Editing Midlothian, Virginia

{{Short description|Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States}}
{{about|the town in Virginia, U.S|other uses|Midlothian (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Midlothian
| settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place]]
| image_skyline            = Grove Shaft.JPG
| image_alt                = 
| image_caption            = Ruins of the Grove Shaft air-pumping station, now part of the Mid-Lothian Mines Park.
| pushpin_map              = USA Virginia Richmond metropolitan area#USA Virginia#USA
| pushpin_label_position   = left
| pushpin_map_alt          = 
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location of Midlothian, Virginia
| coordinates              = {{coord|37|31|17.4|N|77|39|53.2|W|region:US-VA|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes    = <ref name=GNIS/>
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1        = State
| subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Virginia}}
| subdivision_type2        = County
| subdivision_name2        = [[Chesterfield County, Virginia|Chesterfield]]
<!-- established -->| established_title        = Settled
| established_date         = {{circa}}{{start date|1700}}
| established_title1       = Founded
| established_date1        = {{circa}}{{start date|1730}}
| established_title2       = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
| established_date2        = 
| founder                  = Wooldridge brothers
| named_for                = Mid-Lothian Mining and Manufacturing Company
| government_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web|title=County of Chesterfield, VA {{!}} Midlothian District - Mark S. Miller, Ph.D. - Midlothian District|url=http://www.chesterfield.gov/midlothian/|website=www.chesterfield.gov|access-date=November 18, 2022}}</ref>
| government_type          = 
| governing_body           = 
| leader_party             = 
| leader_title             = [[Board of supervisors|District supervisor]]
| leader_name              = Mark S. Miller, Ph.D.
| unit_pref                = US
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=GNIS>{{GNIS|id=1495942|name=Midlothian}}</ref>
| elevation_ft             = 367
<!-- population -->| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="2020census">{{cite web|title=Midlothian CDP; Virginia - Census Bureau Profile|url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Midlothian_CDP;_Virginia?g=160XX00US5151560|website=United States Census Bureau|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=May 12, 2023}}</ref>
| population_total         = 18,320
| area_total_sq_mi         = 8.64
| area_land_sq_mi          = 8.568
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.072
| population_density_sq_mi = 2120.4
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset               = -5:00
| timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST           = -4:00
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 23112, 23113, 23114
| area_code_type           = [[List of Virginia area codes|Area code]]
| area_code                = [[Area code 804|804]]
| iso_code                 = 
| website                  = {{URL|http://www.midlothianva.org/}}
| footnotes                = 
}}

'''Midlothian''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ɪ|d|ˈ|l|oʊ|θ|i|ə|n}} {{respell|mid|LOH|thee|ən}}) is an [[Unincorporated area#United States|unincorporated area]] and [[census-designated place]] in [[Chesterfield County, Virginia]], U.S. Settled as a [[coal town]], Midlothian  village experienced [[suburbanization]] effects and is now part of the western suburbs of [[Richmond, Virginia]], south of the [[James River]] in the [[Greater Richmond Region]].<ref name="VAlovers">{{cite web|title=Midlothian|url=http://www.virginia.org/Cities/midlothian/|website=Virginia is for Lovers|publisher=Virginia Tourism Corporation|access-date=October 7, 2016}}</ref> Because of its unincorporated status, Midlothian has no formal government, and the name is used to represent the original small Village of Midlothian and a vast expanse of Chesterfield County in the northwest portion of [[Southside, Richmond Virginia|Southside Richmond]] served by the Midlothian post office.

The Village of Midlothian was named for the early 18th-century [[coal mining]] enterprises of the Wooldridge family. Incorporated in 1836, their Mid-Lothian Mining and Manufacturing Company employed free and enslaved people to do the deadly work of digging underground.<ref name="midlothianhistory">{{cite web|title=Historic Overview Mid-Lothian Mines and Railroad Foundation - Midlothian, Virginia|url=http://www.midlomines.org/historic-overview.html|website=Mid-Lothian Mines Park|access-date=October 6, 2016}}</ref>  Midlothian is the site of the first commercially-mined coal in the [[Colony of Virginia]] and [[North America]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nelson|first1=Scott Reynolds|title=Iron Confederacies: Southern Railways, Klan Violence, and Reconstruction|url=https://archive.org/details/ironconfederacie0000nels|url-access=registration|date=1999|publisher=Univ. of North Carolina Press|location=Chapel Hill|isbn=9780807848036}}</ref>

By the early 18th century, several mines were being developed in Chesterfield County by French [[Huguenot]]s and others. The mine owners began to export the commodity from the region in the 1730s. Midlothian-area coal from [[Henry Heth (businessman)|Harry Heth]]'s [[Black Heath]] mines heated the U.S. [[White House]] for President [[Thomas Jefferson]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Heath Gravity RR Marker is back|url=http://www.salisburyhomeowners.net/ResourceCenter/Download/27528~1133307?view=1|website=Salisbury Homeowners|publisher=The Salisbury Courier|access-date=October 6, 2016|page=1|date=2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Farina|first1=Elizabeth|title=Celebrate Mid-Lothian Mines, the village's history on May 2|url=http://www.richmond.com/news/local/chesterfield/article_580adca9-529c-534d-97f5-6b55ae75aac0.html|access-date=October 6, 2016|work=Richmond-Times Dispatch|date=May 1, 2009}}</ref> The transportation needs of coal shipping stimulated construction of a paved [[toll road]] (Virginia's first), the [[Manchester Turnpike]] in 1807; and the [[Chesterfield Railroad]], Virginia's first, in 1831; each traveled the {{convert|13|mi}} from the mining community to the port of [[Manchester, Virginia|Manchester]], just below the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line|Fall Line]] of the [[James River (Virginia)|James River]]. In 1850, the [[Richmond and Danville Railroad]] built Coalfield Station, a freight and later passenger depot, near the mines.

In the 1920s, the old turnpike was straightened and became part of the new east-west [[U.S. Route 60 (Virginia)|U.S. Route 60]]. A few decades later, residential neighborhoods were developed in [[Southside, Richmond Virginia|Southside Richmond]] near Midlothian, including the large [[Salisbury (Chesterfield County, Virginia)|Salisbury]] community and the [[Brandermill]] planned development sited on [[Swift Creek Reservoir]]. In the 21st century, Midlothian extends many miles beyond the original village area.<ref name="Special Area Plan">{{Citation|author=Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield County, Virginia  |date=December 11, 2019 |title=Midlothian Community Special Area Plan |url=https://www.chesterfield.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14194/Midlothian-Community-Special-Area-Plan-PDF }}</ref><ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B031'17.4%22N+77%C2%B039'53.2%22W/@37.5011521,-77.6586842,14.33z/data=!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d37.5215!4d-77.664778?hl=en Google Maps]</ref> [[Route 288 (Virginia)|State Route 288]] connects the community with [[Interstate 64 (Virginia)|Interstate 64]] and the [[Route 76 (Virginia)|State Route 76 "Powhite Parkway"]] toll road, and [[Interstate 95 (Virginia)|Interstate 95]] in the Richmond metropolitan area's southwestern quadrant.

== Geography ==

Midlothian is located in the [[Piedmont (United States)|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.

===Watersheds===
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 (James River tributary)|Falling Creek]]. The Swift Creek Reservoir serves as the major source of fresh water for the county.

==Demographics==
Midlothian first appeared as a [[census designated place]] in the [[2020 U.S. Census]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=2020 Geography Changes|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/table-and-geography-changes/2020/geography-changes.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=}}</ref>

As of 2020, the district of Midlothian had a total population of 72,711 consisting of 26,206 households.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US5104194679|access-date=October 31, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref> The population was 69.6% White (50,584), 13.9% Black (10,095), 4.4% Asian (3,203), 0.3% Native American (206), 0.05% Pacific Islander (41), 4.7% of other races (3,412) and 7.1% of two or more races (5,170). People of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race, made up 8.9% of the population (6,496).

In 2019, the median household income was $89,851.<ref name=":0" />

==Economy==
Midlothian was ranked #37 in [[CNNMoney]]'s list of "The Best Places to Live" in 2005<ref>{{Cite web|title=CNNMoney.com: Best places to live: Midlothian, VA snapshot|url=https://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/snapshots/45187.html|access-date=October 31, 2021|website=money.cnn.com}}</ref> and #99 in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Best places to live 2008 - Top 100 City details: Midlothian, VA - from MONEY Magazine|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/snapshots/CS5194679.html|access-date=October 31, 2021|website=money.cnn.com}}</ref>

At the turn of the 21st century, a group of area business professionals formed an independent organization called the Western Chesterfield Business Alliance, which in 2013 was renamed the Midlothian Business Alliance.

== Government ==
Midlothian is an [[unincorporated area]] of [[Chesterfield County, Virginia|Chesterfield County]]. The area is represented by an elected district supervisor on the county's [[board of supervisors]]. The position has been held by Mark S. Miller, Ph.D. since 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 18, 2022 |title=Midlothian District {{!}} Chesterfield County, VA |url=https://www.chesterfield.gov/1240/Midlothian-District---Miller |access-date=November 18, 2022 |website=www.chesterfield.gov}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
In 2004, completion of State Route 288 connected Midlothian to the circumferential highway network of [[greater Richmond Region]]. Development was controversial, and some residents wanted to avoid the scale seen in Northern Virginia. After years of discussion, in March 2006 Chesterfield County approved intensive zoning for the Watkins Centre, promoted as a large, mixed-use office complex and retail "lifestyle center" at the intersection of Route 288 and U.S. 60, {{convert|2|mi}} west of the Village of Midlothian.

With the addition of the multimillion-dollar Bon Secours Hospital, St. Francis, Midlothian has a major hospital within five minutes of Midlothian's highest concentration of residents.

[[James River High School (Chesterfield County, Virginia)|James River High School]], part of [[Chesterfield County Public Schools]] located in Midlothian, was named a [[National Blue Ribbon Schools Program|National Blue Ribbon School]] in 2000. In 2015, [[Cosby High School]], also located in Midlothian, received this recognition.<ref>[http://mychesterfieldschools.com/blog/cosby-high-is-named-a-national-blue-ribbon-school/ Cosby High is named a National Blue Ribbon School] mychesterfieldschools.com, September 25, 2015</ref> In 2019 [[Midlothian High School (Virginia)|Midlothian High School]] received the award.<ref>{{cite web |title=NBRS Midlothian High School of Midlothian, VA |url=https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/winning/19va104pu_midlothian_high_school.html |website=National Blue Ribbon Schools Program |access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref>

== History ==
===Etymology===
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 (Chesterfield County, Virginia)|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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Acts of the General Assembly of Virginia, Passed at the Session of 1834-35, Commencing 1st December, 1834, and Ending 12th March, 1835, In the Fifty-Ninth Year of the Commonwealth |date=1835 |publisher=Samuel Shepard |location=Richmond, Virginia |page=172 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KeJJAQAAMAAJ&q=midlothian+coal%2C+wooldridge%2C+1835&pg=PA172 |access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Acts of the General Assembly of Virginia, Passed at the Session of 1834-35, Commencing 1st December, 1834, and Ending 12th March, 1835, In the Fifty-Ninth Year of the Commonwealth |date=1835 |publisher=Samuel Shepard |location=Richmond, Virginia |page=172 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KeJJAQAAMAAJ&q=midlothian+coal%2C+wooldridge%2C+1835&pg=PA172 |access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref> 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 in 1850 later to be destroyed in 1864 during the Civil War. The second Coalfield Station was built two years later in 1866 to be finally demolished in 1957. The station stood at the intersection of Salisbury Drive and the railroad.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Burtchett|first1=Barbara I.|url=https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1491&context=masters-theses|title=A history of the village of Midlothian, emphasizing the period 1835-1935|date=May 1983|publisher=University of Richmond: UR Scholarship Repository: Masters' Theses|location=Richmond, Virginia|pages=46, 58, 86|access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref> The US Post Office established at the station had the name of Midlothian. This reflected the importance of the Midlothian Coal Mining Company. By the late 1800s, the area had ceased to be called Coalfield and was referred to as Midlothian.

===Early history===
Before the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century, the area had been populated for thousands of years by various cultures of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]. Among these in historic times were the [[Siouan languages|Siouan]]-speaking [[Monacan (tribe)|Monacan]] tribe. They often came into conflict with the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]-speaking members of the [[Powhatan Confederacy]], who were generally located to the east in the Virginia [[Tidewater (geographic term)|Tidewater]] area.

In 1700 and after, [[French people|French]] [[Huguenot]] settlers, who were [[Protestant]], came to the area in the Virginia Colony to escape [[Catholic]] religious persecution in France. Most came from London, where they had resettled as refugees. Although the Crown had offered the French land in [[Lower Norfolk County]], the governor of the colony and [[William Byrd I|William Byrd]] offered them the village of Manakin Town, which had been abandoned by the Monacan. Byrd and the governor intended to use the French as a buffer settlement, and thought they would be easier to control apart from the English. The location was about {{convert|20|mi}} above the [[head of navigation]] on the James River at what became Richmond. The French, many of whom were artisans and merchants, struggled to survive on the isolated frontier. The terrain was hilly and largely wooded, and shipping of farm products such as [[tobacco]] crops was not easy.

The greater natural resource in the Midlothian area was coal, and the area was ultimately developed with coal mining and [[railroad]]s. About {{convert|10|mi}} west of the fall line of the James River at present-day Richmond is a basin of coal, which was one of the earliest mined in the Virginia Colony. Scots settlers with mining skills began to mine this resource in the 18th century. Many coal-related enterprises in the Midlothian area of Chesterfield County began early in the 18th century.

In 1846, Chesterfield County's first Black church, First Baptist Church of Midlothian, was founded. It was rebuilt in 1877 after a fire, and the reconstruction included a small one-room building to be the first public school for Black children in the area.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|date=February 17, 2021|title=Beyond the mines: How a 175-year-old church in Midlothian became the heartbeat of a thriving Black community|url=https://www.chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/beyond-the-mines-how-a-175-year-old-church-in-midlothian-became-the-heartbeat-of-a-thriving-black-community/|access-date=October 31, 2021|website=Chesterfield Observer}}</ref>

===Coal mining===
[[File:Grove_Shaft.JPG|thumb|Grove Shaft]] 
The Village area of today's Midlothian started as a settlement of coal miners in the 18th century which were among the oldest mining shafts in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historic Overview Mid-Lothian Mines and Railroad Foundation - Midlothian, Virginia |url=https://www.midlomines.org/historic-overview.html |website=Mid-Lothian Mines Park |access-date=April 21, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> In 1709, Midlothian produced the first commercially mined coal in the United States. Among other participants in the area's emerging coal business was [[Henry Heth (Colonel)|Colonel Henry "Harry" Heth]], a businessman who emigrated from England about 1759. He established offices at [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] and Manchester, where several generations of his family were also involved in the business. {{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

During the [[American Revolution]], coal produced in the Midlothian coal pits supplied the cannon factory on the James River at [[Westham, Virginia|Westham]], upstream from Richmond; it produced shot and shells for the [[Continental Army]]. By the end of the War, developers shipped Chesterfield coal to Philadelphia, New York, Boston and to every city in Virginia. Commenting on the area's coal in his ''Notes on the State of Virginia'' (1781–82), then-Governor [[Thomas Jefferson]] stated: "The country on James river, from 15 to 20 miles above Richmond, and for several miles northward and southward, is replete with mineral coal of a very excellent quality."<ref>{{cite web|title=Notes on the State of Virginia|url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/jeffvir.asp|website=avalon.law.yale.edu|publisher=Avalon Project|access-date=October 7, 2016}}</ref> During his presidency, Jefferson ordered coal from the [[Black Heath (Chesterfield County)|Black Heath Mine]] in Midlothian for use in the [[White House]]. {{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

In 1989 the [[Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors]] approved a special area plan for Midlothian Mines Park, partly as a response to economic growth along [[Midlothian Turnpike]] resulting in [[population explosion]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Markus |title=Chesterfield seeks input from residents to draft vision for Midlothian's future |issue=May 21, 2016 |publisher=Richmond Times-Dispatch |quote=...[T]he once-quiet village has seen its population explode 125 percent in the 6-square-mile plan area, from 7,500 people in 2000 to 16,700 in 2014.}}</ref> The core of the new "Special Area Plan" was based on the boundary of the plan of 1989 and extended westward to [[Route 288]] as a [[natural boundary]], and a map of the Midlothian community special area plan boundary was provided by John G. Ownby for the ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Times-Dispatch |first1=MARKUS SCHMIDT Richmond |title=Chesterfield seeks input from residents to draft vision for Midlothian's future |url=https://www.richmond.com/news/local/chesterfield/chesterfield-seeks-input-from-residents-to-draft-vision-for-midlothian/article_b6438c49-a815-5770-80c4-25f64b6b1bbf.html |website=Richmond Times-Dispatch |access-date=March 16, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Midlothian Mines Park, on the site of the first commercially-mined coal deposits in the [[Colony of Virginia]], first opened for visitors in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=Coal in Virginia |url=http://www.virginiaplaces.org/geology/coal.html |website=www.virginiaplaces.org |access-date=April 21, 2019}}</ref> The Special Area Plan was updated in 2019.<ref name="Special Area Plan" />

=== Early roads, first turnpike, and railroads===

[[File:La_Prade_Map_1888_of_Chesterfield_County_%28zoom_on_Midlothian_Mines%29.jpg|thumb|300px|While the [[Chesterfield Railroad]] was founded to move coal to Richmond 13 miles (21 km) to the East, the [[Richmond and Danville]] railroad replaced it in the 1850s. ]]
In 1802, a petition to form the Manchester Turnpike Company was created by mine owners and investors. They wanted the construction of a [[macadam]] toll road at least 30 feet wide from Manchester to Falling Creek bridge.<ref>{{Cite web|last=KELLEHER|first=ED|title=Midlothian Turnpike: a twisting history, with some twisting tales|url=https://richmond.com/discover-richmond/midlothian-turnpike-a-twisting-history-with-some-twisting-tales/article_9fa54abf-3114-524a-ad2e-9e5a53916457.html|access-date=October 31, 2021|website=Richmond Times-Dispatch|language=en}}</ref> The toll road, [[U.S. Route 60 in Virginia#Richmond|Manchester and Falling Creek Turnpike]], was built in 1804 to ease traffic on what is now Old Buckingham Road. Farm and passenger wagons were allowed to only pay the toll one-way, however coal wagons were to pay half toll on return due to the wear the heavy wagons would create on the road.<ref name=":1">Burtchett, Barbara Irene, "A history of the village of Midlothian, Virginia, emphasizing the period 1835-1935" (1983). ''Master's Theses''. 479. Retrieved October 31, 2021.</ref> It was graveled in 1807, making it Virginia's first hard-surfaced road. The road's descendant is known today as [[Midlothian Turnpike]].

By 1824, an estimated 70 to 100 wagons, each of which was loaded with four or five tons of coal, made a daily trip on the [[Toll roads in the United States#History, funding through toll|turnpike]], transporting to the docks near Manchester the million or more bushels (30,000 metric tons) of coal that were produced in Chesterfield County each year. The heavily loaded coal wagons tended to cut deep ruts in the turnpike, raising clouds of dust in summer and churning the road into mud in the rainy season. As there were few options for [[shunpiking]], citizens whose faster buggies dawdled along behind the lumbering wagons urged the [[Virginia General Assembly|state legislature]] to do something about it&mdash;a canal, a better road, but ''something''.

The result was the Chesterfield Railroad, a {{convert|13|mi}} mule- and gravity-powered line that connected the Midlothian coal mines with wharves located at Manchester, directly across from Richmond. Partially funded by the [[Virginia Board of Public Works]], the railroad began operating in 1831, the first in the state. By 1852, the newer, steam-driven [[Richmond and Danville Railroad]] (R&D) began operation to Coalfield Station, later renamed Midlothian; it quickly supplanted the slower Chesterfield Railroad. In a financial reorganization in 1894, the R&D line through Midlothian became part of the [[Southern Railway (US)|Southern Railway]] system. It is now part of [[Norfolk Southern Railway]]. The R&D railroad depot was burned during the Civil War by Union Brigadier General [[August V. Kautz]] but was later rebuilt after the war in 1866. It was renovated in 1917 to accommodate higher demand and demolished in 1957 following the cease of Southern Railway passenger service. The depot was located at the northwest corner of the railroad and what is known today as Salisbury Drive.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Burtchett |first1=Barbara I. |title=A history of the village of Midlothian, Virginia, emphasizing the period 1835-1935 |date=May 1983 |publisher=University of Richmond |location=Richmond, Va. |pages=44–45, 58, 86, 104 |url=https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1491&context=masters-theses |access-date=September 7, 2023}}</ref> According to the 1895 Virginia atlas, the population of Midlothian was 375.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Elizabeth Dabney Coleman|title=Forerunner of Virginia's First Railway [The Chesterfield Tramway, 1830-1850]|journal=Virginia Cavalcade|date=1954|volume=4|issue=3|page=4}}</ref>

[[File:Midlothian Train Station, late 1940s.jpg|thumb|Midlothian train station (c. 1940s)]]

===20th century: village becomes surrounded by suburban development===
In the 20th century, coal mining declined. The area became less populated, remaining largely wooded with farms scattered along mostly rural and dirt roads. Gradually, post-war construction of the highway network and the growth of metropolitan Richmond brought subdivision residential development. When the [[Swift Creek Reservoir]] was created in 1965, the availability of water and sewer service accelerated residential growth, with [[Brandermill]] built in 1975.

In 1988, an extension of the [[Powhite Parkway]] and widening of Midlothian Turnpike and Hull Street Road ([[U.S. Route 360]]) provided much-needed highway infrastructure. The area continued to attract new residents as farm and forest lands were redeveloped into residential subdivisions. The expansion of the area assigned to the Midlothian post office caused a much larger area to be assigned to have a "Midlothian" [[ZIP code]] on their address. As a result, many address locations within Chesterfield County that are far away from the original Midlothian village on U.S. Route 60 have "Midlothian" as their [[preferred place name]]. Chesterfield County's Midlothian Community [[Special Area Plan]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chesterfield.gov/915/Midlothian-Community-Special-Area-Plan |title=Midlothian Community Special Area Plan {{!}} Chesterfield County, VA |website=www.chesterfield.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329165002/https://www.chesterfield.gov/915/Midlothian-Community-Special-Area-Plan |archive-date=March 29, 2019}}</ref> defines the Midlothian community as roughly the area between the Village of Midlothian and Lucks Lane to the south.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.chesterfield.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2125/Midlothian-Community-Special-Area-Plan-Study-Area-Map-PDF |title=Archived copy |access-date=March 29, 2019 |archive-date=March 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329163137/https://www.chesterfield.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2125/Midlothian-Community-Special-Area-Plan-Study-Area-Map-PDF |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Historic landmarks===
Chesterfield County Historic Landmarks near the Midlothian Village include:

* [[Bellona Arsenal]]
* [[Bethel Baptist Church (Midlothian, Virginia)|Bethel Baptist Church]]
* Bellgrade Plantation, 11500 West Huguenot Road<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ghosts of Bellgrade |url=https://www.ruthschris.com/restaurant-locations/richmond-midlothian/special-features/ghost-of-bellgrade/ |website=ruthschris.com |publisher=Ruth's Chris Steak House |access-date=September 7, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Dinwiddie County Pullman Car]]
* [[Pleasant View (Midlothian, Virginia)|Trabue's Tavern]], 11940 Old Buckingham Road
* [[Hallsboro Store]]
* [[Hallsborough Tavern]], 16300 Midlothian Turnpike
* Ivymont Manor, 14111 Midlothian Turnpike (built in 1850)<ref>{{cite web |title=Historic Midlothian Driving Tour |url=http://experiencechesterfield.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Midlothian-Driving-Tour-with-Map.pdf |website=experiencechesterfield.com |publisher=Experience Chesterfield |access-date=September 7, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Southside Speedway]], 12800 Genito Road
* [[Chesterfield Railroad]], portion of roadbed (visible off Sturbridge Drive south of Midlothian Turnpike behind Pocono Green Shopping Center)

===Chesterfield Museum===
An exhibit on local mining history in the [https://www.chesterfieldhistory.com/museum-old-jail Chesterfield Museum] includes a length of iron rail from the incline railway, the first in Virginia.

==Notable people==
*[[DaShaun Amos]], professional football player<ref>{{cite news |last=Igoe |first=Stephen |date=May 11, 2023 |title=Former Pirate DaShaun Amos has found a home in the CFL |url=https://247sports.com/college/east-carolina/article/dashaun-amos-cfl-has-found-a-home-former-ecu-football-player-210072539/ |work=247Sports |publisher=Paramount Global |location=Nashville, TN}}</ref>
*[[Leslie D. Carter]], U.S. Army major general<ref>{{cite news |date=January 6, 1957 |title=Maj. Gen. leslie D. Carter Of Salem Retiring From Army |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-roanoke-times-retiring/126820934/ |work=The Roanoke Times |location=Roanoke, VA |page=B-2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=March 26, 1992 |title=Ex-director of Valentine dies at 96 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-valentine/126820707/ |work=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]] |location=Richmond, VA |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
*[[Francis X. DiLorenzo]], [[Bishops in the Catholic Church|Catholic bishop]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindsey |first=Alberta |date=May 29, 2005 |title=New Bishop Making Big Moves |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-bishop/126838425/ |work=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]] |location=Richmond, VA |pages=B1, B4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
*[[Tori Hall]], pageant and reality TV contestant<ref>{{cite news |date=April 11, 2008 |title=Beauties Come to Vegas |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/fashion/beauties-come-to-vegas/ |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |location=Las Vegas, NV}}</ref>
*[[Jason Holman]], professional football player and coach<ref>{{cite news |date=January 13, 2010 |title=Revolution coming soon |url=https://www.progress-index.com/story/sports/2010/01/14/revolution-coming-soon/36485690007/ |work=[[The Progress-Index]] |location=Petersburg, VA}}</ref>
*[[Aimee Mann]], musician<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rega |first=Konstantin |date=September 8, 2022 |title=Beginner's Guide to Aimee Mann |url=https://virginialiving.com/api/content/ec683132-2952-11ed-9607-12274efc5439/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=VirginiaLiving.com |language=en-us}}</ref>
*[[Jesse Jefferson]], former pitcher for the [[Toronto Blue Jays]].
*[[Edward Johnson (general)|Edward Johnson]], [[Confederate States Army]] major general<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/people/edward-johnson.htm |title=Biography, Edward Johnson |author=[[National Park Service]] |website=NPS.gov |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior |location=Washington, DC |access-date=June 21, 2023}}</ref>
*[[Tyler Johnson (baseball, born 1995)|Tyler Johnson]], professional baseball player<ref>{{cite news |last=Joachim |first=Zach |date=November 23, 2020 |title=Midlothian native, Trinity Episcopal alum Tyler Johnson hoping promotion signals a bigger move in 2021 |url=https://richmond.com/sports/baseball/midlothian-native-trinity-episcopal-alum-tyler-johnson-hoping-promotion-signals-a-bigger-move-in-2021/article_5d2fe7e5-42c1-5b57-98e5-75f1634c802d.html |work=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]] |location=Richmond, VA |access-date=June 21, 2023 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
*[[Richard Kelly (filmmaker)|Richard Kelly]], filmmaker<ref>{{cite news |last=Tupponce |first=Joan |date=November 6, 2009 |title=The Cult of Richard Kelly |url=https://richmondmagazine.com/news/the-cult-of-richard-kelly-11-06-2009/ |work=Richmond Magazine |location=Richmond, VA}}</ref>
*[[Savannah Lane]], Miss Virginia 2015<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Miss Virginia|title= Former Miss Virginias, Miss Virginia 2015 |url= https://www.missva.org/index.php/forever-missvirginia/148-savannah-lane |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170423163712/http://missva.org/index.php/forever-missvirginia/148-savannah-lane |url-status= usurped |archive-date= April 23, 2017 |accessdate=June 9, 2024}}</ref>
*[[Jake Lowery]], professional baseball coach and manager<ref>{{cite news |last=Tupponce |first=Joan |date=March 21, 2012 |title=Natural Cycle |url=https://richmondmagazine.com/news/natural-cycle-03-21-2012/ |work=Richmond Magazine |location=Richmond, VA |access-date=June 21, 2023}}</ref>
*[[Alex McMurtry]], gymnast<ref>{{cite news |date=2018 |title=McMurtry named SEC Gym Scholar-Athlete of the Year |url=https://www.secsports.com/article/22899292/mcmurtry-named-sec-gym-scholar-athlete-year |work=SEC Sports.com |publisher=Southeastern Conference |location=Birmingham, AL |access-date=June 21, 2023}}</ref>
*[[Luis Rendon]], college soccer player<ref>{{cite news |date=May 11, 2011 |title=Cosby’s Luis Rendon wins Gatorade Virginia Boys Soccer Player of the Year award |url=https://www.soccerwire.com/news/cosbys-luis-rendon-wins-gatorade-virginia-boys-soccer-player-of-the-year-award/ |work=Soccer Wire.com |publisher=HummerSport, LLC |location=Sterling, VA |access-date=June 21, 2023}}</ref>
*[[Drew Romig]], professional soccer player<ref>{{cite news |last=Ridgard |first=Will |date=November 8, 2016 |title=Romig Grateful for Opportunity |url=https://www.richmondkickers.com/news/2016/11/08/romig-grateful-for-opportunity/ |work=USL Digital |location=Tampa, FL}}</ref>
*[[Shannon Taylor (field hockey)|Shannon Taylor]], Olympic field hockey player and college coach<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-field-hockey/athletes/shannon-taylor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321124356/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-field-hockey/athletes/Shannon-Taylor |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 21, 2015 |title=Team USA: Shannon Taylor |date=2022 |website=Team USA.org |publisher=United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee |location=Colorado Springs, CO |access-date=June 21, 2023}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
Midlothian is the inspiration for the fictional town of Middlesex, Virginia in the cult film ''[[Donnie Darko]]''. "It’s meant to be a stylized, satirical, comic book, fantasyland version of what I remember Midlothian, Virginia to be, I guess," filmmaker [[Richard Kelly (director)|Richard Kelly]] has explained.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=Rebecca|title=Inside "Donnie Darko" with Writer/Director Richard Kelly|url=http://movies.about.com/cs/donniedarko/a/donniedarkork.htm|website=About.com Entertainment|access-date=October 7, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Aetna Hill (Midlothian, Virginia house)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* James, George Watson (1967), "Gravity plus mules equal "steam" ", ''Virginia Record'', Richmond, VA.  (Apr. 1967 issue v. 89, no.4, p.&nbsp;8)
* Lutz, Frank E.. (1954) ''Chesterfield, An Old Virginia County'', William Byrd Press, Inc., Richmond, Virginia.
* O’Dell, Jeffrey M. (1983) ''Chesterfield County: Early Architecture and Historic Sites'', Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield, Virginia.
* Scarburgh, George Parker, (1850), ''Opinion of Honorable George P. Scarburgh, of Accomac, Virginia, in the cases between the Chesterfield Railroad Company and the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company'', Richmond, VA: H. K. Ellyson
* Weaver, Bettie W. ([[Bettie Weaver]])(1961–1962) "The Mines of Midlothian", in ''Virginia Cavalcade'' Winter: pages 40–47.
* [http://www.midlomines.org/timeline3.html Chesterfield Railway Chronology]
* Burke Davis (1985) ''The Southern Railway: Road Of The Innovators'' Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080706035748/http://www.csa-railroads.com/Richmond%20%26%20Danville.htm Confederate Railroads website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131228064053/http://spec.lib.vt.edu/railroad/rrintro.htm Special Collections, Virginia Tech University Library]

==External links==
*[https://midlobusiness.com/ Midlothian Business Alliance]
*[https://www.midlomines.org/ Midlothian Mines and Rail Road Foundation]
*[https://www.waltonpark.net/ Walton Park Community Association]
*[http://www.midlothianva.org/ The Village of Midlothian Website]
*[http://www.midlothianrotary.org/ Midlothian Rotary Club]
*[https://mckiwanis.org/ Kiwanis Club of Midlothian-Chesterfield]
{{Chesterfield County, Virginia}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Chesterfield County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Virginia]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Chesterfield County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Virginia]]
[[Category:Geography of Richmond, Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places on the James River (Virginia)]]
[[Category:Coal towns in Virginia|Midlothian, Virginia (orginally called Coalfield, Virginia)]]