Pocahontas & the First English Hospital

By 1613, Sir Thomas Dale had erected several fortified homes and buildings in “Coxsondale”, including Rocke Hall and the guesthouse or hospital known as “Mt. Malado."

Mt. Malady

Mt. Malady, or Mt. Malado, was the first English hospital or "guest house" established in the New World. The original had enough beds for eighty persons and was intended to care for colonists arriving to Henricus from England who needed a place to recover from the long two-and-a-half-month journey, as well as those ailing from life in the new community itself.

Henricus' interpreters and recreated hospital help demonstrate what medical practices may have been offered for the sick and lame who traveled across the ocean between 1613 and 1614.

 

Mt. Malady

Rocke Hall

As minister to the settlement, Reverend Whitaker was an influential and highly respected man. His position as minister made him the logical choice to provide a home for Pocahontas when she was brought to Henricus in 1613. He tutored Pocahontas in the English traditions and oversaw her conversion to Christianity. As a close acquaintance of John Rolfe, Reverend Whitaker probably introduced Rolfe to Pocahontas, his future bride.

Henricus' interpreters and recreated two-story parsonage help demonstrate not only the life and influence of Reverend Whitaker, but the challenges Pocahontas would have faced in transitioning to becoming English.

 

Rocke Hall