Hanover County, from first light.
An independent guide to the towns, history, seasons and everyday life of Hanover County and Ashland, Virginia.
Eight ways into the county
Every page in this guide belongs to a real place in Hanover County. Start with the part of the county you came for.
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Towns & places
Ashland, Mechanicsville, Hanover Courthouse, Beaverdam, Montpelier, Doswell and the crossroads between.
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History
From the county’s founding in 1720 to Patrick Henry, the courthouse, the railroad and the battles of 1864.
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Things to do
Kings Dominion, parks, river landings, trails and a slow afternoon in Ashland.
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Events
Strawberry Faire, the Tomato Festival, Train Day, the county fair and the holiday parades.
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Living here
Schools, libraries, dog licenses, trash and recycling, taxes and the numbers you need.
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Sports
Friday nights at Atlee, Patrick Henry, Hanover, Lee-Davis and Mechanicsville, and Randolph-Macon’s Yellow Jackets.
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Food & farms
Hanover tomatoes, farm stands, farmers markets and where Ashland eats.
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The archive
The Herald-Progress from 1881 to 2018: its story, and where its pages and photographs are kept today.
The year in Hanover
The festivals and fixtures of the county, month by month. Dates move a little every year; each event page lists the current one.
- January
- February
- March usually
- April usually
- May
- June usually
- July usually
- August usually
- September usually
- October This month usually
- November
- December usually
Newest guides
The first guides are being written. Until then, the eight areas above lead to every topic this guide will cover.
The Herald-Progress, 1881 to 2018
For 137 years this domain belonged to Hanover County’s newspaper. It published its final edition on 29 March 2018. This site is a new, independent guide that keeps the name and the county, and tells the paper’s story honestly.
- 1881The paper is founded in Hanover County
- 1919Hanover Herald and Ashland Progress merge into the Herald-Progress
- 1933Paul and Lois Watkins buy the paper
- 1981Malcolm “Jay” Pace III becomes publisher
- 2008Lakeway Publishers acquires the paper
- 2018Final edition on 29 March
Looking for something in Hanover County?
Search the guide, or write to us if a place, date or fact is missing.



