We drove to Petersburg, Virginia on our way to North Carolina. This is the area, just south of Richmond, where the Womack's lived in the 1600's. We wanted to see the ruins of the fort and trading post where Richard Womack set out from to trade with the Indians in the mid 1600's. The path from here followed south along the Occaneechi Trail.
We stopped at the visitor's center, and found out that the courtyard there was the setting for the washing area scene in "Mercy Street" in case you are a fan (we are!) I remembered the gate to the street vividly as that is where the young slave boy had to decide whether to remain with his mistress or make a break for freedom.
Nearby was the trading post, now known as "Peter Jone's Trading Post" which had originally been called Fort Henry. It was commanded by Abraham Wood in Richard Womack's time. Later it was left to Abraham's son-in-law, Peter Jones, for whom Petersburg was named. The ruins stood near the banks of the Appomattox River.
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| 350 years after Richard Womack set off from here on trading expeditions! |
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