Settlement of the Middlesex County, Virginia began around 1640 with the county being officially formed in 1669 from a part of Lancaster County. The county's only incorporated town, Urbanna, was established in 1680 serving initially as a port for shipping agricultural products and later as the county's commercial and governmental center. The Historic Middlesex County Courthouse in Saluda was built in 1850-1874 by architects William R. Jones and John P. Hill, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A popular tourist destination, Middlesex County is a beautiful, waterfront community with frontage on the Piankatank River, Rappahanock River, and Chesapeake Bay.