Welcome to Our Site
You have come ashore in Morattico, Lancaster County, Virginia. Some people describe this place as a quaint fishing village, but we just call it home. Where in the world is Morattico, Virginia you say; well its on a peninsula of land called the Northern Neck, situated between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. In 1608, Captain John Smith, referred to it as a place heaven and earth never agreed better to frame man's habitation. George Washington merely called it the Garden of Virginia.
Morattico, a riverside village in the Northern Neck of Virginia has depended since the 17th Century for its sustenance and identity on the Rappahannock River. A major effort of village residents has centered around the restoration and preservation of the Morattico General Store, which now houses the Morattico Waterfront Museum. This website chronicles the efforts of the residents of this village to sustain itself and to preserve its identity and heritage through the ongoing development of the museum during a time when oyster and crab populations in the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake Bay have shrunk dramatically, making it difficult for watermen to survive and challenging for a waterfront village like Morattico to remain a vital and vibrant community.
The Morattico Waterfront Museum is a member of the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)
For general, volunteering, and membership information, write
Morattico Waterfront Museum
P.O. Box 80
Morattico, Virginia 22523
or email
www.moratticowaterfrontmuseum.org
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Preserving a heritage.
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Painting by Jerry Peill of the
Morattico Waterfront Museum 2004
Morattico Village
The village takes its name from the Moraughtacund
Indians of the
Algonquian Nation
encountered in the area by Captain John Smith in 1608
Morattico Waterfront Museum