The area near the CSX Transportation coal piers in Newport News was once home to English and Irish settlers.
Nearly 400 years ago, in November 1621, Daniel Gookin settled on the north shore of Hampton Roads with 55 people from County Cork in southwest Ireland. When they arrived, they established a plantation in the area Gookin named Marie’s Mount.
“In our region, the story of this plantation isn’t particularly well known mostly because that interest in the period of early settlement in Virginia tends to focus on Jamestown, but not the outlying settlements like the settlements of Newport News and Hampton,” said Luke J. Pecoraro, director of curatorial services at Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. “This is history that’s kind of hidden in plain sight that a lot of folks don’t know about.”
Pecoraro will be offering a free seminar about the settlement at 6 p.m. Thursday at Coastal Fermentory as part of a series of events planned by Sister Cities of Newport News, Inc. to commemorate the anniversary.
He wrote his doctoral dissertation about Gookin’s plantation — Marie’s Mount — and another plantation operated by Gookin’s son in what is now Suffolk.
“I think it really gets at the idea of the American story of migration and people coming to Virginia to settle, but you also get into a lot of indigenous history with that too,” Pecoraro said. “The plantation was settled in 1621 and just the following year there was an attack on the European settlements by the Powhatan Indians.”
Many of the settlers at Marie’s Mount survived the attack and hung on while other outlying settlements were abandoned. The settlers also brought cattle with them, which became very important to sustain Virginia in the early years, Pecoraro said.
“Unfortunately, anything left for archeology in the Marie’s Mount plantation is going to be under however many feet of coal are piled up down there on the river today,” Pecoraro said. “But it’s a really important story that gets at the root of the early founding of Newport News.”
There were European settlements all over the Peninsula, but many didn’t persist or they’ve changed names over time, Pecoraro said, so most people think of Jamestown and Williamsburg when they think of the colonial era in the region.
Newport News is working toward becoming a sister city to Carrigaline in Cork County as a nod to this heritage. Newport News currently has three other sister cities and two friendship cities.
Those interested in attending the lecture should register online at https://carrigaline-newportnews.eventbrite.com. The seminar will also be live streamed on the Sister Cities of Newport News Facebook page.
Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com
