State Historical Marker to Be Unveiled in Mathews County for Kiskiak Indians’ New Homeland
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
October 2026
Contact:
Ivy Tan Ager
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.ager@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445
State Historical Marker to Be Unveiled in Mathews County for Kiskiak Indians’ New Homeland
—After English settlers encroached on their ancestral homeland in the 17th century, the Kiskiak Indians were allotted 5,000 acres in present-day Mathews County by Virginia’s colonial government—
—Text of marker reproduced below—
PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.
RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced that a state historical marker approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources will be dedicated in Mathews County next weekend highlighting the Kiskiak Indians’ new homeland, which was assigned for them by Virginia’s colonial government in the 17th century after European colonists settled on their ancestral land.
The marker dedication ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, at the Cobbs Creek Arts Center, located at 61 Cobbs Creek Lane in the Mathews County community of Cobbs Creek (23035). Onsite parking is available. The marker will then be unveiled at its location at the intersection of Twiggs Ferry Road (Route 3) and Wrenfield Lane, which is less than half a mile from the intersection of Route 3 and Route 198. Attendees may park along Wrenfield Lane and Twiggs Ferry Road. A reception will be held at the Cobbs Creek Arts Center after the marker’s unveiling. This event is free and open to the public.
The dedication will start with a brief ceremony. John Hoffman, president of the Mathews County Historical Society, Inc., will open with welcome remarks and greetings. The Rev. Kristie Askew of Grace-Providence, Emmanuel and St. Matthew’s United Methodist Churches will lead the invocation. Speakers at the ceremony will include Charles Bowman of the Kiskiack Tribe; Jennifer Loux, Ph.D., DHR’s historical marker program manager; and Martha W. McCartney, research historian.
When English settlers first arrived in Virginia in the 17th century, the Kiskiak Indians, who were at the time part of the Powhatan paramount chiefdom, originally lived on the south side of the York River. In the 1630s, the Kiskiak withdrew to the Middle Peninsula after the English encroached on their ancestral homeland. They were living on the south side of the Piankatank River when the colonial government allotted them 5,000 acres in 1649. The assigned land, located in modern-day Mathews County, extended from Chapel Creek to Harper Creek and included two of their towns. By 1656, English settlers had acquired more than half of the land. In 1669, Virginia’s Indian census recorded 15 Kiskiak warriors. After 1677, the Kiskiak seemingly dispersed, with some possibly joining nearby tribes.
The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the historical marker for the Kiskiak Indians’ new homeland in December 2025. The Commonwealth of Virginia sponsored the marker and paid for its manufacturing cost. The Mathews County Historical Society, Inc., initiated the project, supplied historical documentation, and organized the dedication event.
Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,700 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.
Full Text of Marker:
The Kiskiak Indians’ New Homeland
The Kiskiak Indians, once part of the Powhatan paramount chiefdom, lived on the south side of the York River when European colonists arrived. During the 1630s, as English settlement encroached on their ancestral homeland, the Kiskiak withdrew to the Middle Peninsula. In 1649, they were living on the south side of the Piankatank River when the colonial government allotted them 5,000 acres, which extended from Chapel Creek to Harper Creek and included their two towns. By 1656, English settlers had acquired more than half of the Kiskiak land. In 1669, Virginia’s Indian census recorded 15 Kiskiak warriors. After 1677, the Kiskiak seemingly dispersed, perhaps joining nearby tribes.
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