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"We almost gave up!" a young man
dressed in the rustic garb of one of the first English settlers
shouted as we walked through the gate of the re-created Jamestown Fort
at the Jamestown Settlement.
This costumed interpreter was so excited that his comments quickly
carried us back to another century.
"It was June
7, 1610. Who can forget that year!. We had given up! We were
starving. Attacked by Indians. Many of us were sick of diseases we
didn't even know the name of. Every last man among us boarded a ship,
and all we could think about was getting back to the safety of
England.”
He used
a stick to draw a line in the dirt for the James River
and a dot where the homeward bound ship had stopped because of lack of
wind. “Just then a small ship came into view, sailing toward us. It
was an advance boat come to tell us that three ships with provisions
and our new Governor, Lord Delaware were right behind it.. We were
saved and returned to Jamestown Island to start again. But not all of
us were too happy to be
saved. I will tell you that! We had to go back to all that misery.”
Jamestown Settlement is just outside the boundaries of Historic
Jamestowne, The Original Site (Colonial National
Historic Park). 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. Or listen to an earnest young man telling
the story of how Jamestown was saved by Lord Delaware. Jamestown
Settlement offers these options as well as the chance to explore
extensive gallery and riverfront exhibits.
Start
your visit
With a 15-minute film,
Jamestown the Beginning.
Visit galleries and newly-opened display sections that feature
artifacts from the 16th and 17th centuries. Experience the
circumstances that led to English colonization of the
New World, the culture of Virginia's Powhatans and the colony's
development in the 17th century.
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. Many were looking (in
vain) for gold. 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 from the local
tribes. What was not known until recent times was that the settlers
had landed in the midst of a terrible drought that lasted for seven
years. Explorations led by Smith in the spring and summer of 1608
enabled him to map much of the surrounding area.
Perhaps you were
wondering about Pocahontas?
The Disney movie
Pocahontas was great fun
but probably written by someone who had seen too many reruns of
Love Boat on TV. Pocahontas
and John Smith were portrayed as young adults. But Captain John was in
his 40s and Pochontas was about 11 years old when they met. But in
any event she did become the best known Native American to become
involved with the Jamestown settlers. 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
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 tepees. 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. At a Riverfront Discovery Area
you can watch many of the waterfront activities of people of African,
European and Indian descent built boats and traded.
Fire in the Fort!
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.
Jamestown Settlement is open daily
9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (until 6 P.M. June 15 to August
15. Closed Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $11.75 for
adults; $5.75 for children ages 6-12. A combination ticket with the
Yorktown Victory Center, a museum of American History; $17 adults,
$8.25 children 6-12.
Directions: From I-95 in the Richmond area, take
I-64 to the Williamsburg area. Then take the Colonial Parkway nine
miles to Jamestown Island. Turn right to reach Jamestown Settlement.
An alternate route is to take I-64 to Exit 242A and turn onto Route
199 west. Drive five miles to the intersection with Route 31 and turn
left. Historic Jamestowne, The Original Site and Jamestown Settlement
are four miles farther on the left. |
