Following years of hard work and exhaustive research, Werowocomoco, the 58-acre site where Paramount Chief Powhatan and his daughter Pocahontas first met with Captain John Smith in 1607, was dedicated during a ceremony Friday afternoon. The action will preserve the site for years to come.

Hundreds attended Friday’s dedication along the shores of Purton Bay along with Gov. Bob McDonnell, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Montross), Del. Keith Hodges (R-Middlesex), and state Sen. Tommy Norment (R-Williamsburg) as well as Indian chiefs from local tribes.

Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Douglas Domenech called Friday’s event "both solemn and joyous." He thanked owners Bob and Lynn Ripley for being so accommodating for more than a decade of research that has been going on at their home.

"A special thanks to the Ripleys’ curious hound that brought those arrowheads back," Domenech added. The family’s golden retriever found and brought back several Indian arrowheads t...