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Chickahominy
Gallery: Church & School
This photo of Samaria School in 1940 shows an American flag flying in front. A Richmond News Leader article of July 18, 1918 reported on a flag raising ceremony scheduled to take place at Samaria, citing it as the first time an American flag had flown over an Indian school house in the State
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In 1901 a group of families
withdrew from Cedar Grove and Little Elam Baptist Churches
to form a new congregation and acquired
the old Samaria Baptist Church which had been closed for
a number of years. The church was officially recognized by
the Dover Baptist Association as Samaria Indian Church in
1901. The church pictured here was built in 1910 at the site
of the present church and dismantled when the brick church
was opened in 1961. Photo courtesy Chickahominy Indian Tribe.
Zu-Zue Red Cloud-Owen (seated) Chief Ozias Westmore Adkins (left) and Allen Adkins (right) are pictured here on the steps of Samaria Indian 
Baptist Church in the 1930s. The group photo, also on the steps of Samaria, probably dates to the 1940s. Photo left courtesy Charles City County Center for Local History, photo right courtesy Chickahominy Indian Tribe.
At the turn of the 20th century Virginia schools were segregated
by law. As a part of their cultural resurgence the Chickahominies
established their own school, supporting it by themselves at first.
Staff of Samaria
School is pictured here with Superintendent Harris in 1922. Photo courtesy
Charles City County Center for Local History.
of Virginia. The event appears to have been related to a controversy concerning draft of Virginia Indians to serve in WWI. Virginia Indians initially refused induction during WWI because Indians were not U.S. Citizens. After the State Attorney General ruled in their favor, many enlisted. Shortly after this ceremony at least four members of the tribe entered the army. Photo courtesy Charles City County Center for Local History.
Samaria Indian School extended only to the 8th grade when these photos were taken in 1940. A new school was dedicated in 1951 that was designed to provide primary and secondary education for Chickahominy, Pamunkey and Mattaponi students. It was not until almost a decade later, however, that it was able to award high school diplomas. Photos courtesy Charles City County Center for Local History.
Because Samaria School did not extend through high school, Chickahominies who desired further education attended a boarding school at Bacone College, a Baptist-affiliated school for Indians located near Muskogee, Oklahoma. The State of Virginia paid a subsidy of $200 to each student until 1950. Some stayed on for Junior College. The graduating class of 1950 pictured here, included six Chickahominy students. Photo courtesy Bacone College.
Chickahominy cultural rediscovery continues today. Members
of the Tribe are pictured here with a student at the site of Werowocomoco,
Powhatan’s chief residence c.1607. Ongoing archaeological research
at Werowocomoco is being conducted through a partnership with the College
of William & Mary and the Virginia Indian community. Photo courtesy
of the Werowocomoco Research Group.
Scenes for The New World, a movie about the Jamestown settlers and Capt. John Smith, were filmed in Charles City County. The movie provided an authentic portrayal of Native costume, settlements and language. Steve Adkins, son of the current chief, was one of the Virginia Indians cast as an extra in the movie. He is shown in this photograph just to the left of Colin Farrell. Photo © 2005 Merie Wallace, SMPSP / New Line Productions.