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By 1700, the elk, wolves, bear and Indians (Monasiccapanoe/Monacan)
had left what was to become Louisa County to make way for its settlement.
The reason for the late colonization of Louisa County was because it
was an interior landlocked area of the Piedmont in Virginia which was
difficult to reach.
Map of central Virginia, drawn by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson
in 1751.
As settlers moved up the river valleys, the number of land patents increased.
The growing population led to the creation of a separate county.
The county was created when the population became large enough to support
a courthouse. The county separated from Hanover County and was named
after Princess Louisa, the youngest daughter of King George II of England,
in 1742.
The local government slowly advanced as it was needed by the people.
The Anglican Church, Virginia's established religion, created a new
parish to accommodate Louisa. It was named Fredericksville Parish and
had lines similar to the county. The new parish was taken from St. Martin's
Parish of Hanover and Goochland. The people were governed by twelve
vestrymen of the parish and 14 men selected as Justices of the Peace.
These two groups ran the county at the behest of the King of England.
 Because of its insularity Louisa
was made up of small wooden homes due to the difficulty of getting materials
to the interior. Mills and merchants took care of the peoples' needs
so that they would not have to travel far for goods.
 The Revolution was fully supported in Louisa by
local heroes. Patrick Henry represented Louisa in the House from 1765
to 1768. Dabney Carr represented Louisa County in the House of Burgesses
from 1772-73. Mr. Carr presented a resolution for the creation of a
Committee of Correspondence which was a first step in  uniting
the Colonies before the Revolution.
During the war, Jack Jouett, Jr. rode a distance of 38 miles from Louisa
to Charlottesville to warn Thomas Jefferson and members of the Virginia
General Assembly that the British were coming after Richmond had fallen.
After the Revolution Louisa settled down to the business
of creating a new government free from British influence. By 1818 a new
courthouse and jail had been built. Because of the condition of roads,
travel was difficult. Citizens had difficulties getting to their own courthouse.
The greatest change for the county was the coming of the railroad.
 In 1838 the Virginia
Central Railroad reached Louisa Courthouse and by 1840 it afforded travel
through the county. With the advent of the railroad, materials and people
traveled more easily.
During the War Between the States the Central Virginia railroad was vital
to the supply lines of the Confederate troops. It was for this reason
that Louisa County endured Stoneman's and Dahlgren's raids. The railroad
was also the cause for the clash of cavalry at Trevilians in 1864. Despite
many efforts, the North never made it through Louisa to the hub of railroad
activity in Gordonsville.
 The era of Reconstruction
in Louisa County brought forth many changes and resentments which lasted
a long time. The military occupation by Major General Alvin Coe Voris
was not oppressive but the mere fact of occupation offended the local
populace. One positive result of the new Virginia government was the new
public school system. Littleberry Haley, as first Superintendent of Schools,
brought education to the county. It was about this time that the Town
of Louisa was incorporated, in 1873.
Before the turn of the century the town of Mineral was developed by mining
interests in the county. Mining had been an everpresent business in Louisa
County, as the county is rich in many minerals. Even gold mining existed
at one time on a small scale.
From the turn of the century through World War I to the end of the 1920's
Louisa County saw many changes. With the help of the Department of Agriculture,
farming was improved in Louisa to become more progressive. These years
were a time of great change in the quality of life for the inhabitants.
A new Courthouse was built, roads were improved to accommodate cars and
with the introduction of the telephone, communication was improved. Schools
were built throughout the county for black and white.
The "Great Depression" which resulted from the stock market
crash of 1929 brought many federal services to Louisa County. The Rural
Electrification Administration brought electricity to the far flung farms.
The closing of the banks was hard on the local farmers but most managed
to survive.
World War II involved many residents in all the theaters of war: Europe,
Asia, and Africa. At home, rationing and inflated prices were dealt with
and endured.
Green Springs, one area of Louisa County, was established as the Green
Springs National Historic Landmark District in 1973. The area contains
an "assemblage of rural architecture that is unique in Virginia."
When Virginia Power built the North Anna Nuclear Power Station in 1970,
Lake Anna was created. Lake Anna is a 13,000 acre man-made lake which
affords the residents and vacationers many recreational outlets.
Louisa County is also home to Twin Oaks Commune which is one of the country's
oldest communes still in existence. The commune was established by eight
members in 1967.
Louisa County is made up of 514 square miles with 23,250 people. It is
still considered an agricultural and rural residential county but it is
one of the more rapidly growing counties in Virginia.
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County
Historical Notes