Goochland County was formed from the original shire of Henrico in May 1728 and named for the new Lieutenant Governor, William Gooch. In 1727, a petition made by the House of Burgesses was presented to the Royal Governor of Virginia. The petition, which was presented at the colonial capital in Williamsburg, Virginia created the county. Goochland was the first county created after the original eight shires of the Virginia Colony. In 1728, Goochland stretched westward to the Blue Ridge Mountains along both sides of the James River Goochland County Courthouseencompassing the present day counties of Powhatan, Fluvanna, Cumberland, Albermarle, Chesterfield, Buckingham, Appomattox, Amherst, and Nelson.

Today, Goochland lies along the northside of the river and is bounded to the east by Henrico county, to the west by Fluvanna, to the south by Cumberland and Powhatan, and to the north by Louisa and Hanover Counties.

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Goochland Historical Society - Founded in 1968, the Goochland County Historical Society is a non-profit organization created and operated for the perpetuation and preservation of Goochland County heritage and tradition. To fulfill its mission, the Society has collected manuscripts, artifacts, genealogical, and architectural information pertaining to Goochland, and Virginia in general. These resources, some of them rare and unique, are made available to the public at the Society's Historical Center. Additionally, skilled volunteers will conduct genealogy research from these sources as well.

The Society annually publishes a magazine featuring original articles and documents. In addition to the magazine, the Society provides its membership with a newsletter which features current information on the Society's business, museum acquisitions, and the next scheduled program meeting.

To further member involvement and to make history a lively interest for all, three general meetings are held annually, often featuring authorities on historical topics. Illustrated lectures have been presented and musical performances enjoyed. Members also participate in Society sponsored tours to historic sites in various parts of Virginia. Please invite your friends to become new members of the Society.

For more information, please call the Society or come by the Historical Center. Visitors are always welcomed. Our summer hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., winter hours are Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

National Registry Master - Virginia Landmarks Register

Listing in All Virginia - The official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation.

Virginia's First Citizens - The Mariner's Museum website provides the history of our region's first citizens.

Water National Historic Trail - The John Smith Chesapeake Trail

Huguenots on the James River - The Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin In the Colony of Virginia

Civil War Traveler - Central Virginia Civil War information and maps.

Virginia Canals/Navigation Society - Virginia Canals & Navigations Society is helping to preserve Virginia's historic waterways.

Visit our website to find out about the annual James River Batteau Festival!

Goochland National Registry of Historic Place - Lists properties on the State's Historic Registry.

Virginia Historical Highway Markers - National & State Historic Registers

Tuckahoe Plantation - Situated on the James River, just seven miles west of Richmond in rural Goochland County, Tuckahoe Plantation still echoes a time long ago. This extraordinary colonial plantation , the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson is considered one of the most complete existing 18th century plantation layouts in North America.

Tuckahoe was given the designation as a a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1969 and has been open to the public for enjoyment and education ever since. Today, Tuckahoe is privately owned and cared for by the Thompson Family. Tuckahoe is the backdrop of many special events and is open for house and grounds tours throughout the year. Visit this national treasure and take a step back in time.

Open Daily for Self-Guided Tours.

Field Day of the Past - Field Day of the Past is a family event sponsored by the Rockville-Centerville Steam and Gas Historical Association.

Historical displays and exhibits, re-enactments, tractor and truck pulls, small engine displays, arts and crafts, flea market, antique and modern construction equipment demonstrations, a log cabin with ongoing heritage craft demonstrations can be experienced throughout the weekend.

Visit our website for MUCH more information!

Goochland County Courthouse -
This Jeffersonian-inspired courthouse was built in 1826 by master builder, Dabney Cosby, Sr. Major and minor changes and improvements have been made to the interior of the Courthouse during the passing years, but the exterior remains unchanged. On the Courthouse Green there are other buildings which, include a stone jail (1837), a brick clerk's office (1847), and James Clopton Knibb Building (1906). Come see history in Goochland County.

Goochland County's Old Jail Museum - Though founded in 1968, the Society had no home until, in 1980, the Goochland Board of Supervisors gave permission for the Society to adapt the Old Stone Jail (c. 1833) on the Courthouse Green into a museum and library. Goochland County Jail - Built in 1836From 1980 to 1997, the Jail served as the first headquarters building for the Society. The Jail was constructed when the James River & Kanawaha Canal was being built westward along the James River. River stones were brought up the hill to the site.

After the building was no longer used as a jail, restoration resulted in the removal of all the original cells and iron bars and fittings. Recently refurbished, the Jail Museum now houses the Society's new exhibit tracing the history of Goochland from the 1700s to the 20th Century.

The exhibit details the formation of the county in 1728 by Sir William Gooch, Lt. Governor. Early Indian relics and the first patent for land dated 1703 begin Goochland's history. The exhibit continues with Revolutionary War notes, early homes, and first settlers. Details on the Canal (1831) agriculture, mining, and people give a survey of historic facts relating Goochland's early history.

With little Civil War activity in the county, restoration and activities moving into the 19th Century bring Goochland up to present day history. Organizations such as Fire & Rescue, churches, and important citizens are presented with interesting artifacts.

The Jail Museum is located on the Courthouse Green at Goochland Court House, Goochland, Virginia on State Route 6, approximately 25 miles west of Richmond's Capitol Square.