Greensville

Formed January 1, 1781 (62^nd county)

Greensville County (12,243), Emporia (5,927), Jarratt (638)

The columned Beaux Arts courthouse was erected in 1831.  The facility is on Main and Spring streets.  Main Street is United States Highway 301 in this part of the town.  Daniel Lynch provided the white brick building designs.  The building was enlarged in 1907 and 1934 and renovated in 1961 and 1997.  Veteran memorials sit on the grounds.  An 1895 Clerk’s Office augments the courthouse.  The county was organized on January 1, 1781 from Brunswick County as the 62^nd county with Emporia as the only county seat.  Greensville County is named for North Carolina founder Sir Richard Grensville.  The county seat is named for Emporia, Kansas.  It is also the source name for the City of Emporia. 

The area of the county is 297 square miles.  It is 71 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 110 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 41.22 persons per square mile making it 107 out of 133 in the state.  Greensville County has 4.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 95 enters the county from the north, Sussex County, and exits to the south, North Carolina.  United States Highway 58 goes east to west from Southampton County to Brunswick County.  United States Highway 301 parallels Interstate Highway 95 from Sussex County to North Carolina.  The county resembles a snow boot.  Emporia is located near the eastern border although technically not in the county.  Jarratt is on the northeast border of the county.  Emporia is the county seat and Jarratt is the largest city since it is the only incorporated city.  Jarratt is 4.1% of the county population.  

Greensville County government consists of a sheriff and 4 Supervisors.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Five District Court Judges serve Greensville, Brunswick, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex counties and Emporia and Hopewell cities and Forty-nine Magistrate Court Judges serve Greensville, Brunswick, Amelia, Appomattox, Buckingham, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex counties and Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, and Petersburg cities.  Greensville County is on the southern border with North Carolina.  Richmond, Virginia is north and Virginia Beach, Virginia is east of the county.  The county center is 4 miles Southwest of Emporia.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Sussex and Southampton counties and North Carolina and Brunswick and Dinwiddie counties and surrounds the City of Emporia.