Several weeks before Capt. Christopher Newport, Capt. John Smith, George Percy, and their party formally established the English foothold in North America at Jamestown, they were enjoying the hospitality of their new-found (but short-lived) neighbors at Kicotan, an Indian town having "eighteen houses pleasantly seated upon three acres of ground" (Smith 1608). It is believed that Kicotan probably stood in the area presently occupied by the Veterans Administration Hospital in Hampton. Recognizing the strategic importance of the Kicotan area, especially Point Comfort, from which the mouth of the James River could be guarded against the Spanish threat to the south, Fort Algernon was built in 1609. Two additional forts, Henry and Charles, were erected at the mouth of the Hampton River on its east and west banks, respectively. Fort Henry probably stood between John's Creek and Strawberry Banks, on the shore of Hampton Roads. The military buildup was effective, as the Indians were driven from Kicotan under orders from Sir Thomas Gates in 1610 (McCartney 1983).

Both Thomas Dale and William Strachey wrote that two to three thousand acres of land had already been cleared by the Indians at Kicotan. Although they were not specific, this land was probably located on both sides of the Hampton River. The land on the east side of the river (again about 3000 acres) was designated Company land and used to provide a place for those persons coming to the colony at the Virginia Company's expense. It was also used to house the military contingent protecting the area from enemy attack, be it derived by land or sea (McCartney 1983).

In 1619, at the first meeting of the House of Burgesses, the name of Kicotan was changed to the Corporation of Elizabeth City. At that time, and until 1637, Elizabeth City also included the area now known as Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Elizabeth City was then the most populous of the four corporations. Virginia Company records indicate that 349 persons were living there in early 1624. Over a hundred had died during the difficult years following the Uprising of 1622, although Elizabeth City had fared well in comparison with other areas.

The Muster of 1625 begins to shed the first light on the specific history of site HT55. The Muster separates those persons living on the west side of the river from those living on the east. Unfortunately, it does not indicate the exact location of the homesteads or reveal how much land was involved in each. It does name names, however; names that can, in some cases, be traced though the patent records to other tracts of land on both sides of the river.

The first surviving mention of a lease or patent on the east side of the Hampton River near HT55 is in a lease of 50 acres to Lt. Thomas Flint on 23 February 1626 (page 77 of the original patent book). It leases the land and houses in the Indian Thicket, an area between two creeks (John's and Jones) which had been occupied by Capt. Whitacre. This was former Company land adjacent to Fort Henry Fields, the present site of the Veterans Administration Hospital. This land is included in Capt. Francis West's muster of 1625. Two patents and two pages later in Patent Book I, 50 acres is leased to Rev. Jonas Stockden, who, in the 1625 muster, is listed as living on the west side of the river. The boundaries of his lease are quite specific: 50 acres on the eastern side of the Southampton River, within the Company's Land at Elizabeth Citty, abutting on its south side a Creek parting this from the land in occupation of Lt. Flint, commonly called the "Indian Howse Thickett," north on another Creek, west on said river and east on the Maine woods. This was recorded on September 8, 1627 (Nugent 1979).

The next lease listed involving the area near 44HT55 is in Patent Book I, page 90, to Christopher Windmill, Planter, for 60 acres abutting south on the plantation called "Indian Howse Thickett," formerly granted to Lt. Flint. The tract was bounded on the north by the "ground of Jonas Stockden, Minister, dec'd.," and on the west by the Southampton River. The lease is dated 20 September 1628. This appears, at first glance, to be in virtually the same spot as Stockden's 50 acres, as both parcels are bounded on the west by the river and on the south by "Indian Howse Thickett." However, Windmill's lease is bounded on the north by Stockden's land.

The next lease after Windmill's is that of Walter Heyley (also Ely or Heley), who, according to the patent, was an "Ancient Planter." While Heley was not on the list of ancient planters compiled by Nugent in Cavaliers and Pioneers, he was listed as a resident of the east side of the Hampton River in the 1625 muster. His lease, made on the same day as Windmill's, was for 50 acres abutting south on the land of Jonas Stockden, and north toward the head of the river. The east and west boundaries are not mentioned.

Two months later, Windmill was granted another lease, this time of 50 acres, which bounded south on a creek going towards the land of Walter Heley, west on the Southampton River, and east on the main land. This may be the land upon which 44HT55 was located.

Christopher Windmill came to Virginia in the Bona Nova in 1619. In 1625, when the muster was taken, he was 26 years old, attached to the household of John Ward, and living on the east side of the river. By 1632 Windmill had died and his wife inherited the lease which was promptly conveyed to Francis Hough, her new husband. Hough assigned the northern parcel of Windmill's land to Joseph Hatfield in October 1632, and the southern 60 acres to Henry Coleman in January of 1633 for unknown considerations. Hatfield, ironically, had come to Virginia in 1619 on the Bona Nova with Christopher Windmill, and lived on the east side of the river in 1625 attached to Sgt. William Barry.

The 50-acre parcel leased by Hatfield in 1632 was apparently part of a 116-acre tract patented by Henry Poole on October 17, 1642. The tract included land "previously leased," bounded on the west by the Hampton River, on the south by the Glebe, and on the north by Henry Coleman. The Glebe Land is thought to be part of the old 50 acres leased to the Reverend Jonas Stockden in 1627, and includes the site of the so-called second church (McCartney 1983). By this time Coleman, to the north, had acquired the land originally leased to Walter Heley. Henry Poole sold the whole 116-acre parcel to Richard Hull on October 15, 1655. It was not long after that date that site HT55 was abandoned.

Archaeology:

The Hampton University Site was located on the Hampton University campus on the north bank of the Hampton River. The site underwent Phase 1 and 2 testing prior to being mechanically stripped of plowzone. All features were screened through ¼" hardware cloth or water-screened through 2mm mesh. Samples were taken for faunal, chemical, and paleobotanical analysis.

Structures:

Five earthfast structures were located within the palisaded walls of HT55, three of which could have been standing simultaneously. Structure C appears to have been the first building erected at the site. The paucity of historic artifacts in the post hole fill attests to the fact that little was lying around on the surface which could have subsequently been backfilled with the posts. It was also the largest structure built at HT55, measuring 20' north-south by 40' east-west. Four pairs of posts framed three larger-than-average bays, two measuring 13' and the other 14'. The other four structures at HT55 have bays of 10', except Structure E which sports two 12' bays.

Fortifications:

No fortifications, although the site was enclosed.

Other Features:

In addition to the five buildings erected at 44HT55 during the first half of the 17th century, several other non-structural features require detailed descriptions. These include the two large trash pits just north of Structure A (Trash Pits A and B), the well, Trash Pits C, D, and E, the slot fence trenches, and the boundary/drainage ditch in the north central area of the site.

Well:

The well for HT55 was located primarily in the southwest quadrant of the site. It was roughly circular, with a diameter of about 7.4'. Water was encountered at about 8 feet below grade. As is the case with most wells, it had been recognized as a convenient trash receptacle after it lost its usefulness as a water supply or during a clean up project as the site was vacated. Thousands of artifacts, shells, and pieces of animal bone were recovered from the well fill, all dating no later than the third quarter of the 17th century.

References:
McCartney, Martha
1983   Phase II Archaeological Survey of a Proposed Dredging Site in the Hampton River, Hampton, Virginia. Unpublished report prepared by Underwater Archaeological Joint Ventures for Langley and MacDonald, Inc.

Nugent, Nell
1979  Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666. Volume 1. Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore.

Smith, John
1608  A True Relation, by Captain John Smith, In Narratives of Early Virginia, 1606-1628 , Lyon G. Tyler, ed. New York.


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