Werowocomoco
Virginia's first known capital was Werowocomoco, the "seat" of the Native American chief that the English colonists in 1607 called Powhatan. Werowocomoco was located on modern Purtan Bay, on the north bank of the York River in Gloucester County, 15 miles upstream from Yorktown and 15 miles north of Jamestown. Werowocomoco was on the north bank of the York River, on the Middle Peninsula of Virginia, in what is today Gloucester County.
According to John Smith1, Pocahontas came to his rescue at Weowocomoco, before Powhatan would have finished a ritual that potentially could have ended with a smashing of John Smith's head.
Today the reservations of the Pamunkey and Mattaponi tribes are located nearby in in King William County, upstream from Powhatan's old capital. The chief and council of the Pamunkey tribe is centered on a reservation on the Pamunkey River. The Mattaponi reservation is also upstream, but on the Mattaponi River. (If you travel upstream from Werocomoco, what we call the York River today splits into two tributaries, the Pamunkey and Mattiponi rivers, at the modern community of West Point.)
Pamunkey and Mattaponi rivers flow together at West Point to form the York River
Source:
National Atlas
When the English arrived in 1607, most werowances (lesser chiefs) in Tidewater from Aquia/Potomac Creeks to the Elizabeth River were subordinate to a paramount chief named Powhatan (also known by other names, including Wahunsunacock). He had initially inherited control of six tribes located near modern-day Richmond and Ashland. In addition to control over the town of Powhatan located near today's Church Hill at the falls of the James River, Powhatan inherited authority over the Arrohothateck, Appamattuck, Mattaponi, Pamunkey, and Youghtanund.2 Over time, and before the English arrived, Powhatan gained control over the tribes living along the protein-rich York River where he would establish his capital at Werowocomoco, which meant "king's house."3
expansion of territory over which Powhatan sought to exert control
(note that Werowocomoco was not located in his original territory)
Werowocomoco was never the capital of all Virginia. It was the capital of the Algonquian confederation ruled by one paramount chief who controlled only a portion of Tidewater Virginia, mostly between the southern bank of "Powhatan's river" (today's James River) and the Potomac River near Aquia. Each werowance who owed allegiance to Powhatan had his own town site, identified by John Smith in his Map of Virginia.
The Iroquian-speaking Nottaways and Meherrins south of Powhatan's river (today's "James River"), and the Siouian-speaking Monacans and Manahoacs upstream of the falls on the Tidewaters rivers, owed no allegiance to Powhatan. Other Algonquian-speaking tribes at the Occoquan River, such as the Dogue, did not consider Powhatan to be their paramount chief. The Rappahannock River was an approximate border of Powhatan's territory (Tsenacommacah) when the English arrived. Powhatan considered the Potowomacks at Aquia/Potomac creeks to be subordinate to him, but their chief "rebelled" in 1613 and chose to sell the visiting Pocahontas to the English.
Before the English arrived, Powhatan had not consolidated control even over all territory on the peninsula between what we now call the James and York rivers. The Chickahominy tribe located on the Chickahominy River in the center of Powhatan's territory was allied with, but not controlled by him, in 1607.
It took only two years for the English colony to disrupt Powhatan's world so much that he moved his capital, or "seat." He abandoned Werowocomoco in 1609 and moved his capital to Orapakes, to get further away from the English colonists.
Recent archeological investigations have documented that site 44GL32 is the location of Werowocomoco at Purtan Bay, between Leigh Creek and Bland Creek. The site could date to the 13th Century - so there was 400 years of settlement at that site, before the English arrived.4 In addition to the artifacts from a standard town, Werowocomoco appears to have been designed as a special, sacred place. Ditches, an unusual feature in Algonquian towns, separated the sacred site from the "normal" town. As described in the nomination of Werowocomoco to National Register of Historic Places:5
- Archaeological excavations began in 2003 and have continued to the present. A combination of exploratory test units and block excavations have documented intact Late Woodland/Contact period deposits virtually throughout the 45 acres nominated (Figure 3). As expected, and typical of Powhatan villages, intensive occupation is found along the waterfront at Purtan Bay. Here have been documented literally hundreds of postholes from former structures in addition to other cultural features as well as well preserved faunal and botanical remains (Photo 2). It also is here that one finds the highest density and diversity of Native American artifacts on the site, with the Late Woodland/Contact period date being confirmed by the presence of shell tempered fabric impressed, simple stamped, and plain ceramic shards as well as triangular projectile points (Photo 4).
- Unexpected, however, was continuation of intact Late Woodland/Contact period deposits to the east away from Purtan Bay. Here at a distance of approximately one thousand feet from the waterfront, two parallel ditches were discovered, each being approximately 2-3 feet wide and 1.5 feet deep (Photo 3). These ditches virtually bisect the property in a north-south direction, thereby dividing the site into a western portion nearest the water and an eastern portion bordering an interior upper terrace edge. The presence of solely Native American artifacts in all but the very tops of the ditches suggest they are indeed of Native American origin. This is further confirmed by two radiocarbon dates, one from each ditch, A.D. 1400-1450 and A.D. 1400-1460 (both calibrated ages at the two sigma range; cf. Gallivan et al. 2005). Intriguingly, Smith (1986a:69) describes Powhatan's house at Werowocomoco as being "some thirtie score" from the waterfront. If one assumes he was referring to paces, this places the structure ca. 1,500-1,800 feet from the waterfront as it existed in 1607-1609, and clearly to the east of these ditches. Limited test excavations to the east of these ditches have documented the presence of Late Woodland/Contact period occupation here in association with intact postholes which are undoubtedly the remains of former structures.
- Given the virtual uniqueness of the ditches in tidewater Virginia archaeology from the perspective of their location away from the waterfront, it is possible that they serve as a divide between the secular portion of the site nearest the water and perhaps a more restricted, possibly sacred, area to the east. This interpretation is consistent with descriptions of Powhatan temples which are documented as having their entranceway and associated sacred fire facing east. It also is consistent with the use of Werowocomoco as the capital of the Powhatan chiefdom and principal residence of its paramount chief, who was at the pinnacle of not merely secular but also sacred power in the chiefdom.
Werowocomoco on York River, with ditches identified by dotted lines on Zuniga Map - see
close-up
(Jamestown identified by triangular fort, marked by blue arrow)
Source: Werowocomoco Research Project
Virtual Visit
Links
References
1. Smith, John, General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles
(Book Three, Chapter 2)
2. Rountree, Helen, Pocahontas, Powhatan, Opechancanough: Three Indian Lives Changed By Jamestown, University of Virginia Press, 2005, p.27
3. Strachey, William, History of Travel into Virginia Brittania, published in Jamestown Naratives: Eyewitness Accounts of the Virginia Colony: The First Decade: 1607-1617, editor Edward W. Haile, Champlain, VA, RoundHouse, 1998, p. 615
4. "Landfall: A Look At John Smith’s Legacy Through Recent Archeological Findings And A Water Trail Tracing His Travels In The Chesapeake," Common Ground, National Park Service, Summer 2007, http://commonground.cr.nps.gov/Feature.cfm?past_issue=Summer%202007&page=1&feature=1 (last checked October 20, 2011)
5. "Werowocomoco Archaeological Site," National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, http://powhatan.wm.edu/resources/downloads/036-5049_Werowocomoco_2005_NRdraft.pdf (last checked October 20, 2011)
exibit showing frame and coating of Algonquian dwelling at 2009 State Fair... with tractors and Ferris wheel in background
(using reed mats saves significant time in reconstruction, but affects the authenticity of the reconstruction)
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