In 2017 JRWA, a joint initiative of Fluvanna and Louisa counties, announced without consulting the Nation that it would develop its project on and thereby destroy a site first documented by Captain John Smith in 1612 as “the chiefest town” in the Monacan territory, which covered half of what is today Virginia. Monacans occupied Rassawek through 200 generations, beginning 4,730 years ago. Beginning in the 1880s, the Smithsonian documented the important archaeological resources and extensive human burials at Rassawek.
The resulting highly contentious four-year battle drew national attention and the involvement of tens of thousands of private citizens and organizations representing millions of American Indians and historic preservationists. Soon after, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Rassawek to its annual list of the country’s 11 Most Endangered historic sites. JRWA took a pause. They consented to hire archaeologists trusted by the Nation, and the resulting investigative report showed little risk of encountering ancestral remains on the project alternative supported by the Nation.
On March 16, 2022, the Nation provided JRWA a letter officially supporting the project at the alternative site. JRWA, which for years insisted that no viable siting alternatives existed, voted unanimously to abandon their plans in favor of building on an alternative route two miles from Rassawek.
This page memorializes the details of this fight and the extensive support from across the nation that helped reach this resolution. Documents are provided as an archive and have not been kept updated.
Dozens Gather to Protest Planned Use of Sacred Monacan Land, CBS-19, August 13, 2019 (no longer accessible)DEAD LINK
