Established around the 1760s by Robert Moseley, Summerville was home to many prominent Chesterfield families until its decay following the American Civil War.

The Summerville site was originally part of a 17,653-acre tract granted by the British crown to John Tullit.

The Moseley's built a small house at Summerville in the early 1760s which was soon enlarged on account of the number of children they had: Thomas, Arthur, John, Magdalene, Judith, William, and Peter.

[2] The site of the Summerville house was on a ridge overlooking the Michaux Creek valley and "it is said that the westward view was unsurpassed in that area of Virginia.

During the next couple decades, he was part of a group of Virginia politicians that crafted and ran the early state's government.

When Col. Hancock came to Summerville, he was not a man of great means but over time, he became one of the richest men in Chesterfield County.

During the 1960s, the fields of Summerville were planted over with trees and in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the entire former tract north of Michaux Creek was built over by housing developments.