Living in Nelson County

Nelson County Bicentennial Coin (see photos below, courtesy of Nelson County Life magazine)

The Nelson County Bicentennial Coin is very unique in that it not only observes the Bicentennial of our county but also the Quadricentennial of our Nation.  One side of the coin includes an engraving of the Nelson County Courthouse, the words Nelson County Bicentennial across the top of the coin, the dates 1807-2007 at the bottom. The Silver coins are minted from .9999 Fine Silver.

Nelson Countyís courthouse of 1809 illustrates the use of a tradition of applying arcades to public buildings traced from the English Renaissance town halls and maintained in colonial buildings in Williamsburg.  The Nelson County Courthouse was built by George Varnum according to plans submitted by Sheldon Crostwait, one of the justices, and is the only courthouse to have five arches rather than the standard four.  It has been in continuous use since completion, though enlarged and modified over the years.

Nelson County was formed from Amherst in 1807 and is named for General Thomas Nelson, Governor of the Commonwealth in 1781.  The first meeting of the Court was held at the Courthouse which had previously served Amherst County at Cabellsville (present day Colleen) in June 1808.  This location was too far from the center of the County and it was decided to build Nelsonís first permanent Courthouse on a tract of land belonging to James Loving.  Hence, the town of Lovingston was established in 1809 and the new Courthouse was completed and in use by February 1810.
The reverse side of the coin is a duplication of the Virginia State Quarter in the series of State Quarters being minted from year 2000-2010.  The Virginia quarter, the tenth coin released under the 50 States Quarters Program was put into circulation on October 16, 2000.  The year 2000 is engraved at the bottom of the coin in observance of this event.  The three ships that landed at Jamestown in 1607 (Susan Constant, Discovery, and Godspeed) are engraved in the middle of the coin.  These ships reached Virginia in the spring of 1607, and on May 14, the 104 passengers, all men and boys began building on the banks of the James River what was to be Americanís first permanent English colony, predating Plymouth in Massachusetts by 13 years.  

Jamestown was the first English settlement in the U.S. and was the first capital of Virginia.  The word VIRGINIA and year 1788 are engraved at the top of the coin, with 1788 being the year Virginia, the tenth of the original thirteen colonies, was admitted to the Union.  Above the ships and to the left center of the coin appear the years 1607-2007 in observance of the Quadricentennial since the landing of the ships at Jamestown.  Engraved at the bottom of the coin are the words, E PLURISBUS UNUM, which mean ìOut of many, one.î  This is the reference to the thirteen original colonies united into one nation.

Commissioned by:
The Nelson County Bicentennial Committee

Minted by:
SilverTowne Mint ñ Winchester, Indiana