Henricus: America's Citie of firsts

Four-hundred years after the founding of Henricus, the American nation — which built its first city here — reaches across the continent. The American economy — which first set down roots here — defines world commerce.

More importantly, the ideas that germinated here matured into a belief in American exceptionalism, which has influenced the quality of human experience in every corner of the planet.

And yet Henricus Citie is largely unknown, even in its own region. How can it have had such long-lasting impact?

This month, Henrico County, Chesterfield County and the Henricus Historical Foundation invite the public to learn more about the importance and lasting impact of this remarkable place. On the weekend of Sept. 17-18, we will commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henricus' founding. The festivities begin on Friday, Sept. 16 at 5 p.m., when the Godspeed sails in from Jamestown

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Today, the Citie of Henricus is an energetic, colonial village alive with all the daily endeavors that took place in a 1611 fortified village.

Here you will meet the Arrohateck people, members of the powerful and vast Powhatan Indian nation. In the Indian village, you may help with the crafting of a canoe or the cultivation of corn and tobacco. You can enter into the Indian "long-houses" or "yehakins" and experience the daily life of native Virginia Indians as you visit their homes and join them by the fire.

Alongside the Virginia Indians, English settlers work to create "American civilization" in the New World's wilderness. Watch as they build the first city, participate as they create America's first economy. Help them tend to the ill in the first hospital or prepare to defend the fortification. Join them as they discuss plans for America's first university.

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In a world where cooperation seems more necessary but less common, it is reassuring to see the counties of Henrico and Chesterfield joining forces to support this park and make its exceptional story a living experience for everyone.

An accident of history makes this land on the south side of the James a shared treasure between the counties.

In the Civil War, Union troops began digging a new channel for the James River to avoid Confederate fortifications and batteries that blocked the approaches to Richmond.

The new channel was completed after the war, but it left a part of Henrico across the river — surrounded by water and Chesterfield County. That's why, when you enter the park's formal entrance, you see county seals for Chesterfield and Henrico.

Like many Virginia treasures, Henricus is fortunate to have endured. For many years, it was "lost" within a prospering industrial landscape. Parts of the original geographic footprint were quarried to make cement and to provide gravel. Nearby, a coal-fueled power plant provides electricity for the region.

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Henricus' restoration is the direct result of a small band of passionate, concerned citizens who intervened to gain control of the property when it had returned to a wilderness again. They worked on a shoestring budget, cleared the property and laid out the borders of the restored Citie.

To sustain the vision and the work, they successfully engaged the generosity of corporations, foundations and individuals. However, like the early settlers, they relied upon their own resourcefulness until they were strong enough to forge a public-private partnership between the nonprofit foundation and the two counties.

Today, Henricus Park welcomes 20,000 school children a year into a past that resonates emotionally because it feels so real. Henricus is a living classroom that supports the Standards of Learning by engaging children on an experiential level.

We never forget that the land where Henricus began has been inhabited for 10,000 years.

Pocahontas, Powhatan's daughter, was captured in the first Anglo-Powhatan War and brought to Henricus. She later was baptized, married John Rolfe and traveled to England, where she was the recipient of much acclaim. She was presented to King James I but grew ill as she boarded a ship to set sail home to Virginia. Because of her precarious health, she was taken ashore and died at Gravesend, England — far away from the land she loved so dearly.

History for a society is like memory for an individual. It creates a shared sense of "heritage" that fosters community, identity and continuity — and makes a shared memory possible. It is how we tell ourselves who we are, where we came from, and to what we belong.

Four-hundred years after Pocahontas and John Rolfe, this is still a land of explorers, inventors and romance. We invite everyone to come to Henricus and create a personal connection to a past that helped make America what it is today.