Virginia’s newest state park helps protect land significant to Native American tribes and enhance interpretations of nearby Werowocomoco.

Why It Matters

The protection of 643 acres in Gloucester County paved the way for Virginia’s 40th state park: Machicomoco. The park’s goal is to increase awareness and understanding of the state’s Native tribes’ histories and futures, their use of the region’s natural resources, and their significance within the larger history of both Virginia and the nation.

Identified as historically and culturally significant land, this property along the York River is thought to contain archaeological resources important to Native heritage through the pre-Colonial and Colonial period.

Machicomoco is just a few miles from Werowocomoco, a previously lost Native American settlement we helped preserve with the National Park Service in 2016 that was the headquarters of Pocahontas’ father, Chief Powhatan. Machicomoco helps enhance educational opportunities and public access, is available for various recreational activities and serves as an interpretive site where visitors can learn about the history of Werowocomoco and the tribes who call this region home.

The landscape is stunning, bounded by water on three sides with significant frontage on the York River, as well as Timberneck and Cedar Bush creeks. Formerly known as Timberneck Farm, it had been a working farm until 2007. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) then identified the land as a potential state park site because of its cultural significance and recreational opportunities.

The name Machicomoco was proposed by the tribes in the region who contributed to the park’s design and interpretive themes. It’s an Algonquian word translated to “special meeting place,” which acknowledges the importance and purpose of the site — to educate the public about the native tribes in Virginia and share their stories.

Machicomoco State Park offers visitor interpretation facilities, archaeological investigation and preservation associated with Werowocomoco, translated from the  Algonquian language as “place of leadership.” Werowocomoco, believed to have been the political and spiritual center for Tidewater Native tribes, is just 10 miles upriver from the park, which opened in 2021.

Our Role

We have worked to protect important natural and cultural resources in Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay area since our founding over 35 years ago. By partnering with the commonwealth, Virginia’s Native tribes, NGOs and private landowners, we’re creating new opportunities to preserve cultural heritage, expand public recreational access and support local economic growth in communities.

We acquired the Timberneck property in 2017 in cooperation with the Virginia DCR and Dominion Energy, using funds from the Surry-Skiffes Creek-Whealton Transmission Line mitigation fund. In December 2020, we transferred the 643-acre property to the DCR to establish Virginia’s 40th state park.

Learn More

• News Release from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation