Historic Jamestowne, Virginia--Part II

A continuation of yesterpost...

Just outside the visitor center for Historic Jamestowne is the land owned by Governor George Yeardley, one of the earliest governors of the colony.

No buildings left

A footbridge leads over a swampy area to the original settlement.

Swampy area

Fort and flag in the distance

Just before the fort site there's the Tercentenary Monument. Built in 1907 to commemorate the 300th anniversary, the monument is 104 feet tall (the same number as of the original colonists!).

Tercentenary Monument

Base of the monument (shady side)

Base of the monument (sunny side)

A fancy gate leads into the area with the original church and fort. The church was built just outside of the fort.

A nice entrance

The church was reconstructed in the late 1890s over the original foundation. Most of the brickwork had been taken over the years for other projects or as mementos by visitors.

Rebuilt exterior

The church's graveyard is also reconstructed. Archaeological workers found a few graves just outside the foundations of the church.

Churchyard

Inside, visitors can seen the original foundation.

Bell tower foundation

They are still working on it!

Church interior

View from the altar

Memorial inside the church

Bell tower end of the church

Ad to get donations to help out the restoration

Nearby is a statue of Pocahontas. She was most likely born around 1595 at Werowocomoco, fifteen miles from Jamestown. She was the favorite daughter of Chief Powhatan and visited the colony often in 1608. John Smith credits her with saving his life twice. In 1613, Pocahontas was kidnapped by Captain Argall. While captive, she learned Christianity and was baptized. In 1614 she married John Rolfe, which established peace between the settlers and the natives. She went with Rolfe to England in 1616 with their son Thomas and met the Royal Court. She died in 1617 and was buried in England.

Pocahontas in her younger days

Copy of the 17th-century English engraving of Pocahontas

Archeology is ongoing at the site but no archeologists were on duty.

Blockhouse from the extended fort

Inside the fort grounds is a recreation of the barracks. A wooden frame would be coated with a mud mixture to make the walls. The roofs were typically thatched.

Barracks framed out

Sample of wall

One of the cannons on display

Several burial sites can be found around the property. These two next to each other do not seem to be related. On the left is the remains of a young European man who had a gunshot wound and was buried between 1607 and 1620. On the right is a European woman who was buried in the 1620s somewhere between the ages or 40 and 55.

Burial markers

A statue of Captain John Smith stands right by the waters of the James River. Part of the plaque describing him struck me as funny: "He was an arrogant and boastful man, often tactless and sometimes brutal. Physically strong and worldly wise, he made an excellent settler. However, his personality, his obvious qualifications and his low social position infuriated many of the colony's leaders and settlers." His early life is fascinating. He was born about 1580 to a yeoman farmer. He traveled Europe and fought as a soldier in the Netherlands and Hungary. He was captured and sold as a slave to a Russian master. He killed that man and escaped to Hungary. He made it back to England in time to colonize Virginia. He returned to England in 1609 where he published a few works (the book, a map, and a history of Virginia). He visited New England briefly to map the coast in 1614. He lived the rest of his life in England, dying in 1631.

John Smith statue

Close up 

Another memorial is the Hunt Shrine. Reverend Robert Hunt was the first Anglican minister in the colony. He died in 1608.

Hunt Shrine

The site also has a metal miniature of the original fort.

Triangle fort

Western end

Eastern end

The area also has a "new towne" with the foundations of various buildings from the 1600s. We didn't visit because the kids were done. The new town area was burned down in 1676 by Nathaniel Bacon who led a rebellion against the Colonial Governor William Berkeley.