Werowocomoco: A Powhatan Place of Power
In 2016, Werowocomoco was permanently protected by the National Park Service as part of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. This conservation success was made possible in large part by advocacy for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
[wayr-uh-wah-koh-muh-koh]
More than 400 years before English settlers established Jamestown, Werowocomoco had been an important Powhatan Indian town. Werowocomoco, translated from the Virginia Algonquian language, means “place of leadership”. As an archaeological site, Werowocomoco was confirmed in 2002, nearly 400 years after the Indian leader paramount chief Powhatan and his people interacted with Jamestown settlers here and at Jamestown.
Werowocomoco had been an important Powhatan Indian town for hundreds of years before English settlers established Jamestown. The site is located along the York River’s Purtan Bay, in Gloucester County, Virginia. Werowocomoco, translated from the Virginian Algonquian language, means “place of leadership”. It is not yet open to the public while the National Park Service collaborates on a planning process with American Indian tribes in Virginia.
To learn more about Werowocomoco and Native Americans in the Chesapeake, visit nps.gov/cajo
Virtual Tour
Fully immerse yourself in the natural beauty of historic Werowocomoco. This Google Street View style tour gives you a 360 degree view from the perspective of a kayaker on the river.
