Dinwiddie County, Virginia: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 00:22, 14 May 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Dinwiddie County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,947.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Dinwiddie.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

Dinwiddie County is part of the Richmond, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

File:Robert Dinwiddie from NPG.jpg

Portrait of Robert Dinwiddie; Dinwiddie County was named in his honor

The first inhabitants of the area were Paleo-Indians, prior to 8000 BC. They are believed to have been nomadic hunter-gatherers following animal migrations. Early stone tools have been discovered in various fields within the county. At the time of European contact, Native Americans made their homes in the region.

Dinwiddie County was formed May 1, 1752, from Prince George County. The county is named for Robert Dinwiddie, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, 1751–58. The county raised several militia units that would fight in the American Revolution.

Dinwiddie County was the birthplace of Elizabeth (Burwell) Hobbs Keckly, a free black dressmaker who worked for two presidents' wives: Mrs. Jefferson Davis and later Mary Todd Lincoln. Thomas Day was also a native; he was well known later at Milton, North Carolina, as a free black cabinetmaker. Another native son was Dr. Thomas Stewart, perhaps America's first free black 18th-century rural physician.<ref>Virginia Gazette Nov. 1778 as found in Freeafricanamericans.com</ref>

During the Civil War the Battle of Lewis's Farm was fought along Quaker Road [Rt. 660]. It took place on March 29, 1865. This was the first in several attempts by Union General Ulysses S. Grant to cut Robert E. Lee's final supply line—the Southside Railroad—in the spring of 1865. Here the Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain engaged Confederates under Maj. Gen. Bushrod R. Johnson. After sharp fighting, the Union troops entrenched nearby along the Boydton Plank Road, and Johnson withdrew to his lines at White Oak Road. The Union army cut the rail line four days later, after capturing Five Forks on April 1, 1865, at the Battle of Five Forks. Several other engagements were fought in Dinwiddie County, including the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House, Battle of Sutherland's Station, and Battle of White Oak Road.

The Dinwiddie County Historical Society currently occupies the historic Dinwiddie County Court House.

Civil War battles

Geography

Dinwiddie is located in southern Virginia, southwest of the independent city of Petersburg, which separated from the county (and adjacent Prince George County) in 1871. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.7%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is located between two US Army forts, Fort Gregg-Adams to the east and Fort Barfoot to the west.

Adjacent counties

Chesterfield County – north
Petersburg City – northeast
Prince George County – east
Sussex County – southeast
Greensville County – south
Brunswick County – southwest
Nottoway County – west
Amelia County – northwest

National protected area

Petersburg National Battlefield (part)

Major highways

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

**Dinwiddie County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	17,617	17,346	62.92%	62.07%
Black or African American alone (NH)	9,134	8,115	32.62%	29.04%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	83	91	0.30%	0.33%
Asian alone (NH)	122	119	0.44%	0.43%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	7	3	0.02%	0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	18	102	0.06%	0.36%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	346	1,043	1.24%	3.73%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	674	1,128	2.41%	4.04%
Total	28,001	27,947	100.00%	100.00%

2000 Census

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 24,533 people, 9,107 households, and 6,720 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 9,707 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 64.55% White, 33.66% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,107 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% were married couples living together, 13.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 30.90% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,582, and the median income for a family was $47,961. Males had a median income of $32,860 versus $24,346 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,122. About 6.60% of families and 9.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.60% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Board of Supervisors

District 1: Harrison A. Moody (D)
District 2: Mark E. Moore (I)
District 3: William D. Chavis (I)
District 4: Daniel D. Lee (I)
District 5: Brenda K. Ebron-Bonner (D)

Constitutional officers

Clerk of the Circuit Court: John Barrett Chappell, Jr. (D)
Commissioner of the Revenue: Lori K. Stevens (R)
Commonwealth's Attorney: Amanda Nicole Mann (I)
Sheriff: D.T. "Duck" Adams (D)
Treasurer: Jennifer Caraway Perkins (D)

Dinwiddie County has leaned Republican ever since the turn of the 21st Century; originally it was solidly Democratic but began shifting to the right during the Reagan era. Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976 was the last to obtain an absolute majority in the county, though he won it by a narrow plurality in 1980. Bill Clinton did the same in 1996, having lost the county by only 24 votes in 1992.<ref>https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/</ref> The county is currently represented by Republican Frank Ruff of the 15th district and Democrat Joe Morrissey of the 16th district in the Virginia Senate. In the Virginia House of Delegates, the county is represented by Republicans Kim Taylor of the 63rd district and Otto Wachsmann of the 75th district. The county is represented by Democrat Jennifer McClellan of Virginia's 4th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.