 Chesterfield
County Seal
Although English colonists began moving into the area within four years
of Jamestown's founding in 1607, Chesterfield was not created as a political
unit until May 25, 1749. Formed from the southern half of Henrico County, one
of Virginia's several original shires, the new county took the name of
the celebrated literateur and politician Philip Dormer Stanhope, Fourth
Earl of Chesterfield.
In 1870, the first action of the first Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors
was to direct a seal to be created, "to wit: a coal miner leaning
on his pick under a pine tree with a flowing river at his feet."
This was chosen as the County's Seal because it was the first place in
the nation where coal was mined commercially.
As a result of the industrious labors of miners, other "firsts"
occurred in Chesterfield: Midlothian Turnpike, the first paved road in
Virginia, was built in 1807 to carry carts of coal; and in 1831, the first
railroad, the Midlothian to Manchester Railroad, was built to haul coal
to Virginia's ports.
Chesterfield straddles two major topographic regions. Most of the county
lies in the Piedmont, a region of gently rolling hills stretching between
the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coastal plain. The pine tree
on the seal represents the timber associated with the rolling hills
of the area.
Although Chesterfield is laced by streams, most are too narrow or shallow
to use as waterways. The James and Appomattox Rivers, though, served as
major commercial corridors from the first period of European settlement.
Thus, the river depicted on the seal.
Download the Chesterfield County Seal
Right click on one of the following links, and choose "Save Link As"
or "Save Target As" to save the county seal to a location on your computer.
CC_Seal_Color.jpg -
Color -1200 x 1200px
CC_Seal_BW.gif - Black and White - 1114 x 1114px
Or download CC_Seal.zip - Contains both images
The Chesterfield County Seal is a registered trademark. If you need assistance with either of these images, you may contact
the Chesterfield
County Department of Public Affairs at (804) 748-1161.
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