Woods Keep Their History This Week in History

By PAUL CLANCY

In the deep woods beside the Chesapeake Bay, residents of the bogs and treetops greet the dawn. Rob ins skitter on the pine straw floor and peck at bugs concealed therein.

There is the half-mad laughter of a pileated woodpecker somewhere in the swamp, the raucous caw of a blackbird, the warbling of a warbler. There’s almost a gin-soaked aroma from the pines. As the sun rises in the east, it splashes the green understory of hollies and briars and swamp magnolias with fiery gold.

These are the woods, these are the environs of the Native Americans who were startled by the sudden appearance of Englishmen making their first landing on American soil four centuries ago.

You can walk along what is now Cape Henry Trail at First Landing State Park – where the replica of a small Algonquin Indian village has been erected – and continue on the bald cypress and osmanthus trails through Spanish-moss-draped woods – and be struck dumb with the beauty of the place. And realize what chronicler George Percy meant when he was “almost ravished by the sight thereof.”

But he didn’t know the half of it, really.

This is land in which for thousands of years, the sparse population of natives lived in relative harmony with the environment.

You get a sense of this by walking the 1.5 mile trail and stepping into the “Chief’s House,” a sort of lodge that was big enough to accommodate a chief’s extended family. It is a simple affair, with saplings lashed together to form the skeleton of the house and support benches. The outside skin is a reed matting that looks like loose elephant skin and smells dank like the woods.

There is a fishing camp, with a smaller house and next door lean- to, a couple of individual family houses and a sweat lodge. This tiny structure was a sort of private sauna, where you would sit by a fire, sweat profusely and then jump in cold water to recharge your batteries. It was healthful, one assumes.

This is all very interesting, built in accordance with what we know about the Late Woodland Period of native life, circa 1600. What is most impressive, though, is the real thing, a circular burial site that contains the remains of 64 natives. These were relocated here in 1997, with appropriate ceremony, from nearby acres that were threatened by development. It is appropriately designated “Sacred Ground.”

Those who were here when the colonists arrived probably were successors of the Chesapeake tribe. The Chesapeakes long had occupied these lands but enjoyed an uneasy relationship with Powhatan, the powerful empire builder. Signage along the trail points out that settlers reported the Chesapeakes were annihilated by tribes loyal to the big chief, although it is likely that women and children weren’t killed but rather absorbed by the conquerors.

When the colonists landed, there was a bit of a clash – with only minor wounds – before the natives retreated and the invaders sailed off and settled at Jamestown. But this was the real “first,” in the sense that the land here was claimed in the name of the king of England. It wasn’t long after that that the natives were driven off. Within 20 years, the last of them were gone.

But looking at the sprawling wooded acres beside the bay, you wonder who the land really belongs to.

As you continue along wooden walkways and leafy paths of the bald cypress trail, there’s almost no sign of civilization – except for the occasional jogger huffing by. You can’t see them in early spring, but there are certainly cottonmouth snakes and painted turtles in the obsidian waters of the lagoons that sprawl everywhere. At night, there must be peepers calling from the banks and owls from the trees.

Cypress trees stand in the swamp, with knobby knees for company. Morning light slants through Spanish moss as though through lace curtains. A far-off woodpecker hammers away and wind murmurs in the treetops.

* Reach Paul at paulclancy@msn.com. I These were some of the stories reported by local papers the week of April 8:

1982

A Peace March led by four Japanese Buddhist monks passe s through Portsmouth on its way to New York City. About 50 Tidewater activists join the 13 marchers as they make their way to the Portsmouth Seawall, where a brief service features songs and chants.

More than 2,000 pork lovers congregate in downtown Norfolk to participate in and observe the Norfolk Tricentennial Hog Race. The hogs run in three heats over a 35-foot course. Other events include hog calling, tobacco-spitting contests and a pork barbecue cook- off.

Eight surviving members of the “Golden 13,” consisting of the Navy’s first group of black officers, gather in Norfolk to belatedly receive a symbol of senior rank, a ball cap emblazoned with gold- braid “scrambled eggs.”

1957

During a recent Norfolk City Council meeting, a member expresses concern over the height of weeds along a major pedestrian thoroughfare. The weeds have grown so tall that they are beginning to stain the edges of ladies’ dresses.

Ocean View Amusement Park opens its doors early this season. It features a new concrete boardwalk and a new fishing pier. A traditional Easter fashion parade will be held, with a prize being awarded for the prettiest bonnet.

The Navy’s submarine force pauses briefly to observe the 57th anniversary of the U nited States underwater service. A new movie, “Hellcat of the Sea,” will be premiered in Norfolk in celebration of the occasion.

1907

A new drink to welcome the spring weather in the region is reportedly selling well in local bars. The “Brainstorm” is made by combining a spoonful of sugar with four fingers of whiskey and an ice cube.

In order to give the city of Portsmouth’s police a more up-to- date appearance, new helmets for everyday wear will replace the light straw headgear formerly worn by the officers.

Residents of Ghent are disappointed to learn that the Board of Aldermen has failed to pass the “chicken ordinance.” Chickens have been allowed to roam free, and they have been eating the seeds of homeowners attempting to start spring and summer gardens.

– Compiled by Jakon Hays,

news researcher

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