Southampton County / Sussex County
(Obverse)
Southampton County
Southampton County was formed in 1749 from Isle of Wight County, a part of Nansemond County was added later. The county was either named for the English borough of Southampton or for Henry Wriothesley, third earl of Southampton. In Aug. 1831, a slave rebellion took place here led by preacher and slave Nat Turner. Confederate General and Virginia U.S. senator William Mahone (1826-1895) lived a portion of his life here. The county seat is Courtland, formerly called Jerusalem.
(Reverse)
Sussex County
Sussex County was formed from Surry County in 1753 and named for the English county. The county seat is Sussex. This Jeffersonian Roman revival courthouse was completed by 1828 by brick mason Dabney Cosby Sr. He is best known for constructing a series of Jeffersonian courthouses in the style he mastered while employed as a mason in the construction of the Thomas Jefferson-designed University of Virginia.
Marker is on Plank Road (Virginia Route 35) ½ mile north of Big Woods Road, on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
