Henry

Formed October 1, 1777 (58^th county)

Henry County (50,949), Collinsville* (7,335), Ridgeway (754)

The Modern tan brick building was built in 1996.  There was an 1824 building before.  It is located outside of the city on Kings Mountain Road (Virginia State Highway 174) at Refuse Drive.  The Moseley McClintock Group are the architects.  An Administration Building augments the courthouse.  Henry County was founded on October 1, 1777 from Pittsylvania County as the 58^th county.  Martinsville was the county seat until 1996 when Collinsville assumed the role.  The county is named for Governor Patrick Henry.  He is also the namesake for Patrick County.  The county seat is presumably named for a settler.  Henry County is the birthplace to 1 Virginia Governor, Thomas B. Stanley. 

Henry County government consists of a sheriff and 6 Supervisors.  Three Circuit Court Judges and Three District Court Judges serve Henry and Patrick counties and Martinsville City and Fifty-nine Magistrate Court Judges serve Henry, Alleghany, Amherst, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, Craig, Franklin, Highland, Nelson, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Roanoke, and Rockbridge counties and Buena Vista, Covington, Danville, Lexington, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Roanoke, Salem, Staunton, and Waynesboro cities.  The county is located on the southern border with North Carolina.  Roanoke, Virginia is north and Richmond, Virginia is northeast of the county.  The county center is 5.2 miles West of Collinsville nearer Fieldale.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Franklin and Pittsylvania counties and North Carolina and Patrick County and surrounds the City of Martinsville. 

The area of the county is 382 square miles.  It is 50 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 37 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 133.4 persons per square mile making it 59 out of 133 in the state.  Henry County has 1.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 58 crosses east to west through the county from Pittsylvania County to Patrick County.  United States Highway 220 enters from the north, Franklin County, and exits to the south, North Carolina.  The county resembles an overstuffed chair.  Collinsville is located near the center of the county.  Ridgeway is near the southern border of the county.  Collinsville is the county seat and Ridgeway and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city.  Collinsville is 14.4% of the county population although it is unincorporated.  Ridgeway is 1.5% of the county population.  This county is in the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.