Native American tribes fight developers over 520 acres in Virginia—claim site is sacred birthplace of Pocahontas’ father

A developer is planning to build thousands of homes and a large commercial development on a 520-acre property outside Richmond, Virginia, that American Indian tribes say is a sacred site and the birthplace of Pocahontas’ father.

The groups are seeking to stop or alter the project, arguing that the land holds significant cultural and historical value and could contain burial sites and undiscovered artifacts. The property, known as Tree Hill, is believed to be the birthplace of Powhatan, an American Indian leader and the father of Pocahontas. Powhatan was born in the mid-1500s and was known as the “chief of chiefs,” as other leaders paid him tribute.

The land was later used as a plantation, and during the Civil War, it was used as an encampment for Union troops. In the last two decades, Tree Hill has been owned by Gray Land and Development Company, which currently leases the property to farms that grow crops. The land is slated to be sold to real estate company Brookfield Residential, which plans to construct approximately 2,300 single-family homes, townhouses, and condominiums, along with roughly 1.1 million square feet in commercial, office, and retail space.

Construction is expected to begin next summer and continue for over a decade. Roughly 320 acres would be reserved as public green space, while 7.5 acres would be set aside as a commemorative site for American Indians.

The opposition coalition, known as Protect Powhatan’s Birthplace, includes six tributes and historians and preservationists. Members have different goals for the property, with some advocating for its sale to American Indians and others calling for a larger portion of the land to receive dedication.

“It would be ruinous to lose the birthplace and boyhood home of one of our most significant and revered ancestors,” Ashley Atkins Spivey, anthropologist and member of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, said, according to the Washington Post. “For this place to just be destroyed for shops and homes would be devastating to us.”

Disagreement has also been raised about the property’s historical significance. Wolf Creek Cherokee, which is not a federally or state-recognized tribe, has rejected the claim that Tree Hill is the birthplace of Powhatan.

“You can’t say what Natives were there for thousands of years,” said Terry Price, Wolf Creek Cherokee’s chief. “There were Powhatan’s people there, but there were also other tribes who went through and lived there. You can’t prove and know who lived there.”

Historians have disagreed with this rejection, however, arguing the property deserves protection. Edward DuBois Ragan, a historical preservation officer for the Rappahannock tribe, compared the land to the birthplace of George Washington.

“If we were talking about the birthplaces of Thomas Jefferson or George Washington, we would not be having a conversation about development on them,” Ragan said. “We’d be talking about what we can do to preserve them. This is a quintessential American site.”

Preservation Virginia, a nonprofit organization focused on protecting historic places in the state, named Tree Hill one of Virginia’s most endangered historic places this summer.