Late News about coming Great Attractions: “Presenting new historical knowledge, innovative design and a distinctive collection, exhibition galleries opening at Jamestown Settlement in Fall 2006 will chronicle the nation’s 17^th century beginnings in Virginia in the context of its Powhatan Indian, English and western central African cultures. Exhibits will set the stage for the founding of America’s first permanent English colony in 1607 and examine the impact of the Jamestown Settlement.”

            Why not time travel  to the year 1607. You don’t need a time machine. Just drive a car or take  a short ride on the shuttle to Jamestown Settlement, right outside the boundaries of Historic Jamestowne where the first English settlers landed.

           This state-operated history museum of 17th-century Virginia has re-creations that help young and old gain a deeper understanding of the past.  It's one thing to read about a confined cabin, rustic fort or Spartan Native American village and quite another to climb aboard the Susan Constant, to hear the wind whistle through a wattle-and-daub house or to step inside a Powhatan dwelling.  Jamestown Settlement, a state-operated living history museum now being greatly enlarged to commemorate Jamestown 2007 – the 400^th Anniversary of America.

        Imagine walking down a London street in 1607 with the sounds and sights of English life four centuries ago.  A few moments later you are in the heart of an African village, the original homeland of the first Africans brought to America, and still later you are entering the home of one of the early English settlers.

        In other areas of this newly-expanded 40,000 square foot gallery, you will see hundreds of artifacts and paintings that capture the “World of 1607.” In the outdoor area of the museum you can visit a replica of the original fort with new additions that reflect the latest extraordinary archeological discoveries of the past decade and board replicas of the three original ships that brought the tiny band of explorers and settlers to the New World.  We predict you’re in for a dazzling trip into the past.

        The first English settlers in the Jamestown area were sponsored by the Virginia Company of London.  Men and company alike were anxious to make fortunes by taking advantage of the foothold on the continent.  They planted a few crops and built a rough stockade and crude huts within two months of their arrival on May 14, 1607.  Food was obtained by Captain John Smith in trade with the local tribes.  Explorations led by Smith in the spring and summer of 1608 enabled him to map much of the surrounding area.

A fire in January 1608 burned the first fort.  It is likely that the harsh winter weather helped to convince the settlers that sturdy houses were essential, and the second time they were more careful in their construction.  They rebuilt the fort, church, storehouse and guardhouse.  These and other buildings from the fort have been recreated at Jamestown Settlement.  You’ll also see replicas of the three ships that brought the settlers to America.  Interpreters dressed in period clothes are at the fort and dock to answer questions.

Perhaps the best known Native American to become involved with the Jamestown settlers was Pocahontas.   The museum has a small permanent exhibit that features several artists’ renditions of Pocahontas, favored daughter of Powhatan, the leader of about 32 Algonquian-speaking tribes in coastal Virginia.  There is a European engraving that depicts the legendary December 1607 incident when 11-year-old Pocahontas rescued Captain John Smith from execution by her father.  The only reference to this occurrence was in Smith’s subsequent account of his experiences with the Native Americans and many historians doubt the incident took place.  Two items on display---a cameo brooch and small stoneware jug---were reputedly given to Pocahontas when she and her English husband John Rolfe visited London.  A 17th- or 18th-century painting of Pocahontas shows her in English attire.   

A vivid evocation of the Powhatans who inhabited Tidewater Virginia awaits you at the tribal village and its ceremonial dance circle.  Youngsters are amazed to learn that Native Americans in the east did not live in teepees.  The dwellings in the village are based on archeological findings and drawings made by an Englishman during an earlier attempt to colonize Virginia.

Authentically dressed interpreters explain how the Native Americans prepared their food and constructed their utensils and tools.  The houses are furnished as they would have been in the early 17th century, with fur-covered ledges along the walls for sleeping, woven mats on the earth and a central fire for warmth.  Extended families shared the houses.  The dance circle may have been used by the Powhatans to celebrate harvests, seasonal changes and other significant events.

Jamestown Settlement is open daily 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. except Christmas and New Year's.  Between June 15 and August 15 the Settlement is open until 6 P.M.  Admission:  $11.75 for adults,  $5.75 for children (6-12 years old).  If you plan to visit the Yorktown Victory Center, buy a combination ticket for $17 adults, $8.25 for children (6-12 years old).

Directions:  Take 199 to Jamestown Road (route 5). Head south on Jamestown Road and watch for the Jamestown Settlement on your left close to the ferry crossing on the James River.  An alternate route: take 199 to the Colonial Parkway and follow the signs to Jamestown.  Follow the well-marked roads to Historic Jamestowne or the Jamestown Settlement.

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