two churches, 11 miles apart, are central to the life of the two state-recognized Chickahominy tribes in Virginia
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online
After the loss of their reservation in 1702, many of the Chickahominy were forced to move north of the Pamunkey River into King William County. They began to return to the Chickahominy River watershed in the mid-1700's, settling into New Kent and Charles City counties.
After the Civil War, Virginia officials adopted Black Codes and passed segregationist Jim Crow laws defining "separate but equal" status for black Americans. That forced Native Americans in Virginia to struggle against efforts to deny their separate identify and declare them to be "colored." Classification as "Indian" allowed for treatment in white hospitals and passage in the railroad cars reserved for whites.1
In 1901 the Chickahominy organized Samaria Indian Baptist Church in Charles City County, south of the Chickahominy River. The Chickahominy living in New Kent County started to organize as a separate group in 1920-21, electing a chief and establishing Tsena Commocko Baptist Church in 1922. The new church was 11 miles away from Samaria Indian Baptist Church. That location was more convenient for those who still lived in New Kent County, north of the Chickahominy River. The Chickahominy Indians Eastern Division incorporated as a separate tribe in 1925.2
two churches, 11 miles apart, are central to the life of the two state-recognized Chickahominy tribes in Virginia
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online
In 2002, the Chickahominy Indians Eastern Division purchased 41 acres on Route 60, the first property acquisition of the tribe as a corporate organization.3
Eastern Chickahominy State Designated Tribal Statistical Area (SDTSA)
Source: Census Reporter, Eastern Chickahominy SDTSA