WHEREAS, Brunswick County, a county along the Virginia–North Carolina border that precedes the founding of the nation, celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2020; and

WHEREAS, in 1714, Governor Alexander Spotswood of the colony of Virginia established a wilderness fort on a bend in the Meherrin River to provide trade with Native Americans in the area, protect the remnants of displaced tribes nearby, and encourage settlers to work the region's fertile land; and

WHEREAS, the population of the area increased to the point that the fort was disbanded, prompting the House of Burgesses to pass a bill calling for the formation of Brunswick County on December 23, 1720; and

WHEREAS, the boundaries of Brunswick County in 1720 extended to the vaguely defined "mountains," creating such an expansive region that 10 counties would subsequently be drawn from the area; and

WHEREAS, from the beginning, Brunswick County has been a major producer of crops, livestock, timber, and bricks, as well as the site of several significant historical events and home to notable citizens of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the first Methodist circuit in the colonies was formed in Brunswick County in the 1770s, making it the center of early Methodist developments in the country; and

WHEREAS, while cooking for a hunting party in 1828, Jimmy Matthews created a stew from vegetables and squirrels that inspired the famous Brunswick stew of the present day, with a succulent flavor that has charmed gourmands around the world for years; and

WHEREAS, in 1888, James Solomon Russell, a formerly enslaved young African American Episcopalian priest, was sent to Brunswick County to establish a church and to promote education among recently freed enslaved people; the school that emerged from his efforts grew to become Saint Paul's College; and

WHEREAS, in the early part of the twentieth century, Lawrenceville, the county seat of Brunswick County, was a major hub of several railroad companies, including the Norfolk, Franklin and Danville Railway; and

WHEREAS, Albertis S. Harrison, Jr., the son of a tobacco farmer from Brunswick County, became the governor of Virginia from 1961 to 1965 and notably held positions in all three branches of government in the Commonwealth, serving as governor, attorney general, and a member of the Virginia Supreme Court at different points in his career; and

WHEREAS, in 1960, Lake Gaston was formed at the foot of the county, providing recreation and housing to countless families; ten years later, the first campus of Southside Virginia Community College opened in the county, making both college courses and occupational-technical studies conveniently available to students in the area; and

WHEREAS, over the past three centuries, Brunswick County has been an integral part of what makes Virginia a great place to live, work, and play; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Brunswick County, treasured county of the Commonwealth, hereby be commended on the occasion of its 300th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Board of Supervisors of Brunswick County as an expression of the House of Delegates' profound respect and earnest admiration for the county's history and its contributions to the Commonwealth.