Patrick County, Virginia
| Patrick County, Virginia | ||
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Bull Mountain in Patrick County
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 Location in the U.S. state of Virginia |
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 Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1791 | |
| Named for | Patrick Henry | |
| Seat | Stuart | |
| Largest town | Stuart | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 486 sq mi (1,259 km2) | |
| • Land | 483 sq mi (1,251 km2) | |
| • Water | 2.8 sq mi (7 km2), 0.6% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 18,045 | |
| • Density | 37/sq mi (14/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 9th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Patrick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,490. Its county seat is Stuart. It is located within both the rolling hills and valleys of the Piedmont Region of Virginia and mountainous Southwest Virginia.
Patrick County was formed in 1791, when Patrick Henry County was divided into Patrick County and Henry County. Patrick Henry County was named for Patrick Henry, and was formed in 1777.
Prior to the formation of Patrick County, one of the Virginia colony's first frontier forts lay within the boundaries of what was then Halifax County on the banks of the North Mayo River. The location of Fort Mayo, now marked by a Virginia state historic marker, lies within present-day Patrick County. It was one of a number of such forts built from the Potomac River south to North Carolina, and was commanded by Captain Samuel Harris in 1756, the year in which George Washington made a tour of Fort Mayo and several other forts on the Virginia frontier. Fort Mayo was the southernmost of the Virginia frontier forts and saw action during the French and Indian War.
One of Patrick County's most prominent early settlers was Col. Abraham Penn (sometimes written Abram Penn), born in 1743 in what is today Amherst County, Virginia. Penn qualified as Lieutenant in the Amherst County militia in June 1768, and led a company under Col. Andrew Lewis at the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. Penn later moved with his wife Ruth (née Stovall) to present-day Henry County, Virginia, where he patented lands at the later site of Beaver Creek Plantation. Penn served on the Committee of Safety for both Henry and Pittsylvania counties, and as a delegate to the Virginia General Assembly from Henry County.
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