professional degree.

Government

Board of Supervisors

*District 1: Dennis Davis *District 2: Cameron Gilliam *District 3: Don Matthews *District 4: Thomas Jordan Miles III - 2022 Chairman *District 5: Harry W. Bryant *District 6: Joe N. Chambers, Jr. -2022 Vice-Chairman *District 7: Danny R. Allen

Constitutional officers

*Clerk of the Circuit Court: Justin Midkiff *Commissioner of the Revenue: Stephanie Love (D) *Commonwealth's Attorney: E.M. Wright, Jr. (I) *Sheriff: W.G. "Billy" Kidd, Jr. (I) *Treasurer: Christy L. Christian (D) *Chief of Police: Gene Dixon

State officials

* Mark J. Peake (R) Virginia Senate * C. Matt Fariss (R) Virginia House of Delegates

Federal officials

Bob Good Robert George Good (born September 11, 1965) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative in Virginia's 5th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Good was born in Wilkes-Barre, P ...

(R, VA-5) in the U.S. House of Representatives

Education

*Buckingham County High School *Buckingham County Middle School *Buckingham County Primary School *Buckingham Preschool *Central Virginia Christian School

Communities

Town

* Dillwyn

Census-designated places

* Buckingham Courthouse (Buckingham) *

Yogaville Yogaville, or Satchidananda Ashram, is the Buckingham County, Virginia headquarters of Satchidananda Saraswati's organisation. Ashram The ashram was founded in 1980 by Satchidananda Saraswati, whose western notability stems from his opening ...

Unincorporated communities

* Arvonia * Mt. Rush * New Canton * Sprouses Corner * Union Hill *Glenmore

Notable residents

* Brigadier General William Lewis Cabell,

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, and three term Mayor of

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. *

John Wayles Eppes John Wayles Eppes (April 1772September 13, 1823) was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1803 to 1811 and again from 1813 to 1815. He also served in the U.S. Senate (1817–1819). ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, Virginia; member,

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, Virginia; member,

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

; son-in-law of U.S. President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

. *

Peter Francisco Peter Francisco (born Pedro Francisco; July 7, 1760 – January 16, 1831) known variously as the "India", the "Giant of the Revolution" and occasionally the "Virginia Hercules", was a Portuguese-born American patriot and soldier in the America ...

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

hero. *

Carter G. Woodson Carter Godwin Woodson (December 19, 1875April 3, 1950) was an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He was one of the first scholars to study the h ...

, historian, founder of Black History Month, "Father of Black History." * Clarice Taylor, American stage, film, and television actress. * Randolph Jefferson, younger brother of U.S. President

. *

Satchidananda Saraswati Satchidananda Saraswati (; 22 December 1914 – 19 August 2002), born C. K. Ramaswamy Gounder and usually known as Swami Satchidananda, was an Indian yoga guru and religious teacher, who gained fame and following in the West. He founded his own ...

(1922 – 2002), Indian spiritual teacher, helped bring

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

to America. *

Eugene Allen Eugene Allen (July 14, 1919 – March 31, 2010) was an American waiter and butler who worked for the US government at the White House for 34 years until he retired as the head butler in 1986. Allen's life was the inspiration for the 2013 film ' ...

, Head Butler at the White House for 34 years.

References

External links

The official website of Buckingham County, VirginiaBuckingham County Public Schools
{{authority control Virginia counties 1761 establishments in Virginia Counties on the James River (Virginia) Populated places established in 1761