 Celebrating 250 Years - May 10, 2002 |
| Halifax County, created in 1752, was named for George Montague Dunk, Second Earl of
Halifax and the English First Lord Commissioner of Trade and Plantations at the time. South
Boston was incorporated as a town in 1884 and became a city in 1960. South Boston was the
first city in Virginia to revert to a town in July 1995. The seat of government has been the Town of Halifax since 1777, when the court was
moved from its former site at Crystal Hill. The present
courthouse, designed by the architect Two historic military actions took place in the county. During the American Revolution,
the strategic "Retreat to the Dan" by General
Nathaniel Green unsuccessfully pursued by General Cornwallis) in February 1781 is now
regarded by most historians to have been the real turning point in the war. In the Civil War, the Battle of Staunton River Bridge on June 24, 1864 prevented the destruction of the Richmond and Danville Railroad bridge by Union soldiers and thus saved a vital Confederate supply line. |
