The History of Hog Island

The archeological remains of the Paleoindian Period suggest migratory groups of people that settled for short periods of time in lowland areas near water sources. These groups primarily hunted megafauna for food but also foraged and fished.¹⁴

The archeological remains of the Woodland Period shows a shift to a more agricultural based community supplemented with hunting with bow and arrow and gathering. With this agriculture, people began to build permanent villages and establish complex systems of politics, culture, and trade. During this time, Virginia was occupied by Siouan speaking groups in the piedmont region and Algonquin speaking groups in the coastal plain region that had complex systems of trade within and between groups. Trade in the 1500s began to include European goods.¹⁴

At the end of this period, the Algonquian speaking Powhatan became the dominant group of the tidewater region of Virginia, known to the Powhatan as Tsenacomoco. The Powhatan River (now known as the James) was named after Chief Powhatan, the paramount chief of Tsenacomoco whose given name was Wahunsenacawh. The Chief inherited rule over six tribes (the Powhatan, the Pamunkey, the Arrohateck, the Appamattuck, the Youghtanund and the Mattaponi) from his father, but expanded his rule to more than thirty. Chief Powhatan primarily led from Werowocomoco, located on the north bank of the York River.^{2, 4, 5, 10, 12, 16}

In April 1607, the settlers arrived in the now Chesapeake Bay area of the New World and began exploring what they dubbed the “James River” in honor of England’s reigning King. ³

On May 13, 1607, America’s first permanent English settlement, Jamestown, was established on the banks of the James River, approximately 2.5 miles from the center of what is today’s modern Williamsburg and less than ten miles northwest of the Hog Island WMA. ³

The Virginia Company of London appointed a council of seven men (including John Smith), with Edward Maria Wingfield elected to serve as president of the council in the first ever election of the New World. Although he landed in the new world as a prisoner, John Smith’s appointment to the council by the London Company served as a catalyst for his release. ^{3, 9}

Following their arrival in this foreign land, the settlers faced severe hardships including food shortages, disease, and skirmishes with the Powhatan Indians. In the fall of 1607, Capt. Smith visited native villages along the James River, in an effort to secure food for the colonists at Jamestown. ^{3, 9}

In December, Smith was captured by a Powhatan hunting party and was brought before Chief Powhatan at Werowocomoco. Smith was ultimately released, and a relationship was established between the Powhatan people and Smith which effectively changed the course of history for both the settlers and Indigenous People. Smith’s reports of involvement by Chief Powhatan’s daughter Amonute (nicknamed Pocahantas) in this event are viewed skeptically by modern historians. By the time Smith returned to Jamestown only 38 of the 104 original settlers remained. ^{2, 3 ,5, 9, 11}

John Smith ordered the construction of a blockhouse on Hog Island. Once completed, troops were stationed here to protect the colony’s hogs, trade with the local indigenous tribes, protect against potential attacks from tribes, and to keep watch for Spanish and Dutch enemy ships. This blockhouse no longer exists on the property. ^{13, 14}

The relationship between the colonists and the Powhatan people degraded to such a point that during civil negotiations in early 1609 at Werowocomoco, both Smith and Chief Powhatan were planning each others assassinations. Smith was notified about Chief Powhatan’s attempt on his life by Pocahontas and while both leaders kept their lives, their animosity grew. ^{3, 11}

Smith, injured in a gunpowder explosion, returned to England and Chief Powhatan seized this opportunity to attack Jamestown and war between the colonists and the Powhatan People officially began. ^{4, 9}

On April 5, 1614, Pocahontas and John Rolfe, a tobacco farmer, married with the blessing of Chief Powhatan and the Governor of Virginia. This act ended the first Anglo-Powhatan War and led to a peaceful period between English settlers and the indigenous tribes under Chief Powhatan’s rule. John Rolfe received a land grant on Hog Island and according to recent research, he and Pocahontas resided on Hog Island at some point during this time. ^{2, 4, 6, 7, 14}

As Jamestown continued to grow, its inhabitants began to spread out and settle the land surrounding the fort, including Hog Island. Several families went on to build small dwellings (none can be seen today) and farm the island for fruits, grains, tobacco and hogs.

In 1676, a rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon resulted in much of the capital town being sacked and burned to the ground. Despite this, Jamestown remained the capital of Virginia until its major statehouse, burned in 1698. The capital then moved to Williamsburg in 1699, and Jamestown began to slowly disappear above the ground. ^{14, 21}

During the Civil War, the Confederate Army erected a signal station at Hog Island and the area was reported to be forested with little development. ¹⁴

Hog Island was used as a waterfowl hunting refuge by a variety of private owners who enjoyed the plentiful waterfowl of the James River and the Island’s marshes. ^{6, 14}

Construction begins on Surry Nuclear Power Plant which is located just south of Hog Island Wildlife Management Area. Dirt removed during the construction was used to expand roads on the WMA. Power plant began operations in 1972 and 1973. ¹⁵

Multiple management and restoration efforts are implemented in an effort to control for shoreline erosion and its associated impacts on the WMA. With help of Ducks Unlimited, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Virginia Environmental Endowment’s James River Water Quality Improvement Program, the most recent living shoreline project finalized protection efforts needed along the western shoreline. The project included beach grass and riparian buffer plantings, the construction of 7 new rip-rap breakwaters, and beach nourishment to form tombolos.