Mount Pleasant in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Nacotchtank Family at the Piney Branch Quarry, ca. 1600
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 24, 2017
1. Nacotchtank Family at the Piney Branch Quarry, ca. 1600 Marker
In 1609 Captain John Smith sailed from the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia, and up the Potomac River as far as Little Falls. He found 13 Indian villages along the Potomac, including one called Nacotchtank. These villagers farmed small plots of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers, and hunted and gathered from the surrounding forests.
The Potomac tribes often sided with the Powhatan Confederacy during its wars with the English. The Powhatan were defeated in 1646, and English settlements quickly expanded, reaching what is now Washington, DC, by 1675. Warfare, disease and loss of land led to the quick demise of the Potomac tribes. In the 1890s archaeologists discovered abandoned quarries along Piney Branch, a few blocks north of here, that had been used to make arrowheads and other tools.
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers • Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the DC, Art on Call series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1609.
Location. 38° 56.048′ N, 77° 2.471′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Twenty-seven Little Flags (a few steps from this marker); The Oldest House (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Changing Fashions (about 700 feet away); War and Peace (about 700 feet away); Village Life (about 700 feet away); Defying the Restrictive Covenants (approx. 0.2 miles away); Casualties Arriving at Mount Pleasant General Hospital, May 1864 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Main Street (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 24, 2017
2. Nacotchtank Family at the Piney Branch Quarry, ca. 1600 Marker
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 24, 2017
3. Nacotchtank Family at the Piney Branch Quarry, ca. 1600 Marker
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 24, 2017
4. Nacotchtank Family at the Piney Branch Quarry, ca. 1600 Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 24, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,110 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on March 8, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 24, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
