Jamestown, Virginia 9/21/1998

I soon learned there are two Jamestown centers, one run by the state and one by the National Park Service. The Jamestown Settlement was a well organized redeveloped village built in 1957 that includes a Powhatan Indian village, three replicas of the ships Godspeed, Discovery and Susan Constant, and the James Fort. Everything was hands on and one could wander through the Indian "yehakins" or houses and watch as employees dressed in whatever the period costume portrayed the lifestyles of their predecessors. The ships had left England on December 20, 1606 and arrived in the spring of 1607. The Discovery remained in the colony to explore the rivers and Chesapeake Bay. The fort was a triangular-shaped palisade with houses that were made of wattle and daub with thatched roofs.

In the display area I noticed the name William Strachey who was also in my genealogy database. I was surprised to learn that he returned to England so why am I not in England? I will need to do more research. He came to the colony on the Sea Venture in 1609 with Lord De La Warr. His published works after he returned to England provided much of the information for the creation of the current settlement. At the original site they had located his signet ring.


At Jamestown, the Original Site, I enjoyed a tour through the museum with displays of artifacts and information about the time period. Then an outdoor tour led me by a statue of Pocahontas, the old church tower, which is the one 17th century structure still standing at Jamestown. The tower was an addition to the brick church built in 1639. In 1907 there was obviously quite a celebration of Jamestown and a memorial brick church was built over the foundation of the 1639 brick church and the original 1617 frame church.

The island is a combination of rivers running though marshes, open fields, and wooded forests. Along one ravine was the place where they got tar and pitch from the tall Virginia pines. A five mile drive along the island provided an overview of the area with informative signs along the way.

After departing Jamestown I was determined to have lunch in Colonial Williamsburg. I drove along the Colonial Parkway which is a fine creation. It links Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown and obviously was created with tourists in mind. I drove along the James River with many turnout points and historical markers.
The James River runs from the Appalachians to Hampton and into the Chesapeake. During the Civil War the Monitor and Merrimack engaged in a duel in the harbor at the mouth of the James River. The deep harbor accommodates today the naval vessels that comprise the fleet of one of the largest naval facilities in the world.