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Fredericksburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Contact: An Industrial Society Confronts A Native American Culture

Fredericksburg: Timeless.

 
 
Contact: An Industrial Society Confronts A Native American Culture Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, July 4, 2016
1. Contact: An Industrial Society Confronts A Native American Culture Marker
Inscription.
“They use also long arrows tyed in a line wherewith they shoot at fish in the rivers.” —Captain John Smith

In 1608, shortly after Jamestown had been established, Captain John Smith and a small crew worked a vessel up the Rappahannock River. In this vicinity, the English explorers encountered a Native American people called Mannahoak. Their contact proved hostile and after a short skirmish, the Englishmen withdrew. There would be no further interaction between the Europeans and the Mannahoak because a powerful Native American confederation under Chief Powhatan stood between them.

Not until 1670, after Powhatan’s confederation had been militarily defeated, did explorers once again travel up the Rappahannock River. By then, the Mannahoaks were no longer here. They had either succumbed to disease or been dispersed by more powerful tribes from the north. The Mannahoaks were the last Native American culture in the Rappahannock valley. The arriving Europeans, drawn to the mineral rich Piedmont, represented the beginning of an industrial presence.

(captions)
When Captain John Smith developed a map of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, he mapped the upper Rappahannock River valley from information gleaned from interrogating a Mannahoak he had captured at the falls.
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Archeologists have since confirmed the location of the large Native American settlement sites that Smith mapped without seeing. The crosses on the map represent this area, where Smith landed in 1608.

Native Americans were drawn to the falls of the Rappahannock River where fish and game were abundant. The later Europeans would use the river's flow to power mills.

Ceramic pot.
Spearhead used for fishing, fashioned from flint.
Unfinished spearhead.
Polished grooved ax.
 
Erected by Fredericksburg Economic Development and Tourism Office.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ExplorationIndigenous Peoples and Communities. In addition, it is included in the Virginia, Fredericksburg: Timeless. series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1608.
 
Location. 38° 19.183′ N, 77° 28.513′ W. Marker is in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It is on Riverside Drive 0.1 miles west of Woodford Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fredericksburg VA 22401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Harnessing The River's Power (here, next to this marker); Amoroleck Encounters John Smith (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tobacco and Iron
Contact: An Industrial Society Confronts A Native American Culture Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, July 4, 2016
2. Contact: An Industrial Society Confronts A Native American Culture Marker
(about 600 feet away); The Falmouth Crossing (about 600 feet away); M 1897 M4 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Veterans of Foreign Wars Eternal Flame (approx. Ό mile away); Killed in Action Memorials (approx. Ό mile away); Transportation and Settlement (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fredericksburg.
 
Another marker is no longer nearby. A Walking Tour of Fredericksburg’s Historic Old Mill District (was a few steps from this marker but has been confirmed missing).
 
Nearby "Indian Punch Bowl" image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin W., December 17, 2016
3. Nearby "Indian Punch Bowl"
Close-up of the "Indian Punch Bowl" image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin W., December 17, 2016
4. Close-up of the "Indian Punch Bowl"
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2016, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 717 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on July 4, 2016, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.   3, 4. submitted on March 4, 2017, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
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Jul. 1, 2026