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Nelson County Department of Tourism and Economic Development - Lovingston, VA

Nelson County was formed in 1807 from Amherst County, and named in honor of Thomas Nelson, Jr., third governor of Virginia. Originally the home of the Monocan tribe of Native Americans, a settlement along the James River was established by English colonists in the early 1700's.

Another stream of settlers, of Scotch-Irish and German descent, came into the western sections of the county from the Shenandoah Valley. By the end of the 1800's, Nelson's agricultural products included tobacco, apples and chesnut trees; the produce and lumber were carried to market by canal and railroad.

The county is almost in the geographic center of Virginia and by car, is about two hours from Richmond, three hours from Washington, D.C. and four hours from Charlotte, North Carolina.