Pocahontas Island, named after the legendary American Indian princess, is said to be the first African-American settlement in the nation. Petersburg's first slaves started to work in that neighborhood at John Bolling's tobacco warehouses in 1732. Eighteen years later, the land was subdivided and called Wittontown. It was renamed Pocahontas in 1752 and became part of Petersburg, Virginia 32 years later.
For decades, Pocahontas Island was the perfect hiding place for fugitive slaves, surrounded by the Appomattox River and because of its connecting wetland and the neighborhood's dense population. Because of its significant resources, ranging from prehistoric to historic, Pocahontas Island is listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
