Crow's Nest Research Center

The Crow’s Nest Research Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and preservation of 132 acres in Stafford, Virginia, along Accokeek Creek. Additionally, the organization engages in wetlands research, and public-facing environmental education. The property also borders the Accokeek Creek, which flows into the Potomac River. 

Directly across the river from the Research Center’s Ben’s Blind is the tribe’s other major ancestral village, Patawomeck. This village is also known as site 44ST2, and was occupied by the Patawomeck tribe from about 1300 to 1550 AD. The site was excavated by archaeologists from the Smithsonian in the 1930s and 40s, and most objects remain in the museum. Some are also on display at the Patawomeck Museum and Cultural Center. 

While Patawomeck ancestors most likely resided, at least seasonally, on the Crow’s Nest Research Center property, it is inferred that they travelled from the village through waterways and engaged in fishing in the area. Additionally, many tribal members harvested wild rice, tuckahoe, ginseng, and other plants native to the environment.  

Learn more about the Research Center through Sophia Lynn, owner of the property, and visit the official website at https://crowsnestresearch.org/. 

Additionally, hear more about tribal history in the surrounding area from Joann Newton Meredith, Kathy Bullock Harding, and Jennifer Newton Gallahan, a trio of quilters who own property near the Research Center.