• Newspaper
  • Community

  • History

    The Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch newspaper (based in Lunenburg County) is an independent weekly devoted to the interests of Lunenburg County. It was purchased by Farmville Newsmedia LLC, becoming a part of Boone Newspapers Inc. family, in late July 2015. The newspaper is published every Wednesday.

    The purchase ended nearly seven decades of ownership by the Tucker family, of Drakes Branch, who owned the Dispatch for 69 years.

    The late Otis Ottway “Sam” Tucker Jr. and his brother-in-law the late E.E. Franklin initially purchased the Dispatch in 1946. When Franklin passed away in the mid-1960s, Dorothy C. “Dot” Tucker became co-publisher with her husband, Sam.

    Dot took over the sole publisher’s role in 1981, following the death of her husband and continued in that capacity until the Dispatch was sold.

  • Market

    Lunenburg County is located in the south central part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is the town of Lunenburg. The county is mainly rural.

    Geographic location

    The county has a total area of 432 square miles of land, and is adjacent to Brunswick, Charlotte, Mecklenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties. Lunenburg is approximately 30 minutes from South Hill.

    Population

    Lunenburg County: 12,914

    Climate

    Lunenburg County has warm summers, relatively mild winters and normally adequate rainfall. The county usually experiences from 20- to 40-degree weather during January-March as winter matures into spring. From April-July temperatures can rise to 90 degrees as spring ends and summer takes place. Over the last decade, the fall season has become warmer showing temperatures anywhere from 90-60 degrees. During the winter, residents usually experience few snow and ice storms and temperatures can drop to below freezing.

    Major employers

    Major employers in Lunenburg County are Virginia Marble Manufacturing, Lunenburg County Public Schools, Lunenburg Correctional Center, Benchmark Community Bank and Lunenburg County.

    Education

    Lunenburg County has one public high school, Central High School. Although the county has no private schools, some residents do send their children to Kenston Forest School in Nottoway County. The county also resides near Southside Virginia Community College’s John H. Daniel campus, located in Keysville, and Christanna campus, located in Alberta.

    Culture

    The county’s small-town environment is highly focused on community events in the towns of Victoria and Kenbridge. Events like Autumn Days, Small Town Christmas, National Day of the Cowboy and the 5th Avenue Farmers Market are unique happenings that draw in visitors to the county.

    Recreation

    Lunenburg County is filled with many fishing and hunting opportunities for recreation. Throughout the fall, many residents enjoyed hunting whitetail deer, wild turkey and small game. The most popular place to fish is at Nottoway Falls Lake. The county also has several community centers that provide many recreational opportunities.

    Interesting tidbit

    Lunenburg County is historically known as the “Mother of Counties.” After being formed from Brunswick on May 1, 1746, Lunenburg went on to provide territory for the formation of nine other counties after 1753. The first Lunenburg Courthouse was located in what is now Mecklenburg County.