(Redirected from Jamestown, VA)
Located on 'Jamestown Island' in the
Virginia Colony, was founded on
May 14,
1607. Jamestown is commonly regarded as the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following many earlier failed attempts.
Historical overview 1607-2007
Main articles: European colonization of the Americas
Location of Jamestown
During the 16th and 17th centuries, various European countries competed to establish colonies in the portion of the "New World" we presently know as
North America. One of the English attempts, a competitive effort by two proprietary arms of the
Virginia Company, resulted in the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown in 1607.
''For more information about other settlements in North America by England and other countries, both successful and failed, and maps showing lands originally considered to be part of "Virginia" by the English, see article
Colony and Dominion of Virginia.''
Jamestown (originally also called "James Towne" or "Jamestowne") is located on the
James River in what is currently
James City County in the
Commonwealth of Virginia. The site is about 40 miles (62
km) inland from the
Atlantic Ocean and the entrance to the
Chesapeake Bay and about 45 miles (70 km) downstream and southeast of the current state capital city of
Richmond. Both the river and the settlement were named for
King James I of England, who was on the throne at the time, granted the private proprietorship to the
Virginia Company of London's enterprise.
The location at 'Jamestown Island' was selected primarily because it offered a favorable strategic defensive position against other European forces which might approach by water. However, the colonists soon discovered that the swampy and isolated site was plagued by mosquitoes, tidal river water unsuitable for drinking, and offered limited opportunities for hunting and little space for farming. The area was also inhabited by
Native Americans (American Indians).
[1]
Despite inspired leadership of
John Smith, chaplain
Robert Hunt and others, starvation, hostile relations with the Indians, and lack of profitable exports all threatened the survival of the Colony in the early years as the settlers and the Virginia Company of London each struggled. However, colonist
John Rolfe introduced a strain of
tobacco which was successfully exported in 1612, and the financial outlook for the colony became more favorable. Two years later, Rolfe married the young Indian woman
Pocahontas, daughter of
Wahunsunacock, Chief of the
Powhatan Confederacy, and a period of relative peace with the Natives followed. In 1616, the Rolfes made a public relations trip to England, where Pocahontas was received as visiting royalty. Changes by the Virginia Company which became effective in 1619 attracted additional investments, also sowing the first seeds of democracy in the process with a locally-elected body which became the
House of Burgesses, the first such representative legislative body in the
New World.
Throughout the 17th century, Jamestown was the capital of the Virginia Colony. Several times during contingencies, the seat of government for the colony was shifted temporarily to nearby
Middle Plantation, a fortified location on the high ridge approximately equidistant from the James and
York Rivers on the
Virginia Peninsula. Shortly after the Colony was finally granted a long-desired charter and established the new
College of William and Mary at Middle Plantation, the capital of the Colony was permanently relocated nearby. In 1699, the new capital town was renamed
Williamsburg, in honor of the current British king,
William III.
After the capital was relocated, Jamestown began a gradual loss of prominence and eventually reverted to a few large farms. It again became a significant point for control of the James River during the
American Civil War (1861–1865), and then slid back into seeming oblivion. Even the
Jamestown Exposition of 1907 was held elsewhere, at a more accessible location at
Sewell's Point, on
Hampton Roads near
Norfolk.
''Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her consort Prince Phillip inspect replica of ''Susan Constant'' at Jamestown Festival Park in
Virginia on
October 16,
1957''
However, beginning in 1893, a combination of donations and federal funds resulted in the acquisition of Jamestown Island by the
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities and the U.S.
National Park Service. A crucial
sea wall protected the shoreline near the site of James Fort from further erosion. In the 1930s, the
Colonial National Historical Park was established to protect and administer Jamestown, which was designated a
National Historic Site.
For the 350th anniversary in 1957, Jamestown itself was the site of renewed interest and a huge celebration. The National Park Service provided new access with the completion of the
Colonial Parkway which led to Williamsburg, home of the restored capital of
Colonial Williamsburg, and then on to
Yorktown, the other two portions of Colonial Virginia's
Historic Triangle. Major projects such as the
Jamestown Festival Park were developed by non-profit, state and federal agencies. Queen
Elizabeth II of Great Britain and
Prince Philip attended. The 1957 event was a great success. Tourism became continuous with attractions regularly updated and enhanced.
The two major attractions at Jamestown are separate, but complementary to each other. The state-sponsored '
Jamestown Settlement' near the entrance to Jamestown Island includes a recreated English Fort and Native American Village, extensive indoor and outdoor displays, and features the three popular replica ships. On Jamestown Island itself, the
National Park Service operates '
Historic Jamestowne'. Over a million artifacts have been recovered by the
Jamestown Rediscovery project with ongoing
archaeological work, including a number of exciting recent discoveries.
Early in the 21st century, in preparation for the
Jamestown 2007 event commemorating
America's 400th Anniversary, new accommodations, transportation facilities and attractions were planned. The celebration began in the Spring of 2006 with the sailing of a new replica ''
Godspeed'' to six major East Coast U.S. cities, where several hundred thousand people viewed it. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip joined America's festivities on an official state visit to Jamestown in May 2007.
Colonizing the New World
History of the Jamestown Settlement 1607-1699
First landing
In December 1606, the
Virginia Company of London sent an expedition to found a settlement in the
Virginia Colony which became Jamestown. After an unusually lengthy trip sailing across the
Atlantic Ocean from
England, the three ships, the ''
Susan Constant'' (sometimes known as the ''Sarah Constant''), the ''
Godspeed'', and the ''
Discovery'' (smallest of the three) reached the New World at the southern edge of the mouth of what is now known as the
Chesapeake Bay. The ships left
Blackwall, now part of
London, with 144 men and boys; 39 of which were the ships's crew
. The voyage was uncommonly long; one of the passengers was found dead in the Carribean
. After 144 days, it is recorded that 143 of them finally arrived in the New World;
[2] there were no women on the first ships.
[3]
Led by Captain
Christopher Newport, they made landfall on
April 26,
1607 and named the location
Cape Henry, in honor of
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King James. Upon landing, Chaplain
Robert Hunt offered a prayer and they set up a cross near the site of the current
Cape Henry Memorial. This site came to be known as the "first landing." A party of the men explored the area and had a minor conflict with some Native Americans.
Exploration, seeking a site
Sealed orders from the Virginia Company were opened which named
Captain John Smith as a member of the governing Council. Smith had been arrested for mutiny on the voyage over by Christopher Newport and was incarcerated aboard one of the ships and had been scheduled to be hanged upon arrival, but was later freed by Captain Newport after the opening of the orders. The same orders also directed them to seek an inland site for their settlement which would afford protection from enemy ships.
Therefore, the group re-boarded their three ships and proceeded into the
Chesapeake Bay landing again at what is now called
Old Point Comfort in the
City of Hampton. In the following days, the ships ventured inland upstream along the
James River seeking a suitable location for their settlement as defined in their orders. The James River and the initial settlement they sought to establish, Jamestown (originally called "James His Towne") were named in honor of
King James I.
Sketch of Jamestown c.
1608Selecting Jamestown
Arriving on
May 14,
1607, the colonists chose
Jamestown Island for their settlement largely because the
Virginia Company advised them to select a location that could be easily defended from ocean-going navies of the other European states that were also establishing New World colonies and were periodically at war with England, notably the
Dutch Republic,
France and especially
Spain. The island fit the criteria as it had excellent visibility up and down what is today called the
James River and it was far enough inland to minimize the potential of contact and conflict with enemy ships. The water immediately adjacent to the land was deep enough to permit the colonists to anchor their ships yet have an easy and quick departure if necessary. An additional benefit of the site was that the land was not occupied by
Native Americans, most of whom in the area were affiliated with the
Powhatan Confederacy.
The settlers came ashore, and quickly set about constructing their initial fort. With a month, James Fort covered an acre on Jamestown Island, although it burned the following year. The wooden palisaded walls formed a triangle around a storehouse, church, and a number of houses.
[4]
Explanation: island vs peninsula
Jamestown is often referred to as an island. During periods of the past 400 years, it has been joined by a narrow land bridge (or "isthmus") to the mainland; at other times, the flow and fluctuations of the James River severed and recreated the connection, thus perhaps the confusion in definition.
Although it is technically a peninsula when thus connected, functionally, in many ways, Jamestown throughout the past 400 years has been an island. Largely cut off from the mainland's typical game and wildlife by natural forces, the shallow harbor afforded the earliest settlers docking of their ships. This was its great attraction, one which came at the price of other far less favorable conditions.
Challenges of the location
It soon became apparent why the Native Americans did not occupy the site, and the inhospitable conditions severely challenged the settlers. Jamestown Island is a
swampy area, and furthermore, it was isolated from most potential hunting game such as deer and bears which like to forage over much larger areas. The settlers quickly hunted and killed off all the large and smaller game that was to be found on the tiny peninsula. The low, marshy area was infested with
mosquitoes and other airborne pests and the
brackish water of the
tidal James River was not a good source of drinking water.
The settlers who came over on the initial three ships were not well-equipped for the life they found in Jamestown. In addition to the "gentlemen", who were not accustomed to manual or skilled labor, they consisted mainly of English farmers and "Eight Dutchmen and Poles" hired in
Royal Prussia.
[5] Many suffered from saltwater poisoning which led to infection, fevers and
dysentery. As a result of these conditions, most of the early settlers died of disease and starvation.
Despite the immediate area of Jamestown being uninhabited, the settlers were attacked, less than a
fortnight after their arrival on
May 14, by
Paspahegh Indians who succeeded in killing one of the settlers and wounding eleven more. By
June 15, the settlers finished the initial triangle James Fort. A week later, Newport sailed back for
London on the ''Susan Constant'' with a load of
pyrite ("fools' gold") and other supposedly precious minerals, leaving the tiny ''Discovery'' behind for the use of the colonists. Newport returned twice from England with additional supplies in the following 18 months, leading what were termed the First and Second Supply missions.
Original Council, notables of Jamestown in 1607
King James I had outlined the members of the Council to govern the settlement in the sealed orders which left London with the colonists in 1606.
[1]
Those named for the initial Council were (alphabetically):
★
Bartholomew Gosnold, Captain of the ''
Godspeed''
★
Christopher Newport, Captain of the ''
Susan Constant'', later of the ''
Sea Venture''
★
George Kendall
★
John Martin (later founder of
Martin's Brandon Plantation)
★
George Percy, later two-time president of the council
★
John Ratcliffe, Captain of the
''Discovery'', second President of the Council
★
John Smith, third President of the Council, and author of many books from the period.
★
Edward Maria Wingfield, first President of the Council at Jamestown
The Council received additional members from the First and Second Supply missions brought by Captain Newport. These were:
★
Matthew Scrivner (First Supply)
★
Peter Winne (Second Supply)
★
Richard Waldo (Second Supply)
Also notable among the first settlers was:
★
Robert Hunt,
chaplain
Chaplain Hunt gave the first prayer at Cape Henry on April 26, 1607, and held open-air services at Jamestown until shelter and a more appropriate church were built there.
First and Second Supply missions to Jamestown
A week after the initial Fort at Jamestown was completed, Newport sailed back for
London in June 1607 on the ''Susan Constant'' with a load of
pyrite ("fools' gold") and other supposedly precious minerals, leaving behind 104 colonists, and the tiny ''Discovery'' for the use of the colonists.
Newport returned twice from England with additional supplies in the following 18 months, leading what was termed the First and Second Supply missions.
The "First Supply" arrived on January 2, 1608. Again, it contained insufficient provisions and 70 new colonists. Likewise, Newport's "Second Supply" brought 70 more settlers, including some craftsmen, but added little to the welfare of the colony.
Despite original intentions to grow food and trade with the Native Americans, the barely surviving colonists became dependent upon the supply missions.
First non-English settlers
On October 1, 1608, a company of settlers arrived aboard the English vessel ''Mary and Margaret'' with the Second Supply. The journey took roughly three months. The company recruited these as skilled craftsmen and industry specialists: soap-ash, glass, lumber milling (wainscot, clapboard, and ‘deal’ – planks, especially soft wood planks) and naval stores (pitch, turpentine, and tar). Among these additional settlers were eight "Dutch-men" ( consisted of unnamed craftsmen and three who were probably the wood-mill-men--Adam, Franz and Samuel) "Dutch-men" probably meaning
German or German-speakers), and
Polish craftsmen, who had been hired by the Virginia Company of London's leaders to help develop manufacture profitable export products. There has been debate about the nationality of the specific craftsmen, and both the Germans and Poles claim the glassmaker for one of their own, but the evidence is insufficient.
[6] Ethnicity is further complicated by the fact that the German minority in Royal Prussia lived under Polish control during this period.
William Volday/Wilhelm Waldi, a Swiss German mineral prospector, was also among those who arrived in 1608. His mission was seeking a silver reservoir that was believed to be within the proximity of Jamestown.
[7] Some of the settlers were artisans who built a glass furnace which became the first factory in America. Additional craftsmen produced soap, pitch, and wood building supplies. Among all of these were the first made-in-America products to be exported to Europe.
[8] However, despite all these efforts, profits from exports were not sufficient to meet the expenses and expectations of the investors back in England, and no silver or gold had been discovered, as earlier hoped.
Virginia Company of London's unrealistic expectations
The investors of the Virginia Company of London expected to reap rewards from their speculative investments. With the Second Supply, they expressed their frustrations and made demands upon the leaders of Jamestown in written form.
They specifically demanded that the colonists send commodities sufficient to pay the cost of the voyage, a lump of gold, assurance that they had found the South Sea, and one member of the lost
Roanoke Colony.
It fell to the third president of the Council to deliver a reply. By this time, Wingfield and Ratcliffe had been replaced by John Smith. Ever bold, Smith delivered what must have been a wake-up call to the investors in London. In what has been termed "Smith's Rude Answer", he composed a letter, writing (in part):
"When you send againe I entreat you rather send but thirty Carpenters, husbandmen, gardiners, fishermen, blacksmiths, masons and diggers up of trees, roots, well provided; than a thousand of such awe have: for except wee be able both to lodge them and feed them, the most will consume with want of necessaries before they can be made good for anything."
[2]
Smith did begin his letter with something of an apology, saying "I humbly intreat your Pardons if I offend you with my rude Answer..."
[3]
There are strong indications that those in London comprehended and embraced Smith's message. Their
Third Supply mission was by far the largest and best equipped. They even had a new purpose-built flagship constructed, the ''
Sea Venture'', placed in the most experienced of hands, Christopher Newport. With a fleet of no less than eight ships, the Third Supply, led by the ''Sea Venture'', left
Plymouth in June, 1609.
On the subject of the Virginia Company, it is notable that, throughout its existence, Sir
Edwin Sandys, was a leading force. He, of course, also hoped for profits, but also his goals included a permanent colony which would enlarge English territory, relieve the nation's overpopulation, and expand the market for English goods. He is closely identified with a faction of the company led by
Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. Although profits proved elusive for their investors, the visions for the Colony of Sir Edwin Sandys and the Earl of Southampton were eventually accomplished.
Jamestown under John Smith's leadership
Main articles: John Smith of Jamestown
While president of the colony, Smith did considerable exploration up the
Chesapeake Bay and along the various rivers. He is credited by legend with naming
Stingray Point (near present-day
Deltaville in
Middlesex County for an incident there.
Smith was also seeking a supply of food for the colonists, and he successfully traded for food with the Native American
Nansemonds, who were located along the
Nansemond River in the modern-day
City of Suffolk. However, when he later led another food-gathering expedition, this time up the
Chickahominy River west of Jamestown, his men were set upon by Powhatan Indians. As his party was being slaughtered around him, Smith strapped his Indian guide in front of him as a shield and escaped with his life but was captured by
Opechancanough, the Powhatan chief's half-brother. Smith gave him a compass which pleased the warrior and made him decide to let Smith live.
Smith was taken before
Wahunsunacock, who was commonly referred to as Chief Powhatan, at the
Powhatan Confederacy's seat of government at
Werowocomoco on the
York River. However, when the chief decided to execute him, this course of action was (as related by Smith) stopped by the pleas of Chief Powhatan's young daughter,
Pocahontas, who was originally named
Matoaka but whose nickname meant "Playful One."
After returning to his duties in Jamestown, Smith was wounded in an accident. He was walking with his gun in the river, and the powder was in a pouch on his belt. His powder bag exploded. In the fall of 1609, he was sent back to
England for medical treatment.
While back in England, Smith wrote ''A True Relation'' and ''The Proceedings of the English Colony of Virginia'' about his experiences in Jamestown. These books, whose accuracy has been questioned by some historians due to some extent by Smith's boastful prose, were to generate public interest and new investment for the colony.
Pocahontas
Main articles: Pocahontas
Although The Native American Princess
Pocahontas's life would be largely tied to the English after saving Smith's life around 1607-8, her contacts with Smith himself were minimal. However, she became something of an emissary. During the winter of 1608 following an almost complete destruction of the colony by flames, Pocahontas brought food and clothing to the colonists. She later negotiated with Smith for the release of Native Americans who had been captured by the colonists during a raid to gain English weaponry.
In March, 1613, Pocahontas was residing at Passapatanzy, a village of the
Patawomecks, a Native American tribe which did some trading with Powhatans. They lived in present-day
Stafford County on the
Potomac River near
Fredericksburg, about 65 miles from Werowocomoco. She was kidnapped by English colonists, and transported about 90 miles south to the English settlement at
Henricus on the James River. There, Pocahontas converted to
Christianity and took the name "Rebecca" under the tutelage of Reverend
Alexander Whitaker who had arrived in Jamestown in 1611.
The starving time 1609-10
Main articles: Starving Time
After Smith left for England,
John Ratcliffe, captain of the ''Discovery'', became Council president again and tried to improve the colony's situation by trading with the natives. While on a trade mission shortly after being elected, he was captured by the
Powhatans and tortured to death by women of the tribe, leaving the colony without strong leadership.
Chief Powhatan began a campaign to refuse to trade food after Smith's departure. Then, a critical portion of the Third Supply mission was delayed by weather.
The winter of 1609-1610 at Jamestown became known as the
"starving time" as the settlers faced starvation, Over 80% of the 500 settlers died that terrible winter.
However, even with Smith's skills, some researchers think that Jamestown may have starved anyway. The colonists had not planned to grow their own food. Instead, they expected that trade with the locals would supply them with enough food between supply ships. But new evidence suggests that the Native Americans had very little food to start with. The centuries-old cypress trees that grow around the settlement are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and water supply, and it appears from research hundreds of years later that the Jamestown colonists arrived during the worst period of drought the region had ever seen.
Third Supply: Fateful voyage of the Sea Venture
Sylvester Jordain's "A Discovery of the Barmudas".
,
Sea Venture
The
''Sea Venture'' was the new flagship of the Virginia Company. Leaving England in 1609, and leading this Third Supply to Jamestown as "Vice Admiral" and commanding the ''Sea Venture'',
Christopher Newport was in charge of a nine-vessel fleet. Aboard the flagship ''Sea Venture'' was the Admiral of the Company, Sir
George Somers, Lieutenant-General Sir
Thomas Gates,
William Strachey and other notable personages in the early history of English colonization in North America.
While at sea, the fleet encountered a strong storm , perhaps a hurricane, which lasted for three days. The ''Sea Venture'' and one other ship were separated from the seven other vessels of the fleet. The ''Sea Venture'' was deliberately driven onto the reefs of
Bermuda to prevent her sinking. The 150 passengers and crew members were all landed safely but the ship was now permanently damaged.
The ''Sea Venture's longboat was fitted with a mast and sent to find Virginia but it and its crew were never seen again. The remaining survivors spent nine months on Bermuda building two smaller ships, the ''Deliverance'' and ''Patience'' from
Bermuda cedar and materials salvaged from the ''Sea Venture''.
Leaving two men at Bermuda to maintain England's claim to the archipelago, the remainder sailed to Jamestown, finally arriving on
May 23,
1610. They found the Virginia Colony in ruins and practically abandoned. Of 500 settlers who had preceded them to Jamestown, they found less than 100 survivors, with many of those sick or dying. It was decided to abandon the colony and on
June 7, everyone was placed aboard the ships to return to England.
Renewed interest, Lord De La Warr and more supplies
During the same period that the ''Sea Venture'' suffered its misfortune, and its survivors were struggling in Bermuda to continue on to Virginia, back in England, the publication of Captain John Smith's books of his adventures in Virginia sparked a resurgence in interest in the colony. This helped lead to the dispatch in early 1610 of additional colonists, a doctor, supplies, and a new governor,
Thomas West, Baron De La Warr.
On
June 9,
1610, Lord De La Warr and his party arrived on the James River shortly after the ''Deliverance'' and ''Patience'' had abandoned Jamestown. Intercepting them about 10 miles downstream from Jamestown near
Mulberry Island, the new governor forced the remaining 90 settlers to return, thwarting their plans to abandon the colony. ''Deliverance'' and ''Patience'' turned back, and all the settlers were landed again at Jamestown.
Then, Sir George Somers returned to Bermuda with the ''Patience'' to obtain more food supplies, but he died on the island that summer. His nephew, Matthew Somers, Captain of the ''Patience'', took the ship back to
Lyme Regis, England instead of Virginia (leaving a third man behind). The ''Third Charter'' of the Virginia Company was then extended far enough across the Atlantic to include Bermuda in 1612. (Although a separate company, the
Somers Isles Company, would be
spun-off to administer Bermuda from 1615, the first two successful English colonies would retain close ties for many more generations, as was demonstrated when Virginian general
George Washington called upon the people of Bermuda for aid during the
American War of Independence). In 1613, Sir
Thomas Dale founded the settlement of
Bermuda Hundred on the James River, which, a year later, became the first
incorporated town in Virginia.
Growth and development
By 1611, a majority of the colonists who had arrived at the Jamestown settlement had died and its economic value was negligible with no active exports to England and very little internal economic activity. Only financial incentives including a promise of more land to the west from
King James I to investors financing the new colony kept the project afloat.
An export cash crop: tobacco
In 1610,
John Rolfe, whose wife and a child had died in
Bermuda, during passage to Virginia, was just one of the settlers who had arrived in Jamestown following the shipwreck of the ''
Sea Venture''. However, his major contribution is that he was the first man to successfully raise
export tobacco in the Colony (although the colonists had begun to make glass artifacts to export immediately after their arrival). The native tobacco raised in Virginia prior to that time, ''Nicotiana rustica'', was not to the liking of the Europeans but Rolfe had brought some seed for ''
Nicotiana tabacum'' with him from England.
Although most people "wouldn't touch" the crop, Rolfe was able to make his fortune farming it, successfully exporting beginning in 1612. Soon he was both a wealthy and prominent man. He married the young Native American woman
Pocahontas on
April 24,
1614. They lived first across the river from Jamestown, and later at his
Varina Farms plantation near
Henricus. Their son,
Thomas Rolfe, was born in 1615.
Sir Thomas Dale, Dale's Code
In 1611, the
Virginia Company of London sent Sir
Thomas Dale to act as deputy-governor or as
high marshall for the
Virginia Colony under the authority of
Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (Lord Delaware). He arrived at Jamestown on May 19 with three ships, additional men, cattle, and provisions. Finding the conditions unhealthy and greatly in need of improvement, he immediately called for a meeting of the Jamestown Council, and established crews to rebuild Jamestown.
He served as Governor for 3 months in 1611, and again for a two year period between 1614 and 1616. It was during his administration that the first code of laws of Virginia, nominally in force from 1611 to 1619, was effectively tested. This code, entitled "Articles, Lawes, and Orders Divine, Politique, and Martiall" (popularly known as
Dale's Code), was notable for its pitiless severity, and seems to have been prepared in large part by Dale himself.
Upstream: a better environment than Jamestown
Seeking a better site than Jamestown with the thought of possibly relocating the capital, Thomas Dale sailed up the
James River (also named after
King James) to the area now known as
Chesterfield County.
He was apparently impressed with the possibilities of the general area where the
Appomattox River joins the James River, and there are published references to the name "New Bermuda" although it apparently was never formalized. (Far from the mainland of
North America, the archipelago of
Bermuda had been established as part of the Virginia Colony in 1612 following the shipwreck of the ''
Sea Venture'' in 1609).
A short distance further up the James, in 1611, he began the construction of a progressive development at
Henricus on and about what was later known as
Farrars Island. Henricus was envisioned as possible replacement capital for Jamestown, and was to have the first college in Virginia. (The ill-fated Henricus was destroyed during the
Indian Massacre of 1622, during which a third of the colonists were killed). In addition to creating the new settlement at Henricus, Dale also established the port town of
Bermuda Hundred and
"Bermuda Cittie" (sic). He began the excavation work at
Dutch Gap, using methods he had learned while serving in
Holland.
An investor relations trip to England
In 1616, Governor Dale joined John Rolfe and Pocahontas and their young son Thomas as they left their
Varina Farms plantation for a public relations mission to England, where Pocahontas was received and treated as a form of visiting royalty by
Queen Anne. This stimulated more interest in investments in the Virginia Company, the desired effect. However, as the couple prepared to return to Virginia, Pocahontas died of an illness at
Gravesend on
March 17,
1617, where she was buried. John Rolfe returned to Virginia alone once again, leaving their son
Thomas Rolfe, then a small child, in England to obtain an education.
Once back in Virginia, Rolfe married
Jane Pierce and continued to improve the quality of his tobacco with the result that by the time of his death in 1622, the Colony was thriving as a producer of tobacco.
Orphaned by the age of 8, young Thomas later returned to Virginia, and settled across the James River not far from his parents' farm at
Varina, where he married Jane Poythress and they had one daughter,
Jane Rolfe, who was born in 1650. Many of the
First Families of Virginia trace their lineage through
Thomas Rolfe to both Pocahontas and John Rolfe, joining English and Native American heritage.
The "Hundreds"
Once tobacco has been established as an export cash crop, investors became more interested and groups of them united to create and largely self-sufficient "hundreds." The term
"hundred" is a traditional English name for an administrative division of a shire (or county) to define an area which would support one hundred heads of household.
[9] In the colonial era in Virginia, the "hundreds" were large developments of many acres, necessary to support land hungry tobacco crops. The "hundreds" were required to be at least several miles from any existing community. Soon, these patented tracts of land soon sprung up along the rivers. The investors sent shiploads of settlers and supplies to Virginia to establish the new developments. The administrative centers of Virginia's hundreds were essentially small towns or villages, and were often palisaded for defense.
An example was
Martin's Hundred, located downstream from Jamestown on the north bank of the James River. It was sponsored by the
Martin's Hundred Society, a group of investors in London. It was settled in 1618, and
Wolstenholme Towne was its administrative center, named for Sir
John Wolstenholme, one of the investors. In 1976, the long-lost site of Wolstenholme Towne at Martin's Hundred was discovered on the grounds of
Carter's Grove Plantation near the
Grove Community in southeastern
James City County and has been the location of important archaeological work.
Bermuda Hundred (now in
Chesterfield County) and
Flowerdew Hundred (now in
Prince George County) are other names which have survived over centuries. Others included
Berkeley Hundred, Bermuda Nether Hundred, Bermuda Upper Hundred, Digges Hundred, West Hundred and Shirley Hundred.
Including the creation of the "hundreds", the various incentives to investors in the Virginia Colony finally paid off by 1617. By this time, the colonists were exporting 50,000 pounds of tobacco to England a year and were beginning to generate enough profit to ensure the economic survival of the colony.
1619: First African-Americans
The Inside of the First Church in Jamestown, where the first law in America was made
Virginia's population grew rapidly from 1618 until 1622, rising from a few hundred to nearly 1,400 people. Wheat was also grown in Virginia starting in 1618. The labor intensive tobacco plantations led to the importation of the colony's first black "
indentured servants". In August 1619, 20
black men were purchased from a passing
Portuguese slave ship bound from
Luanda, Angola, to
Vera Cruz, Mexico. However, these may not have been the first; 32 Africans were noted five months earlier in a Virginia census of 1619.
1619: First Single Women
Also arriving that same year were 90 single women from England, intended as wives for the single settlers.
[4]
Married women had arrived earlier with family groups. Also previously,
Anne Burras/Burrows/Boroughs came on the
Second Supply in 1608 as one of the first two white females in Jamestown. She was the 14 year old maid of Mistress Forest. Mistress Forest died very soon after arriving at Jamestown.
[10] Anne was married in the next month to John Leydon, a carpenter. She was the first white woman married in the new colony and the occasion was celebrated with much festivity in spite of the bleak conditions.
[11] Anne gave birth during the
Starving Time to the first surviving child of English descent in the New World, a daughter Virginia. It is known that Anne and her baby daughter, Virginia did survive. Anne and John had three more surviving children, all daughters. They moved to Elizabeth City and thus escaped the Indian Massacre. Anne was known to still be living in 1625 and John a decade later.
1619: First democratic assembly
Main articles: House of Burgesses
On
July 30,
1619, the
House of Burgesses, the first legislature of elected representatives in America, met in the Jamestown Church. Their first law was to set a minimum price for the sale of tobacco and set forth plans for the creation of the first
ironworks of the colony. This legislative group was the predecessor of the modern
Virginia General Assembly.
''See also article
House of Burgesses''
1620: More craftsmen from Germany and Italy arrive
By 1620, more German settlers from
Hamburg, Germany who were recruited by the Virginia Company set up and operated one of the first sawmills in the region.
[12] Among the Germans were several other skilled craftsmen
carpenters, and pitch/tar/soap-ash makers, who produced some of the colony's first exports of these products. The Italians included a team of Glass makers.
[13]
Native American relations
As the English expanded out from Jamestown, encroachment of the new arrivals and their ever-growing numbers on what had been Indian lands resulted in conflicts with the Native Americans which became almost continuous for the next 37 years. Chief
Wahunsunacock of the
Powhatan Confederacy had been forced to move west from his original capital at
Werowocomoco (only about 20 miles from Jamestown) to
Orapakes in 1609 for security reasons. However, Orapakes was just a temporary capital. It was in a swamp at the head of the
Chickahominy River, near the modern-day interchange of
Interstate 64 and
Interstate 295. It was also too close to other hostile native groups, such as the
Monacans.
Sometime between 1611 and 1614, he moved the capital of the Confederacy again, this time further north. Ultimately, Wahunsonacock settled at the headwaters of the
Pamunkey River, on the north bank at
Matchut. When Wahunsonacock moved to Matchut, his younger brother
Opechancanough lived across the Pamunkey River at
Youghtanund.
The relations with the Natives took a turn for the worse after the death of Pocahontas in England and the return of John Rolfe and other colonial leaders in May 1617. Disease, poor harvests and the growing demand for tobacco lands caused hostilities to escalate.
After
Wahunsunacock's death in 1618, his younger brother,
Opitchapam, briefly became chief. However, he was soon succeeded by his own younger brother, Opechancanough.
There is speculation, but no confirmation, that Opechancanough may be the same individual known as
Don Luis, a supposed native-convert to Christianity who had been involved with the ill-fated
Ajacan Mission of the Spanish missionaries about 50 years earlier.
Opechancanough vs the colonists
Whether or not there was a connection between the native-convert Don Luis and Opechancanough, there is no doubt that the new Chief of the Powhatan Confederacy was violently opposed to the European settlements. He had been long known as a fierce warrior, and most recently, had been a local
weroance in the area now occupied by the
Town of West Point, where the Pamunkey River joins the
Mattaponi River to form the York River.
Opechancanough was not interested in attempting peaceful coexistence with the English settlers. Instead, he was determined to eradicate the colonists from what he considered to be Indian lands.
Indian Massacre of 1622
Chief Opechancanough organized and led a well-coordinated series of surprise attacks on multiple English settlements along both sides of a 50-mile long stretch of the James River which took place early on the morning of
March 22,
1622, a
Good Friday. This event came to be known as the
Indian Massacre of 1622, and resulted in the deaths of 347 colonists (including men, women, and children) and the abduction of many others.
The Massacre caught most of the Virginia Colony by surprise and virtually wiped out several entire communities, including
Henricus and
Wolstenholme Towne at
Martin's Hundred.
However, Jamestown was spared from destruction due to a Native American boy named
Chanco who, after learning of the planned attacks from his brother, gave warning to colonist Richard Pace with whom he lived. Pace, after securing himself and his neighbors on the south side of the James River, took a canoe across river to warn Jamestown which narrowly escaped destruction, although there was no time to warn the other settlements. Apparently, Opechancanough subsequently was unaware of Chanco's actions, as the young man continued to serve as his courier for some time after.
Colonists respond: retaliation and defense
The reaction to the Powhatan uprising was retaliation, and the English set to with a vengeance. A year later, Captain
William Tucker and Dr.
John Potts worked out a supposed-truce with the Powhatans and proposed a toast using liquor laced with poison. 200 Native Americans were killed by the poison and 50 more were slaughtered by the colonists. For over a decade, the English settlers killed Powhatan men and women, captured children and systematically razed villages, seizing or destroying crops.
A letter by
Richard Frethorne, written in 1623, reports, "we live in fear of the enemy every hour."
[14]
The palisade, Middle Plantation
By 1634, a palisade (or stockade) was completed across the
Virginia Peninsula, which was about 6 miles wide at that point between
Queen's Creek which fed into the
York River and Archer's Hope Creek, (since renamed
College Creek) which fed into the
James River. The new palisade provided some security from attacks by the
Native Americans for colonists farming and fishing lower on the Peninsula from that point.
Anchored at its center by
Middle Plantation on land patented by Dr. Potts, the palisade is partially described in the following extract from a letter written in 1634, from Jamestown, by Captain
Thomas Yonge:
:"a strong palisade ... upon a streight between both rivers and ... a sufficient force of men to defence of the same, whereby all the lower part of Virginia have a range for their cattle, near fortie miles in length and in most places twelve miles broade. The pallisades is very neare six miles long, bounded in by two large Creekes. ... in this manner to take also in all the grounde between those two Rivers, and so utterly excluded the Indians from thence; which work is conceived to be of extraordinary benefit to the country ..."
1644: Second Indian Massacre
On
April 18,
1644, Opechancanough again tried to force the colonists to abandon the region with another series of coordinated attacks, killing almost 500 colonists. However, this was a much less devastating portion of the growing population than had been the case in the 1622 attacks.
Furthermore, the forces of Royal Governor of Virginia
William Berkeley captured the old warrior, variously thought to be between 90 and 100 years old. In October, while a prisoner, Opechancanough was killed by a soldier (shot in the back) assigned to guard him.
1646: Peace established with the Natives
Opechancanough was succeeded as
Weroance (Chief) by
Nectowance and then by
Totopotomoi and later by his daughter
Cockacoeske.
More peaceful relations between the Natives and the colonists resulted. In 1646, the first Indian reservations in America would be established in
King William County for the surviving Powhatans. (In modern times, the
Mattaponi and
Pamunkey tribes each maintain reservations there).
Royal Colony, Bacon's Rebellion
Some historians have noted that, as the settlers of the Virginia Colony were allowed some representative government, and as they prospered, King James I was reluctant to lose either power or future financial potential. In any case, in 1624, the Virginia Company lost its charter and Virginia became a
crown colony.
In 1634, the English Crown created eight
shires (i.e.
counties) in the colony of Virginia which had a total population of approximately 5,000 inhabitants.
James City Shire was established and included Jamestown. Around 1642-43, the name of the James City Shire was changed to
James City County.
In the 1670s, the governor of Virginia was Sir
William Berkeley, a scholar and playwright, serving his second term in that office. Berkeley, now in his seventies, had previously been governor in the 1640s and had experimented with new export crops at his
Green Spring Plantation near Jamestown. In the mid 1670s, a young cousin through marriage,
Nathaniel Bacon, Jr., arrived in Virginia sent by his father in the hope that he would "mature" under the tutelage of the governor. Although lazy, Bacon was intelligent and Berkeley provided him with a land grant and a seat on the Virginia Colony council. However, the two became at odds over relationships with the Native Americans, which were most strained at the outer frontier points of the colony.
In July 1675,
Doeg Indians raided the plantation of
Thomas Mathews in the northern portion of the colony along what became the
Potomac River in order to gain payment for several items Mathews had obtained from the tribe. Several Doegs were killed in the raid and the colonists then raided the
Susquehanaugs (a different tribe) in "retaliation" which led to large-scale Indian raids. Governor Berkeley tried to calm the situation but many of the colonists, particularly the frontiersmen, refused to listen to him and Bacon disregarded a direct order and captured some
Appomattox Indians, who were located many miles south of the site of the initial incident, and almost certainly not involved.
Following the establishment of the
Long Assembly in 1676, war was declared on "all hostile Indians" and trade with Indian tribes became regulated, often seen by the colonists to favor those friends of Berkeley. Bacon opposed Berkeley and led a group in opposition to the governor. Bacon and his troops set themselves up at
Henrico until Berkeley arrived which sent Bacon and his men fleeing upon which Berkeley declared them in
rebellion and offered a pardon to any who returned to Jamestown peaceably.
Bacon led numerous raids on Indians friendly to the colonists in an attempt to bring down Berkeley. The governor offered him
amnesty but the
House of Burgesses refused; insisting that Bacon must acknowledge his mistakes. At about the same time, Bacon was actually elected to the House of Burgesses and attended the June 1676 assembly where he was captured, forced to apologize and was then pardoned by Berkeley.
Bacon then demanded a military commission but Berkeley refused. Bacon and his supporters surrounded the statehouse and threatened to start shooting the Burgesses if Berkeley did not acknowledge Bacon as "General of all forces against the Indians". Berkeley eventually acceded, and then left Jamestown. He attempted a
coup a month later but was unsuccessful. In September, however, Berkeley was successful and Bacon dug in for a
siege which resulted in his burning Jamestown to the ground on
September 19,
1676. Bacon died of the flux and lice on
October 26,
1676 and his body is believed to have been burned.
Berkeley returned, and hanged William Drummond and the other major leaders of the rebellion (23 in total) at Middle Plantation. With Jamestown unusable due to the burning by Bacon, the Governor convened a session of the General Assembly at his
Green Spring Plantation in February, 1677, and another was later held at Middle Plantation. However, upon leaning of his actions, King
Charles II was reportedly displeased at the degree of retaliation and number of executions, and recalled Berkeley to England. He returned to London where he died in July, 1677.
Slavery in Virginia
Indentured servants
In 1650, there were only about 300 "Africans" living in Virginia, about 1% of an estimated 30,000 population. They were not slaves, any more than were the approximately 4000 white
indentured servants working out their loans for passage money to
Virginia. Many had earned their freedom, and they were each granted 50 acres of land when freed from their indentures, so they could raise their own
tobacco or other crops. Although they were at a disadvantage in that they had to pay to have their newly acquired land surveyed in order to patent it, white indentured servants found themselves in the same predicament. Some black indentured servants, however, went on to patent and buy land. Anthony Johnson, who settled on the Eastern Shore following the end of his indenture, even bought African slaves of his own.
The strange case of John Casor
Although slavery had long been practiced in Spanish colonies to the south, the first recorded instance of
slavery in the Virginia Colony was established in 1654. In a lawsuit,
Anthony Johnson of
Northampton County on Virginia's
Eastern Shore convinced a court that he was entitled to the lifetime services of
John Casor, a
black man.
Anthony Johnson was also a black man. He had been one of 20 black men brought to Jamestown in 1619 as
indentured servants. By 1623, he had achieved his freedom and by 1651 was prosperous enough to import five "servants" of his own, for which he was granted 250 acres as "headrights".
[15]
John Casor alleged that he had come to Virginia as an indentured servant, and attempted to transfer his obligation to a white farmer named Robert Parker. However, Anthony Johnson claimed that "hee had
ye Negro for his life".
In the lawsuit of ''Johnson vs. Parker'', the court in Northampton County ruled that "seriously consideringe and maturely weighing the premisses, doe fynde that the saide Mr. Robert Parker most unjustly keepeth the said Negro from Anthony Johnson his master....It is therefore the Judgement of the Court and ordered That the said John Casor Negro forthwith returne unto the service of the said master Anthony Johnson, And that mr. Robert Parker make payment of all charges in the suit."
Casor was thus returned to Johnson. This was the first known judicial approval of life servitude in Virginia, except as punishment for a
crime. Casor remained with Anthony Johnson and his wife for the rest of his life, moving with them to Maryland a short time later.
Slavery becomes an institution
Increasingly toward the end of the 17th century, large numbers of
slaves from Africa were brought by
Dutch and English ships to the Virginia Colony, as well as
Maryland and other southern colonies. On the large tobacco plantations, as
chattel (owned property), they replaced indentured servants (who were only obligated to work for an agreed period of time) as field labor, as well as serving as household and skilled workers. As slaves, they were not working by mutual agreement, nor for a limited period of time. The practice of slavery became an economic factor for the labor-intensive tobacco and
cotton plantations of the South.
Even the offspring of slaves also were born into a lifetime of slavery, as in 1661, Virginia passed a law that made the status of the mother determine slave or free status of the child.
Freedom for some slaves
Almost as soon as the practice of slavery was established in Virginia, some individual slaves began obtaining their freedom. This was usually accomplished by escape, through their own enterprise, or through benevolence of their "owners", as family-type ties grew between some of them. Escaped slaves normally traveled to non-slave Colonies (and later states) to the North, often via the
Underground Railroad. However, many of the black men and women who had legally gained their freedom chose to stay in the South. Known as
freedmen, they lived at various locations throughout the area.
Emancipation
At the time of the
American Revolutionary War, what was later called the "
peculiar institution" of slavery was an unresolved issue between the 13 Colonies. However, the fundamental basis for its demise was laid by the country's founding fathers in both the
Declaration of Independence and the new
U.S. Constitution. Slavery was to become a growing conflict between the states as the new United States grew, until the mass emancipation of all of the remaining slaves took place during the years of the
American Civil War (1861-1865) and immediately thereafter.
The Capitol moves from Jamestown to high ground
On
October 20,
1698, the statehouse (capitol building) in Jamestown burned for the fourth time. Once again removing itself to a familiar alternate location, the legislature met at
Middle Plantation, this time in the new
College Building at the College of William and Mary, which had begun meeting there in temporary quarters in 1694.
While meeting there, a group of five students from the College submitted a well-presented and logical proposal to the legislators outlining a plan and good reasons to move the capital permanently to Middle Plantation.
Despite the periodic need to relocate the legislature from Jamestown due to contingencies such as fires, (usually to Middle Plantation), throughout the seventeenth century, Virginians had been reluctant to permanently move the capital from its "ancient and accustomed place." After all, Jamestown had always been Virginia's capital. It had a state house (except when it periodically burned) and a church, and it offered easy access to ships that came up the James River bringing goods from England and taking on
tobacco bound for market.
[5] However, Jamestown's status had been in some decline. In 1662, Jamestown's status as mandatory port of entry for Virginia had been ended.
The students argued that the change to the high ground at Middle Plantation would escape the dreaded malaria and mosquitoes that had always plagued the swampy, low-lying Jamestown site. The students pointed out that, while not located immediately upon a river, Middle Plantation offered nearby access to not one, but ''two'' rivers, via two deep water (6-7' depth) creeks,
Queen's Creek leading to the
York River, and
College Creek (formerly known as Archer's Hope) which led to the James River. Other advocates of the move included the Reverend Dr.
James Blair and the Governor, Sir
Francis Nicholson.
Several prominent individuals like
John Page,
Thomas Ludwell,
Philip Ludwell, and
Otho Thorpe had built fine brick homes and created a substantial town at Middle Plantation. And, there was of course, the new College of William and Mary with its fine new brick building.
The proposal to move the capital of Virginia to higher ground (about 12 miles (20 km) away) at Middle Plantation was received favorably by the
House of Burgesses. In 1699, the capital of the Virginia Colony was officially relocated there. Soon, the town was renamed
Williamsburg, in honor of King
William III. Thus, the first phase of Jamestown's history ended.
18th century
Due to the movement of the capital to Williamsburg, the old town of Jamestown began to slowly disappear from view. Those who lived in the general area attended services at Jamestown's church until the 1750s, when it was abandoned. By the mid-18th century, the land was heavily cultivated, primarily by the Travis and Ambler families. During the
American Revolutionary War, although the
Battle of Green Spring was fought nearby at the site of former Governor Berkeley's plantation, Jamestown was apparently inconsequential.
19th century
Remains of the tower of the old church
1807: Bicentennial
The bicentennial of Jamestown on May 13-14, 1807 is said to have been a dignified celebration, and was most commonly called the Grand National Jubilee. Over 3,000 people attended the event, many arriving on vessels which anchored in the river near the island.
Students of the
College of William and Mary gave orations, An old barn on the island was used as a temporary theater, with a company of players from Norfolk performed. Attending were many dignitaries, politicians, and historians.
May 13 was the opening day of the festival, which began with a procession which marched to the graveyard of the old church, where the attending bishop delivered the prayer. The procession then moved to the Travis mansion, where the celebrants dined and danced in the mansion that evening. The Bicentennial celebration concluded on
May 14 with a dinner and toast at the
Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg.
In 1831, David Bullock purchased Jamestown from Travis and Ambler families.
1857: 250th Anniversary
In 1857, the Jamestown Society organized a celebration marking the 250th anniversary of Jamestown's founding. According to the Richmond ''Enquirer'', the site for the celebration was on ten acres on the spot where some of the colonists' houses were originally built. However, it is also speculated that the celebration was moved further east on the island closer to the Travis grave site, in order to avoid damaging Major
William Allen's corn fields.
The attendance was estimated at between 6 and 8 thousand people. Sixteen large steam ships anchored offshore in the James River and were gaily decorated with streamers. Former US President
John Tyler of nearby
Sherwood Forest Plantation gave a 2 1/2 hour speech, and there were military displays, a grand ball and fireworks.
[6]
1861-1865: American Civil War
During the
American Civil War, in 1861,
Confederate William Allen, who owned the Jamestown Island, occupied Jamestown with troops he raised at his own expense with the intention of blockading the
James River and
Richmond from the Union Navy. He was soon joined by Lieutenant
Catesby ap Roger Jones who directed the building of batteries and conducted ordinance and armor tests for the first Confederate
ironclad warship CSS ''Virginia'' which was under construction at the
Gosport Naval Shipyard in
Portsmouth in late 1861 and early 1862. Jamestown had a force of 1200 men which was augmented in early 1862 by an artillery battalion.
During the
Peninsula Campaign which began later that spring, Union forces under General
George B. McClellan moved up the Peninsula from Fort Monroe to attempt to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. The Union forces captured
Yorktown in April 1862, and the
Battle of Williamsburg was fought the following month. With these developments, Jamestown and the lower James River were abandoned by the Confederates, and the ''Virginia'' was blown up off
Craney Island on
Hampton Roads to avoid capture. Some of the forces from Jamestown and the crew of the ''Virginia'' shifted to
Drewry's Bluff, a fortified and strategic position located high above the river about 8 miles below Richmond. There, they successfully blocked the Union Navy from reaching the Confederate capital.
Once in Federal hands, Jamestown became a meeting place for runaway slaves who burned the Ambler house, an eighteenth century plantation which along with the old church were the few remaining signs of Jamestown. When Allen sent men to assess damage in late 1862, they were killed by the former slaves. Following the surrender at
Appomattox Courthouse, the oath of allegiance was administered to former Confederate soldiers at Jamestown.
Post-bellum
In the years after the Civil War, Jamestown became quiet and peaceful once again. In 1892, Jamestown was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Barney. The following year, the Barneys donated 22½ acres of land, including the 1639 church tower, to the
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now APVA Preservation Virginia). By this time, erosion from the river had eaten away the island's western shore; visitors began to conclude that the site of James Fort lay completely underwater. With federal assistance, a
sea wall was constructed in 1900 to protect the area from further erosion. The archaeological remains of the original 1607 fort, which had been protected by the sea wall, were discovered in 1994. ''(See Jamestown Rediscovery section below)''
20th century
The 100th anniversary of the Surrender at Yorktown in 1883 had generated a new interest in the historical significance of the colonial sites of the Peninsula. Williamsburg, a sleepy but populated town of shops and homes, was still celebrating Civil War events. However, as the new century dawned, thoughts turned to the upcoming 300th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. The
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) started the movement in 1900 by calling for a celebration honoring the establishment of the first permanent English colony in the New World at Jamestown to be held on the 300th anniversary in 1907.
1907: Jamestown Exposition
Exposition Seal
As a celebration was planned, virtually no one thought that the actual isolated and long-abandoned original site of Jamestown would be suitable for a major event because Jamestown Island had no facilities for large crowds. The original fort housing the Jamestown settlers was believed to have been long-ago swallowed by the
James River.
Also, the general area in James City County near Jamestown was also considered unsuitable, as it was not very accessible in the day of
rail travel before automobiles were common.
As the tercentennial of the 1607 Founding of the Jamestown neared, around 1904, despite an assumption in some quarters that Richmond would be a logical location, leaders in
Norfolk, Virginia began a campaign to have a celebration held there. The decision was made to locate the international exposition on a mile-long frontage at
Sewell's Point near the mouth of
Hampton Roads. This was about 30 miles downstream from Jamestown in a rural section of
Norfolk County. It was a site which could become accessible by both long-distance passenger railroads and local streetcar service, with considerable frontage on the harbor of Hampton Roads. This latter feature proved ideal for the naval delegations which came from points all around the world.
The
Jamestown Exposition of 1907 was one of the many
world's fairs and expositions that were popular in the early part of the 20th century. It was from
April 26,
1907 to
December 1,
1907. Attendees included US President
Theodore Roosevelt,
Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, the Prince of Sweden,
Mark Twain,
Henry H. Rogers, and dozens of other dignitaries and famous persons. A major naval review featuring the United State's
Great White Fleet was a key feature. U.S. Military officials and leaders were impressed by the location, and the Exposition site later formed the first portion of the large U.S.
Naval Station Norfolk in 1918 during
World War I.
''See also article
Jamestown Exposition''
1934: National Park Service acquires the rest of Jamestown Island
'Colonial National Monument' was authorized by the
U.S. Congress on
July 3,
1930. It was established on
December 30,
1930. On on
June 5,
1936, it was re-designated a
national historical park, and became known as
Colonial National Historical Park.
In 1934, the
National Park Service obtained the remaining 1500 acre (6.1 km²) portion of Jamestown Island which had been under private ownership. The National Park Service partnered with the APVA to preserve the area and present it to visitors in an educational manner.
1957: Jamestown's 350th anniversary
With America's increased access to automobiles, and with improved roads and transportation, it was feasible for the 350th anniversary celebration to be held at Jamestown itself in 1957.
Although erosion had cut off the land bridge between Jamestown Island and the mainland, the isthmus was restored and new access provided by the completion of the National Park Service's
Colonial Parkway which led to Williamsburg and
Yorktown, the other two portions of Colonial Virginia's
Historic Triangle. There were also improvements of state highways. The north landing for the popular
Jamestown Ferry and a portion of
State Route 31 were relocated.
Major projects such were developed by non-profit, state and federal agencies.
Jamestown Festival Park was established by the
Commonwealth of Virginia adjacent to the entrance to Jamestown Island. Full-sized replicas of the three ships that brought the colonists, the ''
Susan Constant'', the ''
Godspeed'', and the ''
Discovery'' were constructed at a shipyard in
Portsmouth, Virginia and placed on display at a new dock at Jamestown, where the largest, the ''Susan Constant'', could be boarded by visitors.
On Jamestown Island, the reconstructed
Jamestown Glasshouse, the Memorial Cross and the visitors center were completed and dedicated. A loop road was built around the island.
Special events included army and navy reviews, air force fly-overs, ship and aircraft christenings and even an outdoor drama at
Cape Henry, site of the first landing of the settlers. This celebration continued from
April 1 to
November 30 with over a million participants, including dignitaries and politicians such as the British Ambassador and U.S. Vice President
Richard Nixon.
The highlight for many of the nearly 25,000 at the Festival Park on
October 16,
1957 was the visit and speech of Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her consort,
Prince Philip. Queen Elizabeth II loaned a copy of the
Magna Carta for the exhibition. It was her first visit to the United States since assuming the throne.
The 1957 Jamestown Festival was so successful that tourists still kept coming long after the official event was completed. Jamestown became a permanent attraction of the
Historic Triangle, and has been visited by families, school groups, tours, and thousands of other people continuously ever since.
1994: Jamestown Rediscovery
Starting in 1994, a major archaeological campaign at Jamestown known as the
Jamestown Rediscovery project has been conducted by the
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now APVA Preservation Virginia) in preparation for the quadricentennial of Jamestown's founding. The original goal of the archaeological campaign was to locate archaeological remains of "the first years of settlement at Jamestown, especially of the earliest fortified town;
[and the] the subsequent growth and development of the town".
[7]
Early on, the project discovered early colonial artifacts. This was something of a surprise to some historians as it had been widely thought that the original site had been entirely lost due to erosion by the James River. Many others suspected that at least portions of the fort site remained and subsequent excavations have shown that only one corner of the first triangular fort (which contained the original settlement) turned out to have been destroyed. The
sea wall built in 1900 to limit the erosion turned out to be a rich investment in the past and the future.
Since it began, the extended archaeological campaign has made many more discoveries including retrieving hundreds of thousands of artifacts, a large fraction of them from the first few years of the settlement's history. In addition, it has uncovered much of the fort, the remains of several houses and wells, a palisade wall line attached to the fort and the graves of several of the early settlers.
21st century
Jamestown quadricentennial commemorated on the Virginia
State Quarter.
Historic Jamestown
Main articles: Historic Jamestowne
Historic Jamestowne, located at the original site of Jamestown in the Virginia Colony, is jointly administered by APVA Preservation Virginia and the National Park Service. The central 22 1/2 acres of land were donated to the
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now APVA Preservation Virginia) in 1893 and the remaining 1500 acres were acquired by the
National Park Service in 1934 and are now part of the
Colonial National Historical Park. The two organizations have worked together since 1941 to preserve the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America and to interpret its history for visitors.
Today, visitors to Historic Jamestowne can view the site of the original 1607 James Fort, the 17th century church tower and the site of the 17th century town, as well as tour an
archaeological museum called the Archaearium and view many of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts found by Jamestown Rediscovery. They also may participate in
living history and ranger tours.
Visitors can also often observe archaeologists from the Jamestown Rediscovery Project at work, as archaeological work at the site continues and is greatly expanding knowledge of what happened at Jamestown in its earliest days.
Among the discoveries, a grave site with indications of an important figure was located. Some theorize the remains to be that of Captain
Bartholomew Gosnold [8] though others have claimed it to be the remains of
Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr. It had long been thought that Baron De La Warr, who died en route back to the colony from England on his second trip, had been buried elsewhere but some recent research concluded that his body was in fact brought to Jamestown for burial.
[9].
The archaeological work and studies are ongoing as of 2007, New discoveries are frequently reported in the local newspaper, the ''
Virginia Gazette'' based in nearby Williamsburg, and by other news media, often worldwide.
[10]
Jamestown Settlement
Main articles: Jamestown Settlement
The Jamestown Virginia USA tree at Runnymede. Enlarge for description
Although the 1957 celebration is long past, many of the attractions adjacent to the APVA-NPS site were created as part of the what was known as
Jamestown Festival Park, largely sponsored by the
Commonwealth.
In 1987 the Secretary of the Army of the United States of America planted an oak tree at
Runnymede England commemorating and linking the bicentenary of the Constitution with the establishment of the Jamestown settlement.
Jamestown 2007
Main articles: Jamestown 2007
'
Jamestown 2007' is the name of an event commemorating the 400th anniversary (quadricentennial) of the founding of Jamestown.
A variety of events are being promoted under the banner of
America's 400th Anniversary and promoted by the Jamestown 2007 Commission. America's 400th Anniversary is commemorating the quadricentennial of the founding of the Jamestown Settlement with 18 months of statewide, national and international festivities and events which began in April 2006 with a tour of the new replica ''Godspeed''.
In January, 2007, the
Virginia General Assembly held a session at Jamestown, where a speech was given by U.S. Vice-President
Dick Cheney, and Virginia's current Governor
Tim Kaine delivered the "State of the Commonwealth" speech.
Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and
Prince Philip announced in late 2006 that they would be attending in May, 2007.
Representatives of Native American tribes have mostly denied attending the festivities. Bill Miles, chief of the Pamunkey tribe, said "1607 marks the beginning of the English taking our land away from us", while Ken Adams, chief of the Mattaponi commented: "The word annihilation, the word Holocaust, the word atrocity come to mind when I think of 1607".
[11] [12]
Jamestown in film
A feature length film,
''The New World'', covers the story of Jamestown's colonization. Although historically accurate in many ways, the plot focuses on a dramatized relationship between John Smith, played by
Colin Farrell, and Pocahontas. Released in January 2006, many scenes were filmed on-location nearby along the
James and
Chickahominy Rivers and at Henricus Historical Park in
Chesterfield County, Virginia.
Another feature length film, "First Landing" documents the 1607 landing of English colonists.
Miscellanea
★
Jimsonweed is a corruption of "Jamestown weed", named for the village after some English soldiers sent to quell
Bacon's Rebellion in 1676 failed in their mission after being fed leaves of the plant which grew wild in great quantity there. They were "intoxicated" for about a week and claimed afterward to have no memory of that period.
★ The NPS and the Commonwealth of Virginia, respectively the principal operators of the Historic Jamestowne and Jamestown Settlement attractions at Jamestown, each also operates a separate, but nearby and complimentary attraction at Yorktown, near the opposite end of the Colonial Parkway.
Further reading
★ Jocelyn R. Wingfield, ''Virginia's True Founder:
Edward Maria Wingfield and His Times'' (Booksurge, 2007) ISBN 1419660322
★ William M. Kelso, ''Jamestown, The Buried Truth'' (University of Virginia Press, 2006)
★ William M. Kelso, ''Jamestown Rediscovery II'' (APVA, 1996)
★ William M. Kelso, Nicholas M. Luccketti, Beverly A. Straube, ''Jamestown Rediscovery III'' (APVA, 1997)
★ William M. Kelso, Nicholas M. Luccketti, Beverly A. Straube, ''Jamestown Rediscovery IV'' (APVA, 1998)
★ William M. Kelso, Nicholas M. Luccketti, Beverly A. Straube, ''Jamestown Rediscovery V'' (APVA, 1999)
★ William Kelso, Beverly Straube, ''Jamestown Rediscovery VI'' (APVA, 2000)
★ David A. Price, ''Love and Hate in Jamestown'' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2003)
★ Ernie Gross, "The American Years" (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999)
★ James Horn, "A Land as God Made It" (Perseus Books, 2005)
★ ''
Chesapeake'', a novel (1978) by author
James A. Michener
References
1. Horn, James. A Land as God Made It 2005 ISBN 978-0465030941
2. Learning Landscapes: Theoretical Issues and Design Considerations for the Development of Children’s Educational Landscapes Lisa L. Weaver
3. Women in Early Jamestown Kathleen M. Brown
4. History of Jamestown
5. History of Jamestown. Second Supply
6. Precursor Light Industry in Support of the Jamestown Glass works
7. First Germans in the colonies
8. The First Polish Settlers
9. "Hundred" - dictionary.com
10. Lapallo, Connie Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky. Copyright 2006.
11. Horn, James Copyright 2005 A Land as God Made It p. 118
12. German sawmill in 1620
13. German and Polish craftsmen in Jamestown
14. Frethorne, Richard. Richard Frethorne to his father and mother, March 20, April 2 and 3, 1623 (Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library).
15. "Virginia, Guide to the Old Dominion", WPA Writers' Program, Oxford University Press, NY 1940
External links
★ Geographical coordinates:
★
APVA web site for the Jamestown Rediscovery project
★
Historic Jamestowne
★
★
Where are We Digging Now?
★
America's 400th Anniversary
★
Jamestown 1607
★
National Geographic Magazine Jamestown Interactive
★
Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center
★
Virtual Jamestown
★
National Park Service: Jamestown National Historic Site
★
''New Discoveries at Jamestown'' by John L. Cotter and J. Paul Hudson, (1957) at
Project Gutenberg
★
State Tourism Website - Virginia is for Lovers
★
Jamestown Discovery Trail
★
Time Team Special: Jamestown - America's Birthplace
★
Jamestown Four-Hundred Years
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