Named after the Appomattox River, the Town of Appomattox is located in the heart of Virginia, just three miles from the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. Before and during the Civil War, the town now known as Appomattox was named “Nebraska, VA,” and was the site of a railroad depot on the line between Petersburg and Lynchburg. It was the inconvenience of this railroad’s location to the original Appomattox Court House that led to the decline of the courthouse community. In 1892, a fire destroyed the courthouse building and the county relocated it to the depot area, which officially became the county seat in 1894. One year later, in 1895, the town was renamed to “West Appomattox.”
On June 2nd, 1925 came S. Ferguson, A. H. Clement, C. W. Smith and others, being more than twenty duly qualified voters of the thickly settled community known as Appomattox, in the County of Appomattox, and presented in open Court their petition, with proper notice attached, stating the time and place of presenting said petition to the Court, and the Court being satisfied that it will be to the interest of the inhabitants of said town; that the prayer of said petition is reasonable; that the general good of the community mentioned in said petition will be promoted by the incorporation of said community by the name of "The Town of Appomattox". -- excerpt from the Charter of the Code of the Town of Appomattox, Virginia.
