1649Government
== History ==
=== Presence of indigenous groups ===
=== Early European settlement ===
In 1649, the 629,000-acre Northern Neck Proprietary was established by King Charles II ...
1688History
Upon his passing, control of the territory was transferred to his son, Thomas Colepeper, the 2nd Baron; in 1688 he received a new patent from King James verifying his claim to t...
1710History
Upon his death in 1710, control of the territory passed on to his son Thomas, the 6th Lord.
1714Government
German, English, and Scots-Irish colonists established farms along the Rapidan and Crooked Run valleys between 1714 and 1720 as part of the Germanna Colony settlement founded by...
1719History
Given that he was only 16 at the time, administrative authority fell to his mother, who would maintain it until her death in 1719, when the whole of the proprietary was passed o...
1748History
=== Founding and colonial period ===
In 1748, the Virginia House of Burgesses formally created Culpeper County from Orange County, effective May 17, 1749.
1749Government
The town was laid out in 1749 by a young George Washington while working as a surveyor for Lord Fairfax, and formally established in 1759 by the Virginia House of Burgesses unde...
1759Government
After Culpeper County was established, the Virginia House of Burgesses voted on February 22, 1759, to create the Town of Fairfax.
1763History
Slave patrols were active as early as 1763, "scouring" the county to scrutinize the freedman status or travelling rights of itinerant blacks.
1765Civil Rights
In 1765, 16 of the 20 justices of Culpeper Courthouse resigned their commissions in protest of Britain's imposition of the Stamp Act.
1775Military
During the American Revolutionary War, the Culpeper Minutemen militia organized here in 1775.
1792History
It originally included what are now Madison and Rappahannock counties (split off in 1792 and 1831 respectively).
1795History
=== American independence and the Antebellum Period ===
The first postmaster in Culpeper (then Fairfax) was installed in 1795.
1802Government
The first state-chartered educational institution was established in the county in 1802, its first newspaper, The Culpeper Gazette, was founded in 1827.
1860Military
Culpeper residents would organize in 1860 under the same flag and banner and at the same location that they had at the outset of the Revolutionary War.
1861History
Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats by a single vote, but would ultimately endorse secession at the Virginia Convention in 1861.
1862Military
During the initial period of Confederate control, Culpeper Courthouse was host to an army hospital, training camp, and supply base (beginning in 1862).
1863Military
The nearby Battle of Brandy Station on June 9, 1863, remains the largest cavalry engagement of the war, while the Battle of Cedar Mountain (August 1862) and the Battle of Kelly'...
1868History
Lightfoot (1868–1947) educator, classics scholar
William Morgan, whose 1826 disappearance in New York state sparked a powerful anti-Freemasonry movement
Waller T.
1869Military
Following the Confederate surrender, Culpeper was rechartered in 1869.
1870Disaster
=== Post-Civil War and twentieth century modernization ===
In 1870, a fire destroyed the courthouse and several surrounding structures, prompting a wave of rebuilding that shape...
1881History
congressman (1881–1887) and U.S.
1889Government
The Culpeper Times, a weekly tabloid founded in 1889, has a print circulation around 5,000 copies.
1903Government
The Reconstruction era saw the rise of new civic and religious institutions established by formerly enslaved residents, including churches, the Culpeper Colored School (1903), a...
1926Government
The Culpeper Library was founded in 1926.
1949History
WCVA (1490 AM / 95.3 FM) broadcasts classic hits and was first launched in 1949, also under Piedmont Communications ownership.
1956Government
=== Police ===
The Culpeper Police Department was founded in 1956.
1960Government
During the presidential election campaign of 1960, vice presidential nominee Lyndon B.
1962Military
Army lieutenant general, resided in Culpeper during his retirement
Robert Young Button, Attorney General of Virginia (1962-1970) and Virginia State Senator (1945-1961)
Cary Trav...
1964History
The last time a Democratic presidential candidate carried the county was in 1964.
1969Architecture
Federal Reserve built an underground bunker southeast of town in 1969 as a continuity-of-government site.
1971History
WJMA (103.1 FM) is a country music station licensed to Culpeper, operated by Piedmont Communications since its debut on December 4, 1971.
1982Government
=== Townscape ===
The central business district is largely encompassed by the Culpeper Historic District, a 50-acre area established in 1982 to preserve the town’s architectura...
1995History
In 1995, former Superman star Christopher Reeve lost his balance during a horse competition and fell, resulting in severe spinal injury and permanent quadriplegic paralysis.
1996Culture
In 1996, the library became an agency of the county, and was renamed Culpeper Town and County Library.
1997Education
A major cultural landmark is the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, opened by the Library of Congress in 1997 on the site of a former Federal Reserve facility.
2006Architecture
== Parks and recreation ==
The Culpeper Sports Complex, opened in 2006, receives over 350,000 visitors annually and features multiple athletic fields, including soccer, football...
2011Disaster
Culpeper has also been affected by modern events such as the 2011 Virginia earthquake, which damaged downtown structures, and recent technology-related investment, including dat...
2013Architecture
The Pitts Theatre, an Art Deco structure built in the late 1930s, was reopened in 2013 as a performing arts venue but closed again in 2016.
2014Military
The Museum of Culpeper History relocated in 2014 to the town’s historic depot building, expanding exhibits on local archaeology and wartime heritage.
2019History
According to the 2019–2023 American Community Survey, the median household income in Culpeper was $88,702, and the per capita income was $36,327.
2020History
== Demographics ==
According to the 2020 U.S.
2022History
In 2022, Amazon Web Services, through its subsidiary Marvell Developments, submitted a proposal for a data center development in Culpeper County that required rezoning of agricu...
2023History
In January 2023, the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors approved the rezoning request for the project following public hearings and debate.
2024Military
In 2024, the state opened Culpeper Battlefields State Park, protecting portions of the Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain battlefields for public use.
2025Military
The county’s Department of Economic Development received six Excellence in Economic Development Awards from the International Economic Development Council in 2025.