Kecoughtan, Virginia facts for kids

Kecoughtan was the name of a Native American settlement in Virginia a long time ago. Today, this area is known as Hampton, Virginia. Later, in the early 1900s, there was also a town called Kecoughtan nearby. This town became part of the City of Newport News in 1927.

Discovering Ancient Kecoughtan

The area known as Kecoughtan in Virginia was first called Kikotan by the Algonquian Native Americans who lived there. When English colonists, led by Captain John Smith, arrived in the Hampton Roads area in 1607, they met these people.

According to historical records, Chief Powhatan, a powerful Native American leader, had taken control of Kecoughtan in 1597. He put his young son, Pochins, in charge of the area.

First Meetings with European Settlers

The Kecoughtan village was one of the first places where Captain John Smith and his group of settlers were welcomed in 1607. The tribe was generally friendly towards the newcomers for a while.

However, things changed in the summer of 1609. Captain Smith sent another captain to take over an island where the Nansemonds tribe lived. A group of 17 men from the colonists went to Kecoughtan to buy corn, but they were all killed. This event led to more conflict.

Building Fort Algernon and Taking the Village

In October 1609, the colonists built Fort Algernon at Old Point Comfort, near the main Kecoughtan village. When Lord De La Warr arrived, the colonists decided to take the Native American village. On July 9, 1610, they tricked the Kecoughtans by luring them out with a tambourine player, then attacked them. The Kecoughtan people who survived fled and joined other tribes in the Powhatan group.

On the same day in 1610, the Elizabeth City Parish was started. This area has been continuously lived in ever since. The church was renamed St. John's Episcopal Church in 1830. It is now the oldest English-speaking church parish in the United States. The church building you see today was built in 1728.

Kecoughtan's Place in Virginia's History

Kecoughtan became part of Elizabeth River Shire in 1634. Then, in 1637, it became part of Elizabeth City County. In the 1690s, Kecoughtan became part of the new Town of Hampton. This town later became an independent city.

In 1952, Elizabeth City County and its town, Phoebus, joined with Hampton. This created the City of Hampton as we know it today.

Because of Fort Algernon and the Kecoughtan settlement, Hampton can claim to be the oldest place in the United States where English has been spoken continuously. This is because Jamestown, which usually claims this title, was abandoned for two days in June 1610. Also, after 1698, the buildings at Jamestown were left empty when the capital moved to Williamsburg.

The Town of Kecoughtan (20th Century)

In the early 1900s, a new town called Kecoughtan was formed. This was on January 1, 1916, within Elizabeth City County. It was located between Salters Creek and Hampton Roads. A company called the Newport News, Hampton, and Old Point Development Company built it.

The main business in this new town was Elizabeth Buxton Hospital. It also had Woodrow Wilson School and a town hall with a fire station.

Joining Newport News

Eleven years later, on January 1, 1927, the town of Kecoughtan became part of the independent city of Newport News. At that time, about 1,198 people lived in Kecoughtan. It had five miles of streets.

A paved road connecting the area to the city of Hampton opened in 1910. This road was named Kecoughtan Road after the town. It later became part of US Route 60.