The Downtown Gloucester Historic District was among nine historic sites recently approved by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources for listing in the Virginia Landmarks Register.

The downtown area has been the administrative center of Gloucester County since at least the time of the 1766 construction of a third county courthouse and the official 1769 establishment of the Town of Botetourt. A courthouse has existed at or near the current one since 1680.

After the Civil War, industrialization and new forms of commerce brought more people into Gloucester Court House, resulting in development and expansion of the village down Main Street beyond the original courthouse circle. The period of significance for the historic district runs from 1754 to 1960, according to VDHR.

Also approved for the Landmarks Register were the Downtown Hampton Historic District, the Morattico Historic District in Lancaster, the Sebrell Rural Historic District in Southampton, the Bauserman Farm in S...