- Local governments grapple with spiking energy costs
- Hanover plans local cannabis rules ahead of 2027 retail market
- Netflix-inspired camp helps Richmonders build social confidence
- NextEra–Dominion merger filings start 6-month clock on regulatory review
- Powhatan recovery home reaches settlement after yearslong federal lawsuit
Curious Commonwealth asks: How did Chesterfield County’s charter get lost so many times?
In an inconspicuous reading room on the third floor of the Library of Virginia, work is underway to restore a seminal document in the history of Chesterfield County — the 1749 Commission of the Peace, now considered the county’s original charter.
“It is the birth certificate of Chesterfield County,” said Liess van der Linden-Brusse, the librarian of the Chesterfield Historical Society.
It is a difficult piece of parchment to miss. Not only does it still have its original ribbon-and-wax seal, but it’s about 80 inches diagonally from corner to corner — the size of a very large television. Despite that, the charter has had an extraordinary journey over more than 275 years — disappearing multiple times along the way, before ending up in the library’s hands in 2017.
“We know that the document was in a lot of locations,” laughed Amanda Pohl, the county’s clerk of court.
For Curious Commonwealth, reporter Billy Shields set out to trace the path of the document — which started out as a pact between Sir William Gooch (Goochland County’s namesake) and King George II to set up Chesterfield’s courthouse and designate various officers to police it.
Click here to read about the charter’s incredible journey. And if you have a question about what makes Virginia interesting, you can submit it to the Curious Commonwealth team.
VPM News coverage of Virginia’s congressional primary elections
Today is the beginning of the home stretch for Virginia’s 2026 congressional primary elections. Election Day is Tuesday, August 4, and today is the first of two Saturdays where voters can cast early ballots in person at City Hall or the registrar’s office.
VPM News has all the information you need about how to cast an early ballot — including what to do if you missed the deadline to register to vote ahead of this election.
We also have guides to the candidates in races affecting Central Virginia:
- the 1st Congressional District, where seven Democrats are vying for the opportunity to challenge longtime GOP Rep. Rob Wittman
- the 4th Congressional District, where there are no primaries, but two independent challengers are on the ballot for the November general election
- the 5th Congressional District (the only district with both GOP and Democratic primaries), where both sides have expressed frustration with Republican incumbent John McGuire
- the 7th Congressional District, where three Republicans are facing off with hopes of unseating Democratic incumbent Eugene Vindman come November
- the Republican primary for the US Senate seat held by three-term Democrat Mark Warner
This week in VPM News Shorts: Richmond camp; Shoosmith Landfill
What happened this week in VPM News Shorts?
On Tuesday, Keyris Manzanares took a look at a summer camp inspired by Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum that helps Richmond residents build confidence with social situations.
And Billy Shields closed the week with the latest from Chesterfield County, where local and state officials are trying to figure out who will foot the $173 million bill for cleanup at the former Shoosmith Landfill site.
Don’t forget, you can watch all our Shorts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
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