Indigenous and Monacan Stewardship: BCE 1200 BC – CE 1750s 

The land described as “Indian Camp” in the 18th and early 19th century, and  known today as Morven was once inhabited by Indigenous people for several thousand years prior to European colonization. The Monacan Tribe was the last Indigenous community that lived, cultivated, and hunted at Morven, and the Monacan people still recognize it as part of their ancestral homeland.  

The Monacan capital, Rassawak, was located 20 miles downstream from Morven where the Rivanna River meets the James River.  This seasonal residence, one of many “Indian Camps” in the Virginia Piedmont, was a conscious cultural adaptation to colonization within the James River watershed. European settlers recognized the signs of Indigenous presence and cultivation of the landscape, evidenced by nearby names such as “Indian Camp,” “Indian Village,” and “Indian Garden.”   

Between 2009-2011,  UVA sponsored  Morven  archaeological investigations undertaken by a collaborative team of UVA, Monticello, and Washington and Lee University faculty and students as well as  Rivanna Archaeology. These teams  identified  three sites  with  prehistoric and historic-era land uses and occupation  within  the Indian Camp Creek valley  that runs along Morven’s southern boundary. Historians theorize that Monacans traveled to this  land  from their villages along the Rivanna River and James River  as part of their seasonal hunting patterns, possibly also cultivating crops, grains, nuts, and fruit. The large assortment of paw paw groves that can be found atop Morven’s ridgeline may be one example of the remnants of Monacan stewardship. While  our current understanding of Monacan presence at Morven  remains  incomplete, future research, in collaboration with the Monacan Nation, offers the possibility of gaining insight on how Indigenous people managed, cultivated and cared for this landscape.