Courtland is an
incorporated town
An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation.
Canada
Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.
United Kingdom
United States
An in ...
in
Southampton County,
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 ...
, United States. The population was 1,295 at the 2020 census. It is 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 ...
of
Southampton County.
History
Originally named "
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
" 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
The Nottoway River is a river in the U.S. State of Virginia and northeastern North Carolina that is 155 miles (249 kilometers) in length. The river begins in Prince Edward County and merges with the Blackwater River to form the Chowan River in ...
, on a parcel of ten acres (40,000 m
2) 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
Nat Turner's Rebellion, historically known as the Southampton Insurrection, was a rebellion of enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831.Schwarz, Frederic D.1831 Nat Turner's Rebellion" ''American Heri ...
and some of his cohort who had planned a
major slave rebellion. According to a letter written by
Solon Borland
Solon Borland (September 21, 1808 – January 1, 1864) was an American physician who served as a United States Senator from Arkansas from 1848 to 1853. In later life, he served as an officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded a cavalry ...
to the governor of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
, 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
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
Major General
William Mahone
William Mahone (December 1, 1826October 8, 1895) was an American civil engineer, railroad executive, Confederate States Army general, and Virginia politician.
As a young man, Mahone was prominent in the building of Virginia's roads and railroa ...
, whose father Fielding Mahone ran
a local tavern.
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
General
George H. Thomas
George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816March 28, 1870) was an American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater.
Thomas served in the Mexican–American War and later chose ...
, "Rock of
Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to:
Entertainment
* "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce
* "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe
* "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne''
* ''Chic ...
", 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
The Atlantic and Danville Railway was a Class I railroad which operated in Virginia and North Carolina. The company was founded in 1882 and opened its mainline between Portsmouth, Virginia and Danville, Virginia in 1890. The Southern Railway lea ...
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
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
Geography
Courtland is located at (36.715702, -77.066063).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.4 km
2), 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/km
2). There were 498 housing units at an average density of 538.5 per square mile (209.0/km
2). The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
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
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 ...
, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over.
References
{{Authority control
Towns in Southampton County, Virginia
County seats in Virginia
Populated places established in 1791
1791 establishments in Virginia
Nat Turner
Towns in Virginia