King William County

BY LAWRENCE W. LATANE - Staff Writer
Published: July 22, 2008

King William County is the new address for hundreds of commuters who have moved into the county’s U.S. Route 360 corridor area to be close to jobs in Richmond.

But, many county residents trace their roots to the county’s 18th-century founding, and others claim an even longer tenure. Three state-recognized American Indian tribes – the Mattaponi, the Pamunkey and the Upper Mattaponi – are all centered in the county.

The Mattaponi and the Pamunkey have the further distinction as the only two Virginia tribes with federally recognized reservations. The General Assembly created both reservations in 1658.

All three tribes descend from the powerful Powhatan Confederacy that ruled eastern Virginia’s American Indian population at the time of Virginia’s founding in 1607 at Jamestown.

The Mattaponi are on the Mattaponi River, which forms the northern border of the county. The Pamunkey are on the Pamunkey River, which forms the county’s southern border.

Both reservations have museums and operate fish hatcheries in early spring as part of the tribes’ commitment to preserve the two rivers’ roles as Virginia’s most important shad spawning grounds.

History: The county was formed in 1702. Its 1725 courthouse – distinguished by Colonial-era brickwork – is also the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the United States. Pulp mill operations in West Point made the county a center of the region’s forest products industry.

A Fun Thing to Do: Visit the King William Historical Museum, which occupies the former circuit clerk’s office beside the historic courthouse. It features displays and artifacts representing four centuries of county history. The museum is open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m.

Government: A five-member Board of Supervisors oversees county government. County Administrator Frank Pleva is responsible for government operations and the county’s $22.6 million budget.

Schools: The county maintains four schools with a total enrollment of 2,125 students in K-12. A five-member elected School Board manages the system with Superintendent Mark R. Jones.

Libraries: The Pamunkey Regional Library operates branch libraries in West Point and Sharon Office Park.

Parks: The Virginia Department of Forestry’s 2,043-acre Sandy Point State Forest contains 11.5 miles of road and 3 miles of trail for walking, horseback riding and mountain biking. The department also manages 378-acre Zoar State Forest, which contains 4.8 miles of trails.

Real Estate: Located in the western end of Virginia’s Middle Peninsula, King William County is about 33 miles northeast of Richmond. New home communities here include Black Gum Estates with homes from the $180s, Cedar Crest with houses from the $120s and Rock Spring Estates with houses from $400,000.