Did Pocahontas live here?

As a child, Lynn Ripley dreamed of a career in archaeology, digging up secrets of the past. But it wasn't until she moved to a new home on a bluff overlooking the York River, 15 miles from historic Jamestown, Virginia, that Ripley discovered real treasures.

It began when she found a piece of pottery and a decorated arrowhead while taking a walk. From then on Ripley kept her eyes on the ground. Soon she was filling shoeboxes and tackleboxes with precious artifacts.

When Ripley called in the pros to look at her collection, they were amazed. Ripley may have discovered the site of Algonquin princess Pocahontas's lost village of Werowocomoco.

Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, one of the most powerful chiefs in eastern North America in the early 1600s. According to legend, when her tribe captured English captain and Jamestown colonist John Smith, Pocahontas pleaded with Powhatan for Smith's life. While that story may not be true, Pocahontas did befriend the settlers and help keep the peace. She later married an Englishman, John Rolfe, and accompanied him to London, where she was a society favorite, but died of smallpox at the age of 22.

-Jessica Tanenbaum

Copyright Carus Publishing Company Nov/Dec 2003
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