On April 26, 2019, the Board of Conservation and Recreation recommended, and DCR's director approved, the name Machicomoco State Park for a future state park at the property also known as Timberneck Farm. As part of the proposed Surry-Skiffes Creek Transmission Line Project memorandum of agreement (MOA) mitigation stipulations, funding was provided for land acquisition, visitor interpretation facilities, archeological investigation and preservation associated with Werowocomoco. The Conservation Fund purchased the Timberneck Tract as part of this stipulation. Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects are overseeing the design and construction for a campground, a car-top boat launch, an open-air interpretive center and a picnic area. The property transferred to DCR on Oct. 9, 2020. DCR will open and revisit with public input the Middle Peninsula State Park Master Plan in 2021 to include existing DCR land near Rosewell and the Machicomoco State Park property.
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THE HISTORY OF WILLIAMSBURG
Prior to European settlement, the area around modern-day Williamsburg was settled by the indigenous American tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy. Williamsburg was first settled in 1638 and was originally referred to as Middle Plantation due to its location on the high ground in the middle of the Virginia Peninsula. In 1699, Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg in honor of King William III of England.
By the turn of the 20th century, Williamsburg was a quiet country village, and many colonial buildings, while still standing, were in disrepair. The Reverend Dr. D.A.R. Goodwin made it his goal to restore Williamsburg to its colonial spendor, seeking financial help from none other than John D. Rockefeller Jr., the heir to Standard Oil. It was due to the Rockefeller contributions that Williamsburg became what it is today: A living museum, with history preserved and on exhibit every day.