Powhatan County is located in Virginia’s Central Piedmont province between the historic Appomattox and James rivers, to the west of Richmond.

In 1700, French Huguenot refugees settled at a Monacan abandoned village, which they renamed as Manakin Town. It was located about 20 miles above the falls on the James River. French refugees also settled on the other side of the river in two villages now known collectively as Manakin-Sabot in nearby Goochland County to the north. In May 1777, the Virginia General Assembly created Powhatan County out of land from the eastern portion of Cumberland County between the Appomattox and James rivers. Residents named the county in honor of Chief Powhatan, paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy. He was the father of Pocahontas, whom colonists perceived as friendly. In 1850, a small portion of Chesterfield County was annexed, creating the current boundaries of Powhatan County.