Gloucester County’s history is much more than skin deep.

While Gloucester was once the most populous and wealthy county of the British colony of Virginia, its history runs deeper than that.

Resting below its surface—underneath its historic courthouse, Seawell’s Ordinary and the ruins of Rosewell—there is a story that has been patiently waiting to be discovered. Only now is it finally getting the recognition it deserves.

Last week, a ceremony was held at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the acquisition of Werowocomoco by the National Park Service, an action that will forever preserve this most important of historic places. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, along with local and national leaders, took part in this celebration.

This 264-acre site along the York River was once home to the Powhatan Chiefdom, a spiritual and political center for the region’s native tribes for centuries before the arrival of the English at Jamestown. It was...