Disaster Preparation Guide Now Online

With hurricane season in full swing and potential threat from storm activity, it is now more important than ever to prepare for the worst. To that end, we are providing a disaster preparedness guide to highlight some of the best practices for safeguarding your home and loved ones in the case of an emergency. You can download it in PDF form here. Note: Please be patient as it is a large file.

Septic Pumpout Assistance

Provisions of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act require septic tanks in designated Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas to be inspected or pumped every five years. The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission is providing limited financial assistance for low-to-moderate income households in the Middle Peninsula to have septic tanks pumped. For more information and to download the application, click here.

History of Middlesex

Settlement of the area began around 1640 with the county being officially formed in 1669 from a part of Lancaster County. The county's only incorporated town, Urbanna, was established in 1680 serving initially as a port for shipping agricultural products and later as the county's commercial and governmental center.

Rosegill Estate, a Middlesex County plantation first constructed in 1649, served as the temporary seat of the colony under two royal Governors of Virginia, (Sir Henry Chicheley, who served under Thomas Culpeper, 2nd Baron Culpeper of Thoresway, and Lord Francis Howard, 5th Baron Howard of Effingham). The home remains a private residence to this day, though the estate has been purchased by a Northern Virginia Development firm, and much of it is slated to become a 700+ home subdivision.

During the American Civil War, Urbanna was initially planned as the point of landing for General George B. McClellan's 1862 Peninsula Campaign to take Richmond, but ultimately, the failed campaign utilized Fort Monroe as its starting point, almost doubling the distance by land to the Confederate citadel. Delays in reaching the gates of Richmond allowed the Confederates ample time to erect substantial defensive batteries, contributing to the Union failure.

The Historic Middlesex County Courthouse was built in 1850-1874 by architects William R. Jones and John P. Hill, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A new courthouse complex began construction in 2003 and was completed in August of 2007. The new building has been fully operational since September, 2007. The Historic Courthouse has been remodeled and now serves as the Board of Supervisors meeting room and the Registrar's Office.

	The New Middlesex County Courthouse

Urbanna was incorporated on April 2, 1902, comprising an area of 0.49 square miles (1.27 km2). The Town of Urbanna remains the county's largest commercial center and its only incorporated area but the county seat of government has moved to the Village of Saluda on U.S. Route 17. To the east, almost to Stingray Point, the Village of Deltaville is situated on State Route 33 between the mouths of the Rappahannock and Piankatank Rivers. Once a major center for wooden boat building, the village remains a commercial and recreational center. The waterfront east to Stingray Point is home to many marinas, with a heavy concentration on Broad Creek.