Midlothian

History

The origins of the name of Midlothian are subject to debate. A prevalent story is that the name came from two brothers from East Lothian and West Lothian in Scotland who founded a village. For the name of the village they decided to name it after their respective homelands and a compromise was made, thus making the name of Midlothian. This local legend is based in some truth. The two brothers who were said to have founded the village were likely Abraham Salle and Dr. Archibald Logwood Wooldridge (often called A. S. and A. L. Wooldridge). They, along with their two sisters, Jane Elam and Charlotte Wooldridge, incorporated a mining company called the Midlothian Coal Mining Company in 1835. This company's lands consisted of most of the present-day land south of Midlothian Turnpike in the village of Midlothian and is thought to have given its name to the village. The name of the coal company came from the Midlothian tract of land that was one of the two tracts that made up the company's original land holdings of 404 1/2 acres. The name of the tract came from a house that was located there and was owned by the Wooldridge family. The first Wooldridge in America, and the one who had assembled most of the Midlothian area lands, John Wooldridge came in the late 17th century from England. However, his ancestors in England had connections with the region of Midlothian in Scotland, and it is from here that the name is originally derived. The village had not always been called Midlothian. In the late 1700s, the area was listed on maps simply as "Coal Mines" and later came to be known as Coalfield. The modern-day Coalfield Road is a remnant of this name. The station where the Richmond and Danville railroads cut through the village was called Coalfield Station. It was first built…

Geography

Midlothian is located in the Piedmont geologic region of the state, and is made up of mainly a hilled, fertile land (it is somewhat of a plain). It is located on the Richmond Basin, which is one of the Eastern North America Rift Basins. It contains some sedimentary rock and bituminous coal. The Midlothian area serves as the headwaters to a number of creeks which ultimately contribute their waters to the flow of the James River. These include Swift Creek and Falling Creek. The Swift Creek Reservoir serves as the major source of fresh water for the county.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  31,408
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  26,982
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  24,622
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  21,506
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  21,211
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,544
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  19,428
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,295

Most recent

• M 2.96 — 2025-05-06
  8 km S of Dillwyn, Virginia
• M 2.77 — 2025-01-14
  1 km NNE of Wyndham, Virginia
• M 2.66 — 2020-02-03
  10 km S of Louisa, Virginia
• M 2.51 — 2019-09-23
  3 km WNW of Wyndham, Virginia
• M 2.6 — 2017-03-13
  6 km ENE of Goochland, Virginia
• M 2.67 — 2015-11-04
  3 km NE of Dillwyn, Virginia