Courtland is an incorporated town in Southampton County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Southampton County.
As of the 2020 census, Courtland had a population of 1,295.
History
Native Americans of the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway), and Meherrin tribes were the first inhabitants of the land that is now Courtland. Virginia's leaders prohibited Europeans from settling the area that is Courtland during the first 100 years of the colony. The Articles of Peace signed between the colony and the natives in 1677 set aside for use by Nottoway. In 1751, the county built a clerk's office, pillory, and prison on the eastern bank of the Nottoway River in the geographic center of Southampton. The courthouse burned in 1767 and was replaced in 1768. The town was incorporated as the Town Jerusalem by the Virginia General Assembly in 1791. Jerusalem was Southampton County's only town through the 18th century. However, a Richmond newspaper criticized Vaughn for charging the state $800 for militia expenses. The Nottoway River also was a mode of transportation. A crowd of African Americans assembled in the town on June 21, 1867, for a speech by Thomas Jefferson Pretlow, who twice served as one of the county's representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates. The Rosenwald Fund donated $500, the county contributed $2,500, and the town's African American community raised $1,00. The Southampton County Training School opened outside of Courtland in 1937, providing the first access to grades 8 through 12 for African Americans in the county. (Its name was changed to Riverview High School in 1963).
Geography
Courtland is located at (36.715702, -77.066063). The town is the geographic center of Southampton County and the north shore of the Nottoway River that flows northwest to southeast.
Demographics
In 2020, the population of Courland was 1,679 people. Its racial makeup was 52% White, 41.2% African American, 4.41% from two or more races, 0.119% Asian, and other non-Hispanic 0.357%. These businesses are part of the Peanut Trail, an agrotourism venture.
- Historic Courtland Walking Tour
- Mahone's Tavern & Museum
- Museum of Southampton History
- Rawls Museum Arts, visual arts exhibitions
- Rochelle-Prince House is a historic house owned and operated by the Southampton County Historical Society
- Southampton Agriculture and Forestry Museum/Southampton Heritage Village, featuring the Rebecca Vaughan House
- Peanut Trail: Salty Southern Route For more than thirty years, the tribe has held its annual Corn Harvest Powwow and School Day in November.
Architecture
The Courtland Historic District was established by the Virginia Landmark Register on December 12, 2019, and the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 2020. Built in 1906, St. Luke's has large, stained glass winders and a steeple clad in wooden shingles.
Across Main Street from the courthouse, the Rochelle-Prince House was built in 1814 and expanded in 1817. It has been restored with a shake shingle roof by the Southampton County Historical Society. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Parks and recreation
The Nottoway River Board Landing in Courtland provides access to fishing and boating on the Nottoway River.
Government
Courtland is the county seat of Southampton County.
Education
Public schools
Southampton County Public Schools system is located in Courtland. Its schools in Courtland include Riverdale Elementary which serves grades Pre-K through 5, Southampton Middle serving grades 6 through 8, and Southampton High School which serves grades 9 through 12.
Private schools
Southampton Academy is a private school in Courtland that serves grades Pre-K through 12.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Courtland and the adjacent county rely on its road and highway network. Courtland includes the junction of Virginia State Route 35 (SR35) and U.S. Route 58 (US58), the main thoroughfare that extends across Virginia south of the James River. The town's water is provided by a separate system.
Services
The Courtland Volunteer rescue squad provides fire and first responder services.