Hanover County is in the final stages of renovating what used to be the General District Court Building into an office building that will house the offices of the Assessor, Human Resources, General Services and Parks & Recreation. This building is expected to open in later this summer.

On June 24, the Board of Supervisors named the building after Martha Ann Fields. On the same day, the Board unveiled a Virginia Department of Historic Resources marker on the Courthouse lawn dedicated to the Martha Ann Fields family.

Martha Ann Fields was an enslaved laborer on the Nutshell property, which in those days encompassed what is now the County government complex. After a Union army raid during the Civil War, she was able to escape with her children. Several of her children went on to great achievements in their adult lives.

Speaking during the ceremony was Ajena Rogers, a descendent of Martha Ann Fields who lives in Hanover and works for the National Park Service. She was accompanied by her children. Also speaking during the ceremony Julie Langan, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.