Powhatan is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in 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 ...

Powhatan County Powhatan County () is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,033. Its county seat is Powhatan. Powhatan County is included in the Greater Richmond Region. The James River forms the cou ...

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. Powhatan was initially known as Scottville (after Revolutionary war hero General Charles Scott), and historically has also been known as Powhatan Court House and Powhatan Courthouse. It is named after

Chief Powhatan Powhatan ( c. 1547 – c. 1618), whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh (alternately spelled Wahunsenacah, Wahunsunacock or Wahunsonacock), was the leader of the Powhatan, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Native Americans living in Tsenacommaca ...

, father of Matoaka (

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

). The first official court of Powhatan was held at

Mosby Tavern Mosby Tavern, also called Old Cumberland Courthouse or Littleberry Mosby House, is a National Register of Historic Places building in Powhatan County, Virginia. Located southeast of the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and State Route 629 in Powh ...

, the home of Benjamin Mosby and his son,

Littleberry Mosby Littleberry C. Mosby Jr. (January 28, 1757 – October 26, 1821) was an American military officer. During the American Revolutionary War, he served in the Continental Army as a captain in the 2nd Georgia Regiment, and was captured at the Si ...

. Powhatan was established as a community in May 1777, but there were several buildings already in existence at that time. One of these locations is the Powhatan Plantation which was built in 1735. The plantation still exists today. The Shiloh Baptist Church in Powhatan features the mural ''The Lord Over Jordan'' by

Julien Binford Julien Binford (December 25, 1908 – September 12, 1997) was an American painter. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and then in France. Settling in Powhatan County, Virginia, he was known for his paintings of the rural population of ...

, one of the artist's most famous works.

Notable people

– painter * Tom Miller –

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player *

– military officer * Marvin Banks Perry Jr. – President of

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland. It was chartered in 1885 by a conference in Baltimore led by namesake John F. Goucher and local leaders of the Methodist Episcopal Church.https://archive.org/details/h ...

and

Agnes Scott College Agnes Scott College is a private women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the ...

References

External links

*
Powhatan Chamber of Commerce
Unincorporated communities in Powhatan County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia County seats in Virginia Populated places established in 1777 1777 establishments in Virginia {{PowhatanCountyVA-geo-stub