Chesterfield

Originally part of Henrico County, Chesterfield was split off into its own county by the House of Burgesses in 1749. Throughout the 18th Century, Chesterfield was known for its coal mining industry.

The first paved road in Virginia, the Manchester Turnpike, was built in 1807 between the mines at present-day Midlothian and the port of Manchester. This became what we now know as Midlothian Turnpike. Another turnpike, the Manchester and Petersburg Turnpike, was built in 1823 and survies today as US-1.

Later in in the 19th Century, increasing demand for coal led the Chesterfield Railroad, the first railroad in Virginia, to be built along a competing route between Midlothian and Manchester. The Richmond & Danville Railroad (now Norfolk Southern’s Richmond District— you know the one that crosses Robious Road at Huguenot? That’s the one) and the Richmond & Petersburg Railroad (now CSX’s mainline) were both built through Chesterfield County before the Civil War for similar purposes.

Chesterfield was a key battleground during the Civil War, with its transport lines becoming strategic assets for Confederate forces and hence important targets for the Union.

Chesterfield’s industrial development continued after the Civil War, with more turnpikes and railroads being constructred. Industries popped up along the James River. Towns were founded along railroad lines, such as Bon Air, often attracting commuters out of the cities of Richmond and Manchester. An interurban electric railway connected Manchester and Petersburg along present-day US-1.

During reconstruction, a normal school for Black teachers was founded in southern Chesterfield County near the village of Ettrick, which would eventually become Virginia State University. VSU was the first fully state-supported, four-year college for Black students in the United States.

After World War II, with the rise of the automobile and the phenomenon of White Flight, the suburbs of Chesterfield exploded with development. In response to this, the City of Richmond annexed dozens of square miles of land from the County, in an attempt to dilute the increasingly Black voting population in the city. A lawsuit put a stop to this practice in the 1970s.

Although there are no incorporated towns within Chesterfield County, communities such as Midlothian, Chester, Bon Air, and Ettrick maintain unique local identities. Chesterfield County has been a partner of MWCLT since 2018, supporting our goal of creating affordable and attractive homeownership opportunities throughout the region.