Highway Marker to recognize Meherrin Tribe

AHOSKIE — An American Indian tribe that settled in northeastern North Carolina soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.

The marker commemorating the Meherrin Tribe will be dedicated during a ceremony Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m., at the Meherrin Tribal Grounds at 852 N.C. Highway 11 South, Ahoskie.

The Meherrin, whose traditional name Kauwets’a·ka means “People of the Water,” received formal recognition from the North Carolina government in 1986.

The first known written account of the Meherrin people came from English merchant and explorer Sir Edward Bland, who visited the Meherrin village of Cowonchahawkon near present-day Emporia, Va., in 1650 while on an expedition from Fort Henry, which is present-day Petersburg, Va.

Later, encroaching European settlements in the mid-17th century pressured native peoples, including the Meherrin, to move. Following Bacon’s Rebellion, all Virginia tribes signed the Middle Plantation Treaty of 1677, which subjugated them to King Charles II of England and the governor of Virginia.

A short time later, the Meherrin left the area of Cowonchahawkon and settled on Tawarra/Taurura Creek near Boykins, Va. Other members of the tribe moved north of the Blackwater River, but in 1687 they were ordered by the Virginia Council of State to return south of the river. About 1691, the tribe moved across the border into Carolina Province in what is today North Carolina where their tribal territories are found in Hertford, Bertie, Northampton, and Gates counties.

In 1920, a new Pleasant Plains Indian School was built in Hertford County to replace the original school built in 1866. It was the second Rosenwald-funded school in the county. The school closed in 1949 and was converted into a community center to serve Indian and mixed families in 1950.

In 1975, Meherrin descendants reorganized the tribe and reclaimed its identity under Chief Wayne Mackanear Brown. They created a modern tribal government, led by a chief and seven elected council members. The tribe holds an annual powwow during the first week of October at the tribal grounds between Ahoskie and Murfreesboro.

The marker is one of nine being dedicated in 2024 that highlight American Indian culture and history in North Carolina. Historical markers were approved for the Coharie, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi, Sappony, and Waccamaw Siouan tribes.

In addition, historical markers were approved for the site of the East Carolina Indian School and the Buie Mound site. The N.C. American Indian Heritage Commission staff worked closely with N.C. tribes to complete applications to be considered for the historical marker program.