Werowocomoco
Virginia's first known capital was Werowocomoco, the "seat" of the Native American chief we know today as Powhatan. Werowocomoco was located on modern Purtan Bay, on the north bank of the York River in Gloucester County, 10 miles upstream from Yorktown.
According to John Smith1, Pocahontas came to his rescue there. Now the government of the Pamunkey tribe, including the chief and council, is centered on a reservation upstream on the Pamunkey River, in King William County. The Mattaponi reservation is also upstream on the northern edge of King William County, and on the Mattaponi River.
When the English arrived in 1607, most werowances (lesser chiefs) in Tidewater 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 north of the Rappahannock River, such as the Dogue, did not consider Powhatan to be their paramount chief - and until the English arrived, the Chickahominy tribe was allied with but not conquered by him.
Powhatan 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.
As described in the nomination of Werowocomoco to National Register of Historic Places:
- 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.
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
Capital Cities of Virginia
Geography of Virginia
