Henry County/North Carolina

Henry County Located in the foothills of southern Virginia, Henry County is named for Patrick Henry (1736–1799), Revolutionary leader and governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Henry lived in the county from 1779 to 1784. The General Assembly formed the county from Pittsylvania County in 1776, effective 1 Jan. 1777. In 1790 Patrick County was formed from a portion of Henry County. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the area's tobacco industry flourished here and the county’s furniture industry was born. Martinsville is the county seat. North Carolina England first attempted to colonize the New World in present-day North Carolina at Roanoke Island in 1585. Originally a part of Virginia, North Carolina became a separate colony when King Charles II issued a charter in 1663. Meeting in Halifax, North Carolina, on 12 April 1776, the North Carolina Provincial Assembly, was the first state legislature to authorize its delegates to the Continental Congress to support the independence of the American colonies from Great Britain. Raleigh (named for Sir Walter Raleigh, patron of the Roanoke colony), has the state capital since 1792.

Department of Historic Resources, 2002 Department of Historic Resources, 2002