Henricus

Henricus is an archaeological site in Virginia, United States, that stretches along the James River and includes several reconstructed colonial-era structures. The grounds hold exhibition spaces, historical workshops, and open areas that present everyday life among English settlers in the early 17th century.

Thomas Dale founded the settlement in 1611 as the second permanent English colony in North America after Jamestown. In the following years, the first hospital in the English colonies was built here, and the site also became a place where Pocahontas received instruction.

The site preserves the Latinized name of its founder and reflects English colonial traditions along the river. Visitors walk through reconstructed dwellings and workshops that show how settlers lived and worked in the early 1600s.

The grounds sit along the riverbank and are accessible via paved paths that lead through different areas of the site. Guided tours with costumed interpreters run regularly and explain how colonists managed their daily routines.

Pocahontas married John Rolfe at this site in a ceremony that brought together English settlers and indigenous communities. The wedding is often seen as a symbolic moment of encounter between two worlds in early colonial times.

Location: Virginia

Inception: 1611

Founders: Thomas Dale

Website: http://henricus.org

GPS coordinates: 37.37380,-77.36232

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:26