Chatham, Virginia

Chatham, Virginia
Town
North Main Street Chatham Virginia, 2022
Location of Chatham, Virginia
Coordinates: 36°49′32″N 79°23′51″W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Pittsylvania
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	2.03 sq mi (5.26 km2)
• Land	2.03 sq mi (5.26 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	748 ft (228 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,232
• Density	607.2/sq mi (234.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	24531
Area code	434
FIPS code	51-15000
GNIS feature ID	1498464
Website	Official website

Chatham is a town in the US state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, 1,232 people lived there. It is in the Danville, Virginia metropolitan statistical area.

History

Chatham has the oldest continually used building in Pittsylvania County. The building was an 18th-century tavern. It is now a house used by Chatham Hall faculty.

Chatham is the county seat for Pittsylvania County. It became the county seat in 1777. There is a large U.S. Department of Agriculture office to help farmers in the area. There is also a small office of the U.S. Forestry Service. The State of Virginia built a new prison where there used to be a work-release camp. This caused improvements in fire and water services to support the increased population.

There were no battles in Chatham during the American Civil War. On Confederate Memorial Day each year, the Daughters of the Confederacy puts flowers at the statue of a Confederate soldier. There is a walking tour of the downtown historic district. There are several bed and breakfast places on Main Street in historic Greek Revival homes.

Schools

Schools in Chatham include:

• Chatham High School
• Hargrave Military Academy
• Chatham Hall, an all-female boarding high school

Gallery

• 
  North Main Street, Chatham, c. 1909
• 
  Pittsylvania County courthouse, Chatham
• 
  Lower Main Street, Chatham, February 1911