WHEREAS, Chesterfield County commemorates the 275th anniversary of its founding in 2024; and

WHEREAS, in 1607, Sir Christopher Newport explored the James and Appomattox Rivers in what is now Chesterfield County five days before the founding of the Jamestown settlement, and in 1611, the Citie of Henricus was established as the second permanent English settlement in the New World; and

WHEREAS, over the next few years, Bermuda Hundred became the first incorporated town in America in 1614, Falling Creek became the site of the first iron furnace in the New World in 1619, and Mount Malady, near Dutch Gap, was the site of the first hospital in the American colonies in 1622; and

WHEREAS, the region that is now Chesterfield County continued to thrive and grow, producing the first commercially mined coal in America in the early 1700s; and

WHEREAS, Chesterfield County was officially established at a session of the House of Burgesses, the predecessor to the modern General Assembly, in 1749, during the reign of King George II; and

WHEREAS, Chesterfield County was named in honor of Philip Dormer Stanhope, fourth Earl of Chesterfield; and

WHEREAS, in 1807, the first paved road in Virginia was laid in Midlothian, and in 1831, the Midlothian to Manchester Railroad was the first railroad in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Chesterfield County celebrated its 250th anniversary in 1999 and has since continued to grow and prosper, establishing new departments and programs to better meet the needs of its residents, including the Community Engagement and Resources Department, Adult Drug Court, Juvenile Drug Court, Constituent Services, Community Enhancement, and Sports Tourism; and

WHEREAS, the residents of Chesterfield County approved the 2013 bond referendum that resulted in school facility improvements and the replacement of the county's emergency communications system and the 2022 bond referendum that will finance school, public safety, library, and parks and recreation projects; and

WHEREAS, Chesterfield County has delivered many transportation and pedestrian projects that have improved the lives of county residents and those in neighboring localities, including the widening of Route 10, the construction of the Interstate 295/Meadowville interchange, the expansion of Route 288 to a four-lane highway from Powhite Parkway to the Powhatan County line, the widening of Chippenham Parkway from Hull Street to Route 1, securing $31 million for Chesterfield's 8.5 miles of the Fall Line Trail, and securing $80 million for regional projects as part of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority regional projects share; and

WHEREAS, the residents of Chesterfield County are proud of the community's past and confident in its future; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Chesterfield County hereby be commended on the occasion of the 275th anniversary of its founding; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for Chesterfield County's storied history and many contributions to the Commonwealth.