VA-O22 Mattaponi Indian Town

Marker text: MATTAPONI INDIAN TOWN

To the north, after the 1644-1646 conflict between colonists and groups still loyal to the Powhatan chiefdom, the Mattaponi Indians found refuge on the headwaters of Piscataway Creek. Officers of than Old Rappahannock County signed a treaty with the Mattaponi in 1656. By 1660, however, the Mattaponi's English neighbors were pressuring them to leave and in 1662 some colonists burned the chief's English-style house. The chief complained to the governor and an agreement was reached that three Englishmen would pay compensation and the tribe would relocate. By 1668, these Mattaponi had moved to the middle region of the Mattaponi River in King William County.

Department of Historic Resources, 2001