Southampton

Formed May 25, 1749 (39^th county)

Southampton County (18,001), Courtland (1,295)                

The Roman Revival style red brick courthouse was built in 1834 at Court and Main streets.  Virginia State Highway 58 Business is Main Street in the community.  Jeremiah Cobb and Clements Rochelle provided the building designs.  The facility was enlarged in 1925, 1960, and is under construction in 2022.  The county was founded on May 25, 1749 as the 39^th county with Courtland as the only county seat.  The county was named for Southampton, England.  Courtland is presumably a descriptive term for the location of the county courthouse. 

Southampton County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Six District Court Judges serve Southampton and Isle of Wight counties and Franklin and Suffolk cities and Thirty-four Magistrate Court Judges serve Southampton and Isle of Wight counties and Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, and Suffolk cities.  The county is located on the southern border with North Carolina.  Richmond, Virginia is north and Virginia Beach, Virginia is east of the county.  The county center is 2 miles Northwest of Courtland.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Sussex and Isle of Wight counties and the City of Franklin and North Carolina and Greensville County. 

The area of the county is 600 square miles.  It is 11 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 84 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 30.0 persons per square mile making it 121 out of 133 in the state.  Southampton County has 14.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 58 crosses east to west through the county from Suffolk City to Greensville County.  United States Highway 258 enters from the east, Franklin City, and exits to the south, North Carolina.  United States Highway 460 comes from the northwest, Sussex County, and goes to the east, Suffolk City.  The county looks like an anvil tipping toward the southwest.  Courtland is located south and east of center in the county.  Courtland is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 7.2% of the county population.