The Original Jamestown Site

On Tuesday we visited the site of the original Jamestown (called "Historic Jamestown") where they have been excavating for about 12 years and think they are about 50% done. It was absolutely fascinating and such a beautiful spot. I can see why the original Jamestown colonists thought it would be a good site to settle, but I can also see why it was so bad. It is a very swampy area, and we got several mosquito bites while there. Here are the children with a statue of Pocahontas.

Right in the middle of this picture you can see a red brick wall, which is part of a wall of an original brick building inside Jamestown. The mud and daub houses they built initially were quickly replaced by more permanent brick structures. So this wall is nearly 400 years old! You can't tell from this picture, but it is about 10 feet below ground.

This church tower is the only "original" structure still standing on the Jamestown site. The church building was destroyed by fire, but the tower survived. The church this tower was originally part of was built in the early years of Jamestown.

Inside the church, the original brick foundation can be seen below this glass in the floor.

23 of the original 104 colonists are still buried in this Jamestown cemetery. Church tower can be seen in the background.

Excavation has revealed where the foundations of most of the structures inside Jamestown were located. This beginning of a mud and daub building was reconstructed on the actual site of the barracks, and is an exact match of the original floor plan.

One of the wells outside the fort walls. This was built in the early years of Jamestown's history, and when it was no longer usable as a well it became their garbage dump. Archaeologists were thrilled to find all sorts of artifacts in this well which revealed much about the colonist's daily life, and which are now on display.

To see where it all really happened, and walk where the colonists and indians walked, was a very moving experience for me. It was also very interesting to see the colonist's lifestyle and the indians lifestyle contrasted with one another. So different! And both so fascinating. I wonder how the course of American history would have changed had Jamestown not been successful as a colony? We might all be spanish speaking! It makes me so grateful to God and to these men and women who sacrificed so much to plant an English colony here. I'm sure they had no idea what an important piece of history they were writing. What history are we writing right now? How will we be remembered?