Werowocomoco, located nearby at Purtan Bay, was an Algonquian Indian settlement and the center of power of the Powhatan paramount chiefdom when the English established James Fort in 1607. Captain John Smith was brought there as a captive in December 1607, where he met the Powhatan leader Wahunsonacock and his daughter Pocahontas. Archaeologists working closely with present-day members of Virginia Indian tribes investigated the site from 2002 to 2010 and documented that Werowocomoco was an extensive settlement, including trenches defining an area of restricted access or sacred space, from the 13th century through the early 17th century.

Photo: Devry Becker Jones (CC0)

Photo: J. J. Prats

Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia · USA