| Amelia Court House | |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place (CDP) |
| Pushpin Map: | Virginia#USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Virginia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Amelia |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | (as defined by U.S. Census Bureau) |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.78 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 3.77 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.01 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Population Total: | 1,099 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 380 |
| Coordinates: | 37.3422°N -77.9811°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 23002 |
| Area Code: | 804 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1498446 |
Amelia Court House (also known as Amelia Courthouse and Amelia) is the county seat of Amelia County in the U.S. state of Virginia[1] and a census-designated place (CDP). The population as of the 2010 census was 1,099.[2] The town was named for Princess Amelia of Great Britain, the second daughter of Great Britain's King George II, in 1735.
Amelia Court House was founded in a rural area of the Virginia Piedmont developed for plantations of mixed crops. In the 19th century, spas were developed around nearby mineral springs, which served as vacation destinations for travelers. Visitors arrived by railroad after one was built to serve the area. Among the planters who came to the spas with their families was Robert E. Lee, the future Confederate general.
By the 1850s, the new Richmond and Danville Railroad (later the Southern Railway) had been extended to the village. The R&D was a crucial supply line for the Confederacy during the Civil War. After General Robert E. Lee retreated from Petersburg in 1865, he spent April 4 and 5 in Amelia Court House waiting for desperately needed supplies from Richmond. Those supplies never arrived. Instead, a train came through carrying government documents. The last major engagement of Lee's army with Union forces occurred April 6, 1865, on the border of Amelia County at the Battle of Sayler's Creek. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.
The offices of Amelia's court clerks contain records dating before the Civil War, unlike many other Virginia courthouses, which lost such records in wartime destruction. The Union forces were rushing to catch up to Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and did not ensure that the courthouse records were burned. The iron shutters and brick construction of the courthouse protected its contents .
In the 20th century, the area was still known for the amazonite produced at the Morefield Mine.[3] Amazonite is a crystallized stone, a green variety of microcline feldspar.[4] [5]
A countywide festival called Amelia Day is held each May on the Saturday before Mother's Day. The festival started in the 1980s to celebrate the town's founding. Vendors, local clubs, and citizens organize to enjoy music, dancing, and socializing. At the first Amelia Day, residents signed a long roll that, along with other items, was put in a time capsule and buried in the courthouse green near the Confederate War Memorial.
In 2003, Amelia Day was cancelled after the courthouse green was struck by an F1 tornado[6] on Friday, May 8, the day before the festival. The tornado destroyed most of the trees on the green.
A small Virginia tornado alley exists in Central Virginia, and Amelia County has had numerous tornado touchdowns. Tornadoes of note include the April 30, 1924, twister that passed east of the courthouse area, traveling from Jetersville to Chula, killing one person and injuring seven others.[6] A tornado hit Amelia County on October 13, 1983, one of a family of tornadoes that affected much of Central and Northern Virginia.[6] Other strong tornadoes have affected the county, especially to the east.
(Five Forks Rd., N. Five Forks Rd., and Virginia, Court, Washington, & Church Streets)
Like much of the South, the area is characterized by long, hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Amelia Court House has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[7]