Oxon Hill in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Two Worlds Meet in the Summer of 1608.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 22, 2018
1. Two Worlds Meet in the Summer of 1608. Marker
By his written account, the English Captain John Smith, a leader of the Jamestown settlement, was the first European to sail the Potomac, reaching Little Falls just north of Georgetown. His goal was to chart the Chesapeake Bay — and to record habitable lands, natural resources, and native settlements. While his entourage was greeted with a volley of arrows downriver, in this part of Maryland he was shown hospitality by the local tribes — the Tauxenants, Mayaone (Piscataway) and Nacotchtank. English colonists traded with Indians here throughout the 1600s. However, violent conflicts occurred as the colonists increasingly encroached upon Indian lands.
"Regaine therefore your old spirits, for return I will not, if God please, till I have… found Patawmek (the Potomac River), or the head of this water you conceit to be endlesse."
-Captain John Smith
Native Politics Along the Potomac River
As he sailed up the Potomac, Captain Smith recorded the sites of native villages, making note of the local power structure and identifying the location of "Kings howses." In this area, the locals were beyond the authority of Powhatan, leader of the powerful chiefdom that dominated Jamestown and much of tidewater Virginia. The most powerful individual here was the chief
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Exploration • Native Americans.
Location. 38° 47.586′ N, 77° 1.475′ W. Marker is in Oxon Hill, Maryland, in Prince George's County. Marker can be reached from Capital Beltway (Interstate 95) west of National Harbor Boulevard, in the median. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Oxon Hill MD 20745, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Working to Improve the River (within shouting distance of this marker); Potomac Fisheries (within shouting distance of this marker); The Nation's River (within shouting distance of this marker); Neighbor to the Nation's Capital (within shouting distance of this marker); The Tobacco Economy (within shouting distance of this marker); The Founding of Maryland (within shouting distance of this marker); The Growth of the Black Middle Class (within shouting distance of this marker); Bladensburg (within shouting distance of this marker).
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 22, 2018
2. Two Worlds Meet in the Summer of 1608. Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 171 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 23, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
