Petersburg and Asylum Railway conducted business in Petersburg during the late nineteenth century. It was sold at public auction by a decree of the Hustings Court of Petersburg in 1896. Petersburg Circuit Court Clerk Robert Gilliam was receiver for the railroad.
The account book and cashbook were used as exhibits in the chancery suit Trustees of Farmers Loan and Trust Company versus Petersburg and Asylum Railway Company heard in the City of Petersburg Circuit Court.
Petersburg was formed from parts of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Chesterfield counties. A garrison and fur trading post called Fort Henry was established in 1645 on the site of the Indian village of Appamattuck. The present name, suggested in 1733 by William Byrd II, honors Peter Jones, Byrd's companion on expeditions into the Virginia backcountry. Petersburg was established in 1748 and incorporated as a town in 1784. In the latter year the towns of Blandford, Pocahontas, and Ravenscroft were added to Petersburg. It was incorporated as a city in 1850. Petersburg was enlarged by annexation from both Prince George and Dinwiddie counties in 1972.
From the guide to the Petersburg and Asylum Railway Account Book and Cashbook, 1894-1896, (The Library of Virginia)
