Lower Chickahominy
History and Culture
Historical and cultural resources abound in the Lower Chickahominy area. Throughout history, cultures have interacted in the Lower Chickahominy area leaving many interesting stories, sights, and experiences for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Indian Tribes in the Lower Chickahominy
There are two tribes based in the three counties of the Lower Chickahominy: the Chickahominy Tribe in Charles City County and the Chickahominy Tribe Eastern Division in New Kent County. A third tribe owns land in New Kent County and is considered a project stakeholder. The Pamunkey Tribe is based to the north, across the Pamunkey River in King William County. While these tribes have been present in this area since well before English colonists arrived, they have become tribes recognized by the US Federal Government only in recent years.
European Colonization & the Arrival of Enslaved People
Jamestown was established in what is now southeastern James City County; Williamsburg abuts the county. The Lower Chickahominy area is about as close as you can get to the first steps of English colonization of the mid-Atlantic. As Europeans moved westward and Virginia's economy grew, Plantations were established across the Lower Chickahominy area and beyond.
Towne of Secota
Secota was an Algonquian village near Jamestown. The image depicts a society with a diversified system of agriculture, a wide array of building styles, and a highly developed belief system. The image includes plots of tobacco, a pumpkin patch, cornfields, hunting, ritual bonfires, feasting, and religious ceremonies.
This is a picture of Theodore de Bry's engraving of the Towne of Secota (1590).
A Sampling of Historic Sites & Tours in the Lower Chickahominy
Each county in the Lower Chickahominy maintains resources for residents and visitors looking for activities and historical sights. Each website below includes information and maps about things to do and see in the area, from modern-day restaurants and wineries to civil war fortifications to colonial plantations.
