Pittsylvania County, Virginia
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 26 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1969; 1 is also National Historic Landmark. Most listings are in or near Chatham, Danville, Gretna.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Virginia is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Pittsylvania titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP7 of 26 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
26 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Berry Hill | Berry Hill | 1980 |
| Bill's Diner | Chatham | 1996 |
| Burnett's Diner | Chatham | 1996 |
| Chatham Historic District | Chatham | 2001 |
| Chatham Southern Railway Depot | Chatham | 2015 |
| Clerk's Office | Chatham | 1982 |
| Craft, Phillip, House | Chatham | 2001 |
| Creasy, Thomas Claiborne, House | Gretna | 2015 |
| Dan's Hill | Danville | 1979 |
| Gilbert's Restaurant | Chatham | 2025 |
| Gosney Store | Blairs | 2022 |
| Gretna Commercial Historic District | Gretna | 2013 |
| Hargrave Military Academy | Chatham | 2020 |
| Hill Grove School | Hurt | 2004 |
| Leesville Dam Archeological Site (44PY30) | Altavista | 1989 |
| Little Cherrystone | Chatham | 1969 |
| Locust Hill | Hurt | 2002 |
| Mountain View | Chatham | 1979 |
| North Danville Historic District | Danville | 2004 |
| Oak Hill | Danville | 2024 |
| Oak Ridge | Danville | 2017 |
| Pittsylvania County Courthouse NHL | Chatham | 1981 |
| Southside High School | Blairs | 2020 |
| Windsor | Cascade | 1980 |
| Yates Tavern | Gretna | 1974 |
| Yeatts, John and Nancy, House | Chatham | 2009 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBPittsylvania was formed in 1767 (1767-06-01) from Halifax.
PITTSYLVANIA created from HALIFAX.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusPittsylvania County population from 1790 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1790 | 1800 | 1820 | 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,579 | 12,697 | 21,323 | 26,398 | 32,104 | 52,589 | 46,894 | 56,493 | 61,697 | 66,096 | 58,296 | 66,147 | 61,745 | 60,501 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS16 cemeteries and 5 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 16 of 16 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Atkinson Cemetery |
| Berry Hill Cemetery |
| Carter Cemetery |
| Chatham Burial Park |
| Fairview Cemetery |
| Green Lawn Cemetery |
| Gregory Cemetery |
| Hillcrest Memorial Park |
| Moss Cemetery |
| Mount Zion Cemetery |
| New Bethel Cemetery |
| New Prospect Cemetery |
| Scearce Gammon Cemetery |
| Soyar Cemetery |
| Whitethorn Cemetery |
| William H Shelton Graveyard |
Historical populated places — 5 of 5
| Name |
|---|
| Briarfield |
| Dan River |
| Newton |
| Powell |
| Whiteoak |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Pittsylvania County, Virginia
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