Courtland, Virginia

Courtland is an incorporated town in Southampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,295 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Southampton County.

History

Originally named "Jerusalem" by the first colonists to settle in the region, the town was given its present name in 1888. It served as Southampton County's only town through the 18th century. The town was formed in 1791 on the north shore of the Nottoway River, on a parcel of ten acres (40,000 m²) beside the courthouse, and has been the county seat since then.

In 1831, the town became well known as the site of the trials and subsequent executions of Nat Turner and some of his cohort who had planned a major slave rebellion. According to a letter written by Solon Borland to the governor of North Carolina, the village was a small hamlet of approximately 175 people, with only three stores, one saddler, one carriage maker, two hotels, two attorneys and two physicians.

The town was the boyhood home of Confederate Major General William Mahone, whose father Fielding Mahone ran a local tavern. Union General George H. Thomas, "Rock of Chickamauga", and a native of Southampton County, likely visited his uncle James Rochelle here. Rochelle was clerk of court for Southampton County, and lived three houses from Mahone's Tavern.

Courtland became a stop on the Atlantic and Danville Railway in 1890. Elm Grove, Fielding Mahone's tavern, Rochelle-Prince House, Simmons-Sebrell-Camp House, and the Rebecca Vaughan House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Courtland is located at (36.715702, -77.066063).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 1,270 people, 460 households, and 300 families in the town. The population density was 1,373.2 people per square mile (533.0/km²). There were 498 housing units at an average density of 538.5 per square mile (209.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 52.28% White, 47.01% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.08% Asian, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.24%.

Of the 460 households 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 32.6% of households were one person and 17.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.

The age distribution was 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median household income was $31,750 and the median family income was $43,229. Males had a median income of $34,464 versus $20,714 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,474. About 19.2% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

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Towns in Southampton County, Virginia
County seats in Virginia
Populated places established in 1791
1791 establishments in Virginia
Nat Turner
Towns in Virginia