Editing Amelia County, Virginia (section)

==History==
[[File:Princess Amelia of Great Britain (1711-1786) by Jean-Baptiste van Loo.jpg|thumb|175px|left|Princess Amelia of Great Britain, for whom the county is named]]
Amelia County was created by legislative act in 1734 and 1735<ref>[http://www.ameliava.com/history.htm History of Amelia County] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205214242/http://www.ameliava.com/history.htm |date=December 5, 2010 }}</ref> from parts of [[Prince George County, Virginia|Prince George]] and [[Brunswick County, Virginia|Brunswick]] counties. The county is named for [[Princess Amelia of Great Britain]], daughter of King [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]. As was customary, Amelia County was reduced by the division of territory to form newer counties as the population increased in the region; in 1754, [[Prince Edward County, Virginia|Prince Edward County]] was formed from parts of Amelia County, and in 1789, [[Nottoway County, Virginia|Nottoway County]] was formed. The area was developed for plantation agriculture dependent on slave labor.

During the [[United States Civil War|Civil War]], [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[General officer|general]] [[Robert E. Lee]] and [[Army of Northern Virginia|his army]] spent April 4 and 5, 1865, at Amelia Court House before his surrender on April 9 to General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] at [[Battle of Appomattox Court House|Appomattox]]. The last major battle of his army was fought at [[Battle of Sayler's Creek|Sayler's Creek]], on the border of Amelia and Prince Edward counties, on April 6.

Amelia is known for its minerals, including the nation's best supply of [[amazonite]], a green [[feldspar]] found at the Morefield mine. In the 19th century, spas were developed around its mineral springs, which were destinations for travelers.

In 1986 the Amelia County Fair sponsored a competition for the world's largest potato pancake (with apple sauce). It was constructed to raise money that year for the German American National Scholarship Fund. The pancake weighed more than two and one-quarter tons and used four truckloads of potatoes.