Hanover County was formed on November 26, 1720 by "An Act for Dividing New Kent County." Hanover County was named in honor of King George I, the first British monarch from the House of Hanover, who ruled over Great Britain and its colonies from 1714 to 1727.

Hanover County was the birthplace and a residence of Patrick Henry, whose concluding argument in the Parsons' Cause case of 1763 (held in the Historic Hanover Court House) may be said to have been the beginning of the American Revolution in Virginia, and made Hanover County a focal point in the Revolutionary movement.

The Hanover Tavern, Polegreen Church and Rural Plains are a few of the many Hanover landmarks that predate the Revolution, and the battles of Gaines' Mill, Totopotomoy Creek and Cold Harbor (among others) were fought in Hanover County during the Civil War.

•NEW MEMBERS• Join the Hanover County Historical Society at the Individual level for two years and receive a free copy of Nature's Bounty, Nation's Glory! Visit our Membership page for details.
Sunday, June 25
An afternoon with
Marquis de Lafayette
at Hanover Tavern's Bradley Theater
3pm: Free and open to the public,
but you must reserve your spot!
Click here for free tickets from Eventbrite

Tuesday, September 12
The Annual HCHS Gala
at historic
Fairfield-Rocky Mills
Please visit our Events page
for more information and tickets!

The Hanover County Historical Society's quarterly publication Highlights, which is sent to all members, is going digital! To make sure we have everyone's current email address, if you are a member we ask that you
PLEASE CLICK HERE to confirm your email address!


Hanover County, Virginia 1850 United States Census

Originally printed in 1974 and long out of print, Hanover County, Virginia 1850 United States Census is availble for purchase exclusively at Amazon.com!

Historic Courthouse Tours

Hanover County's Historic Courthouse is open for free tours on the second Thursday of each month, from 10am 'til 2pm. Society Docents will be available to tell the story of this icon of American history, and under most circumstances will be happy to also give tours of the Old Stone Jail, which is next to the courthouse.

Won't you join us?


The HCHS Online Store Is OPEN!
Visit our ONLINE STORE to pay for Membership, purchase tickets to Society events, and purchase many of the Society's publications!

Please visit our Publications page for a list of all available Society publications, and information about how they can be purchased.



2021 video of Judge David B. Caddell Jr and the late Patrick H. Bynum Jr. discussing a local murder trial which led to a precedent-setting ruling by the Supreme Court of Virginia and a landmark ruling by the U. S. Supreme Court. You can view the film by clicking here. To see our Bulletin article (No. 104, Autumn 2021) for a synopsis of the case, click here.

Two articles that remember the antebellum Doswell dynasty of racehorse production:


Click here to download a PDF version of the Hanover County Historical Society's June, 2023 issue of Highlights!
Check out the Hanover County Historical Society's Facebook page, always up to date with the latest info!