Brad Hatch
Brad Hatch gives a presentation on the Patawomeck Tribe and their sophisticated trade systems last Sunday at Washington Town Hall.
A Native American trading post in the Town of Washington and Old Rag Mountain’s sacred past were highlighted during the Rappahannock Historical Society’s program last Sunday on the history of Native Americans in the county.
John Tole, president of the historical society, announced that it received a grant to erect a marker honoring the Manahoac people, which is hoped to be placed near the golf course in Sperryville, an area Tole said is a documented Native American site.
Guest speakers painted a picture of the lives of Native American tribes and how their legacy lives on in the county today. The Manahoac people, a Siouan Native American tribe, were the main inhabitants of the county from around 980 to the time European colonists arrived in the 1600s.
historical society town hall program
Presenters and members of the Rappahannock Historical Society pose for a photo after last Sunday’s program.
David Caprara of the Manahoac Story Alliance told attendees in the crowded Town Hall about the history, linguistics and traditions of the Manahoacs and detailed their migration to Virginia from the Plains.
He quoted work of anthropologists and historians that referenced a Native American trading post —located where the Middle Street Gallery used to be next to The Inn at Little Washington — and “strong Indian features” observed in county inhabitants, with the last known full-blooded Native American resident dying in the 1920s
The tribe was dispersed after European colonization, and although the last mention of it in historical records was in the early 1700s, Caprara said evidence shows that the people and their descendents stayed in the area, settling in places like Little Washington, Broad Hollow, south of Sperryville, and Redmans Mountain.
“We are all blessed to be part of such a great and amazing watershed and to probe the story of the people that were here long before us,” Caprara said.
Judy and John Tole of the Rappahannock Historical Society
Judy and John Tole of the Rappahannock Historical Society show the crowd a map marking places in the county where Native American artifacts have been found.
John and Judy Tole, president and executive director of the historical society, shared maps, Native American artifacts and other resources available at the historical society. Judy Tole encouraged members of the community to come to the society’s Washington office on Gay Street to learn about Rappahannock’s extensive history and browse its collection.
Ben Mason performed an original song about the connection between Rappahannock’s first inhabitants and today’s residents. Mason said since he moved to the area in 2000, he has found several pieces of pottery and other artifacts along riverbanks, some of which he held in his hands and showed the crowd.
Ben Mason
Ben Mason, musician and Rappahannock County resident, performs an original song at the Rappahannock Historical Society’s program on Native American History.
“From jasper arrowheads in the river, something sacred sings. It says protect this land so children can know the peace it brings,” Mason sang.
Archaeologist and anthropologist Brad Hatch focused his portion of the program on the Patawomeck Tribe, of which he is a citizen and member of the tribal council, and their complex trade relationships. The tribe settled mostly along the Potomac Creek near Fredericksburg.
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