Halifax County

Halifax County, highlighted in map of Virginia

Halifax County is named for the second Earl of Halifax, George Montagu Dunk. He revitalized the Board of Trade in London while he was First Lord from 1748 to 1761, stimulating the "mother country" to manage more actively the lucrative colonial trade.

Virginia was required to export its tobacco to England, rather than ship directly to France (the largest market for Virginia's major product). This was an accepted practice, under the old mercantile system. The colonies were supposed to support the mother country, rather than have the freedom to grow in an unlimited fashion. The fees for those exports were a significant source of revenue to the Crown, well worth protecting. The county was created and named for Lord Halifax in 1752 - before the disputes over trade and taxes led to such a fear of British domination that the colonials revolted in the American Revolution.

Halifax County's boundaries include an extension on the eastern side, following the Roanoke River
Halifax County's boundaries include an extension on the eastern side, following the Roanoke River
Source: Halifax County, WebGIS

Halifax County land that bordered the Roanoke River is now submerged underneath Kerr Reservoir/Buggs Island Lake
Halifax County land that bordered the Roanoke River is now submerged underneath Kerr Reservoir/Buggs Island Lake
Source: Halifax County, WebGIS

Halifax County was created out of Lunenburg County in 1752, as Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson were completing their map of Virginia
Halifax County was created out of Lunenburg County in 1752, as Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson were completing their map of Virginia
Source: Library of Congress, A map of the most inhabited part of Virginia containing the whole province of Maryland with part of Pensilvania, New Jersey and North Carolina (by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, 1755)

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