Amelia Court House was founded in a rural area of the
Virginia Piedmont developed for plantations of mixed crops. In the 19th century, spas were developed around nearby mineral springs, which served as vacation destinations for travelers. Visitors arrived by railroad after one was built to serve the area. Among the planters who came to the spas with their families was
Robert E. Lee, the future Confederate general. By the 1850s, the new
Richmond and Danville Railroad (later the
Southern Railway) had been extended to the village. Amazonite is a crystallized stone, a green variety of
microcline feldspar. A countywide festival called Amelia Day is held each May on the Saturday before Mother's Day. The festival started in the 1980s to celebrate the town's founding. Vendors, local clubs, and citizens organize to enjoy music, dancing, and socializing. At the first Amelia Day, residents signed a long roll that, along with other items, was put in a time capsule and buried in the courthouse green near the Confederate War Memorial.
Tornadoes In 2003, Amelia Day was cancelled after the courthouse green was struck by an F1 tornado on Friday,
May 8, the day before the festival. The tornado destroyed most of the trees on the green. A small Virginia tornado alley exists in Central Virginia, and Amelia County has had numerous tornado touchdowns. Tornadoes of note include the
April 30, 1924, twister that passed east of the courthouse area, traveling from
Jetersville to
Chula, killing one person and injuring seven others. A tornado hit Amelia County on October 13, 1983, one of a family of tornadoes that affected much of Central and Northern Virginia. Other strong tornadoes have affected the county, especially to the east. ==Transportation==