Henricus

Henricus Henricopolis, Henrie Town, Henrico
Town
Reconstruction of Mt. Malady, the first English hospital in America
Coordinates: 37°22′26″N 77°21′43″W / 37.374°N 77.362°W / 37.374; -77.362
Present Country	United States of America
State	Virginia
Established	1611; 414 years ago (1611)
Abandoned	by 1622
Founded by	Thomas Dale
Named for	Prince Henry
Henrico
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
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Nearest city	Dutch Gap, Chesterfield County, Virginia
Area	12 acres (4.9 ha)
Built	1611
NRHP reference No.	72001400[1]
VLR No.	020-0709
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 13, 1972
Designated VLR	December 21, 1971[2]

The "Citie of Henricus"—also known as Henricopolis, Henrico Town or Henrico—was a settlement in Virginia founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy and dangerous area around the original English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. Named for Henry, Prince of Wales (1594–1612), the eldest son of King James I, Henricus is located on a former curl of the James River about 12 miles southeast of the modern city of Richmond, Virginia or 15 miles from the fall line of the James River.

Today, the settlement is interpreted via Henricus Historical Park, a living history museum. It is surrounded by the Dutch Gap Conservation Area, an 810 acre mixture of woodlands and wetlands operated by Chesterfield County, Virginia. Captain Dale (who had previously served as a mercenary with Dutch forces) ordered a channel dug which attempted to shorten the river meander, hence the name Dutch Gap. As discussed below, the channel was re-dug during the American Civil War, which created Farrar's Island, which after further dredging became the main course of the James River around 1870. The park and conservation area are on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.^[3]