Henricus Historical Park: A Living History Museum on the James River

A guest article shared by the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay office; the writer's account and the quoted interpreter are paraphrased here.

Just south of Richmond, Virginia, Henricus Historical Park is a little-known living history museum at a site central to the state's history. Many events that shaped Virginia and the country took place on or near this stretch of the James River. At Henricus you can get a feel, by touch and smell as well as sight, for life in an American Indian Arrohateck town, step into the houses of early 17th-century English colonists, and walk where Civil War actions took place.

Why the place matters

The park stands on a strategic bend above the James River.

• The first stewards were American Indians, who found good hunting and fishing, protection and access to other villages along the river here. In the early 1600s the site was Arrohateck Town, part of the Powhatan Chiefdom, an alliance of tribes across eastern Virginia.
• In 1611 English colonists led by Thomas Dale invaded and built a seven-acre fort, which they named Henricus after Prince Henry, the eldest son of King James. It became the second successful English settlement in America, a few years after Jamestown was founded in 1607.
• Contact and conflict: American Indians and colonists met here sometimes in peace and sometimes in violence. After the English captured Matoaka — also called Pocahontas — the daughter of Chief Powhatan, she was brought to Henricus by force. Reverend Whitaker taught her English and his religion there, and she spent her last days at Henricus before being sent to England.

Learning with the senses

The park suits families with young children because history is something to touch, smell and see. Interpreters in period clothing greet visitors among replicas of the settlement's buildings. According to John Pagano, the park's interpretation supervisor, children can handle deerskin, run their hands along a bow and arrow, watch the ever-burning fires and cooking demonstrations, try on English armour and pick herbs in the garden — and they go home with a memory, or with the feel of something they held and used.

Unhurried and affordable

Compared with busier historic sites, Henricus feels quiet and unrushed, set among green woods beside the river, and, Pagano says, visitors have plenty of time with the interpreters. Gravel trails take strollers and wheelchairs.

• Allow at least two hours, though you could easily spend the day.
• Shaded picnic tables near the visitor centre make a good lunch stop.
• A hike at the neighbouring Dutch Gap Conservation Area is easy to add.
• You will be outdoors the whole time: check the weather, dress for it and wear comfortable shoes.

Sources

• "Stepping Back in Time at Henricus Historical Park", an abridged article by Ana Martinez, shared by the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay office. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/stepping-back-in-time-at-henricus-historical-park.htm
• The source's photograph, credited to the writer, is not reproduced.
• Words on this page from people and organisations outside the federal government are paraphrased; rewritten in hubnx's own words.