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History

Must-See RVA! — Powhatan Stone

A look into the history of Richmond places that are still part of our landscape.

Published

9 years ago

on

April 2018
x

AKA, Powhatan Rock
Chimborazo Park
3201 East Broad Street
Laid, circa 1618
Relocated, 1911

A mysterious stone of legend.

[RELK] — showing location of Powhatan’s Seat, and approximate location of Powhatan Stone

From 1726 – 1865, Richmond’s well-known Mayo family lived in a house east of Richmond overlooking the James, called Powhatan’s Seat. The land on which it stood was connected with the Powhatan tribe, and on it rested a stone reputed to be the marker for King Powhatan’s grave when he died in 1618. (Urban Scale)

(Rocket Werks RVA Postcards) — Powhatan’s Grave, in situ, showing the James River in background

Described as being marked with Indian designs, it was a treasure of the Mayo family [RHPP], and considered an area tourist attraction, albeit a minor one. Its out-of-the-way location kept it from being visited by the hundreds of thousands of non-Richmonders across the South who passed through town. Surprisingly, there are no Civil War accounts from soldiers visiting the stone. [RELK]

(Google Maps) — showing former Powhatan Seat’s location

The Mayo property was roughly bounded by Almond Creek on the south and Rocketts on the north, and the postcard above shows the stone lying in proximity to the house. Today, the area is one of the locations of Vulcan Materials Company, a construction materials company based in Birmingham, Alabama. [RELK]

[RVCJ03] — Headstone, Powhatan’s Grave — Old Mayo Place, Eastern Suburbs of Richmond — circa 1903

In 1911, Peter H. Mayo gifted the stone to the city, and it was was floated up river by barge in May. It remained briefly at his residence at 110 West Franklin prior to the formal presentation ceremony, before being removed to it’s current resting place in Chimborazo Park. (Chronicling America)

April 2018

The stone itself is rather less than it used to be, appearing to have been excised from the original rock. This is confirmed by the 1903 image above, and by a photo from the Valentine’s Cook collection, which appears in Harry Kollatz’s book True Richmond Stories: Historic Tales from Virginia’s Capital.

But like they say, it’s not the size of the prize, right?

(Powhatan Stone is part of the Atlas RVA Project)

Sources

  • [RELK] Email. Robert E. L. Krick, Historian, Richmond Natl. Battlefield Park. 10 April 2018.
  • [RHPP] Richmond, Her Past & Present. Christian, W. Asbury. 1912.
  • [RVCJ03] Richmond, Virginia: The City on the James: The Book of Its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests. G. W. Engelhardt. 1903.

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