The area around Accokeek had been occupied since around 2000 BC; however, the first permanent village was established in c. 1200 AD by the Piscataway tribe. Captain John Smith was the first European to see the Accokeek area. In 1608, he sailed the Potomac River and found the Moyaone village. At the time of the discovery, Moyaone was the seat of government for the Piscataway Tribe. The village of Moyaone disbanded and the population migrated to other tribes before other Europeans settled the area.