Courtland, VA

Courtland is Southampton County's seat in southern Virginia, a courthouse town set along the Nottoway River and wrapped in peanut, cotton, and ham-country history. The 2020 census counted 1,295 residents. The place began as Jerusalem, was established in 1791, and took the Courtland name when it incorporated in 1888. The Courtland Historic District still carries the shape of that courthouse village, with the river forming one edge of the early town. The courthouse, river, and old roads make the town easy to read before you even get to the museum itself.

Heritage Day is the local calling card, held at the Southampton Agriculture and Forestry Museum and Heritage Village with old farm tools, crafts, demonstrations, and re-enactments. A river landing gives boaters and anglers access to the Nottoway, while U.S. 58 and its business route keep Courtland linked to the wider county. Courtland's local scoop is a Virginia county seat where courthouse history, river access, and peanut country all meet.