Preliminary investigations of the Gloucester County site on Purton Bay have recovered Native American and European artifacts in numbers that correspond with a substantial village settlement dating to the early colonial period. These archaeological deposits, combined with descriptions of Werowocomoco by several Jamestown colonists, lead the archaeologists to hypothesize that this site is the central village of the Powhatan chiefdom.
The Werowocomoco Research Group, a newly-formed team composed of researchers from the College of William and Mary and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in addition to Gloucester-based archaeologists and a representative of the Virginia Indian community, will be advising landowners Bob and Lynn Ripley on the investigation of the site.
As its first act, the group presented its preliminary findings on February 15th to representatives of Virginia's eight state-recognized Indian tribes and the Virginia Council on Indians, inviting these organizations to join the Werowocomoco Research Group as partners in efforts to interpret the site. On May 6th, the researchers will also present the results of their preliminary investigations to the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors in order to inform the community of the project.
"Early colonial documentary sources, including John Smith's 1612 map of Virginia, have long offered key indications of where this important settlement might have been located," said Randolph Turner, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources' Portsmouth Regional Office, "while the recent archaeological fieldwork provides convincing evidence that we have indeed found the village." Martin Gallivan, an Assistant Professor in William and Mary's Department of Anthropology notes, "The early colonial documentary histories offer a glimpse of Werowocomoco as a place of power, the 'king's house' in one translation of the village's name. The planned archaeological research offers the potential to expand our knowledge of Werowocomoco as the center of authority among the Powhatans."
Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, Director of William and Mary's American Indian Resource Center adds, "It is easy to lose the voices of Virginia Indians in the extraordinary English accounts of the Powhatans. Not only does this project offer an alternative perspective on these events, but it also has the potential to be a new model for archaeological research on American Indian sites in Virginia predicated on close partnerships with Native communities."
The crucial identification of artifacts by Lynn Ripley on her Gloucester County family farm brought the property to the attention of local archaeologists. Subsequent archaeological surveys of the property were conducted by Gloucester-based archaeologists David Brown and Thane Harpole and funded by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the landowners. Brown notes, "After meeting the landowners and learning of the remarkable array of Native American and early colonial artifacts present at the site, we recognized its historic significance."
The descendant communities of the site's original residents have been invited to join in the effort to understand the site and its significance. Deanna Beacham, a member of the Nansemond tribe, will assist Moretti-Langholtz in these efforts by serving as outreach coordinator to the Virginia Indian community. During the February 15th meeting, which was attended by the Virginia Council on Indians and representatives from the Pamunkey, Upper Mattaponi, Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Nansemond, Rappahannock, and Monacan tribes, it was suggested that the Virginia Indian community form an advisory board to help guide research efforts. Reeva Tilley, Chair of the Virginia Council on Indians and a member of the Rappahannock Tribe, stated "As you walk the land of this site, there is a wonderful sense of power and greatness amidst the pristine beauty of the York River. The investigation of Werowocomoco will be a significant event to coincide with the 2007 commemoration and the Virginia Indians are very fortunate to be part of this endeavor."
This summer, the College of William and Mary and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will conduct archaeological research at the site. The goals of this fieldwork are centered on determining the extent to which the site – including evidence of houses and activity areas – remains intact. The field project also aims to develop a detailed site chronology for Werowocomoco.
For More Information: William T. Walker, 757- 221-2624
Martin Gallivan, PHD
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, VA 23187
mdgall@wm.edu
757-221-3622
E. Randolph Turner III, PhD
Director, Portsmouth Regional Office
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
612 Court Street, 3rd Floor
Portsmouth, VA 23704
rturner@dhr.state.va.us
757-396-6709
College of William & Mary
Office of University Relations
Williamsburg, VA
757-221-2624