The City of Petersburg was formed portions of Dinwiddie, Prince George & Chesterfield Cos.
It was named for Peter Jones, a companion of William Byrd.
Petersburg was established in 1748, incorporated as a town in 1784, and as a city in 1850.
Fort Henry, a trading post, was established there in 1645,
on the site of an Indian village called Appamattuck.
  (source: Hornbook of Virginia History)