Louisa County, Virginia

Louisa County, Virginia
Louisa County Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1742
Named for	Louise of Great Britain
Seat	Louisa
Largest town	Louisa
Area
• Total	511 sq mi (1,323 km2)
• Land	496 sq mi (1,285 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (39 km2), 2.9%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	34,602
• Density	68/sq mi (26/km²)
Congressional district	7th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.louisacounty.com

Louisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,153. The county seat is Louisa.

Prior to colonial settlement, the area comprising Louisa County was occupied by several indigenous peoples including the Tutelo, the Monacan, and the Manahoac peoples, who eventually fled to join the Cayuga Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) people in New York state under pressure from English settlers. Louisa County was established in 1742 from Hanover County. The county is named for Princess Louise of Great Britain, youngest daughter of King George II, and wife of King Frederick V of Denmark.Patrick Henry lived for some time in Louisa County on Roundabout Creek in 1764. Henry was being mentored at that time by the Louisa County magnate Thomas Johnson the representative of Louisa County in the House of Burgesses. In 1765, Patrick Henry won his first election to represent Louisa County in the House of Burgesses. At the end of the eighteenth century and in the early nineteenth century, numerous free mixed-race families migrated together from here to Kentucky, where neighbors began to identify them as Melungeon.

The Virginia Central Railroad was completed through Louisa County in 1838–1840. During the Civil War, it was an important supply line for the Confederate armies. As a result, several significant cavalry actions took place in the county, particularly one fought at Trevilians in 1864.