Jamestown was established in 1607, on the James River in Virginia, in what is currently James City County, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) southeast of where Richmond, Virginia, is now located. Both the river and the new settlement were named for King James I, who had recently ascended to the English throne.
The Virginia Colony at Jamestown was the first permanent English colony, in what is now the United States, to survive. It followed the failure of two earlier attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island to the south, in what is now North Carolina. Jamestown is second only to St. Augustine, Florida, as the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States, the latter having been founded 42 years earlier (1565) by Spain.
Although Jamestown was an important centre of government and commerce in the 17th century, after the capital was relocated to Williamsburg in 1699, it gradually lost prominence, reverting to a few large farms. Renewed interest in the historical aspects began with the 300th anniversary Jamestown Exposition, which was held near the mouth of the James River at Sewell's Point on Hampton Roads in 1907.
The 350th anniversary celebration was held at Jamestown itself in 1957, with major projects created by non-profit, state and federal agencies. Since that time, Jamestown has been the site of several continuing historical attractions, with archaeological work and discoveries generating new interest recently. In preparation for the upcoming Jamestown 2007 event, commemorating America's 400th Anniversary, beginning with the sailing of the replica Godspeed to six East Coast cities. Each of these has attractions that have been substantially updated and upgraded, with additional accommodations and transportation facilities enhanced to welcome new visitors.
Settlement
Jamestown was founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London. After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from England, the three ships, Susan Constant (sometimes known as the Sarah Constant), Godspeed, and Discovery with their crews of 105 men and boys led by Susan Constant captain Christopher Newport, made landfall at Cape Henry on April 26, 1607. The party explored the area, named the cape, and set up a cross near the site of the current Cape Henry Memorial.
Upon landing, secret orders from the Virginia Company were opened, which named Captain John Smith as one of the "councelors." Smith had been arrested for mutiny on the voyage over by Christopher Newport and was scheduled to be hanged upon arrival, but was freed after the opening of the orders. The group then proceeded in their ships into the Chesapeake Bay to Hampton Roads and up the James River, where they explored upriver before they arrived at the site of Jamestown on May 14. There they began the first permanent English settlement in what later became the United States.
The colonists chose Jamestown Island for their settlement largely because they had been advised by the Virginia Company to select a ___location that could be easily defended from the 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 bill as it had excellent visibility up and down what is today called the James River and it was far enough inland to avoid contact and conflict with the Spanish fleet, while the river 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 Indians (Native Americans). This was largely due to the inhospitable terrain that severly challenged the settlers. Jamestown Island is a swampy area that was isolated from most hunting game such as deer and bears, who like to forage over much larger areas. The settlers quickly killed off and ate all the large and smaller game which were to be found on the tiny peninsula. The low, marshy area was infested with mosquitoes and other airborne pests. The brackish water of the tidal James River was not a good source of drinking water. The settlers consisted mainly of English farmers and Polish woodcutters, hired in Royal Prussia. The settlers who came over on the initial three ships were not well-equipped for the life they found in Jamestown, and 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 area being uninhabited, the settlers were attacked less than a fortnight after their arrival, on May 26, by Paspahegh Indians, who succeeded in killing one of the settlers and wounding eleven more. By June 15, the settlers finished the initial triangle fort at Jamestown, and a week later Newport sailed back for London on the Susan Constant with a load of pyrite ("fools' gold") and dirt.
Edward Maria Wingfield was named the first president of the colony, and would remain in that position until September 1607, when he was found guilty of libel and was deposed. John Ratcliffe was elected to take his place. A year later, John Smith was elected to replace Ratcliffe. While president of the colony, Smith led a food-gathering expedition up the Chickahominy River. His men were set upon by Powhatan Indians, and when his men were killed, Smith strapped his Indian guide in front of him as a shield. Captured by Opchanacanough, the Powhatan chief's half-brother, Smith gave him a compass, which made him decide to let Smith live. When Smith was brought before Chief Powhatan (whose name was Wahunsunacock), however, the chief decided to execute him, a course of action which was (as stated by Smith) stopped by the pleas of Powhatan's young daughter, Pocahontas, who was originally named Matoaka, but whose nickname meant "Playful one."
After Smith was wounded in an accident when his powder bag exploded, he was sent back to England where he wrote A True Relation, about his experiences in Jamestown, and The Proceedings of the English Colony of Virginia. After Smith returned to England, Ratcliffe became President again. While on a trade mission shortly after being elected, Ratcliffe was captured by Chief Powhatan and tortured to death by women of the Powhatan tribe. The winter of 1609-1610 at Jamestown became known as the "starving time" in Jamestown, as the settlers faced starvation.
John Rolfe, a settler, had arrived in Jamestown in 1609, following the shipwreck of the Sea Venture (This event is thought to have inspired William Shakespeare's "The Tempest", through the accounts of Sylvester Jordain (Discovery of The Barmudas) and William Strachey). The Sea Venture, the new flagship of the Virginia Company, was captained by Christopher Newport, and carried 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 colonisation in North America. She had been separated from the seven other vessels of her fleet by a savage storm, which she had fought for three days. She was deliberately driven onto the reefs of Bermuda to prevent her sinking. The 150 human, and one canine, passengers and crew were all landed safely. 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 survivors spent nine months on Bermuda, building two ships, the Deliverance and Patience, from locally-sourced Bermuda cedar, and materials salvaged from the Sea Venture. John Rolfe had left a wife and infant child buried in Bermuda. Leaving two men to maintain England's claim of the archipelago, the remainder sailed to Jamestown, arriving on 23 May, 1610. They found the colony in ruins and practically abandoned. Of 500 settlers who had preceded them to Jamestown, they found only 60 survivors, with many of those sick or dying. It was decided to abandon the colony, and everyone was placed aboard the two ships to return to England. The fortuitous arrival of De La Warre, with more vessels, however, granted the colony a reprieve. The Deliverance and Patience turned back and all the settlers were landed again at Jamestown. Sir George Somers returned to Bermuda with the Patience to obtain more food supplies, but died on the island that summer. His nephew, Matthew Somers, Captain of the Patience, took the ship back to Lyme Regis instead of Virginia (leaving a third man behind). The Third Charter of the Virginia Company extended its territory far enough across the Atlantic to include Bermuda in 1612. More settlers and a separate Governor arrived in Bermuda that year aboard the Plough. The shareholders of the Virginia Company created a separate company, however, the Somers Isles Company (The Somers Isles remains the other official name of the Colony of Bermuda), to which Bermuda was transferred in 1615. The first two successful English colonies would retain close ties for many more generations, however (which Virginian general, George Washington, would call upon during the American War of Independence, when he addressed a letter to the people of Bermuda asking for their aid).
In the meantime, the publication of Smith's book sparked a resurgence in interest in the colony, leading to the dispatch of additional colonists and a new governor, Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, in 1610. Lord De La Warr forced the remaining 90 settlers to stay, thwarting their plans to abandon the colony. This same year, the first European doctor arrived.
Although Pocahontas's life would be tied to the English after saving Smith's life (above), she is only tied to Smith through their son that was conceived when Pocahonos was a child. During the winter of 1608, after Jamestown was destroyed 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. Pocahontas converted to Christianity and took the name "Rebecca" in 1613, under the tutelage of Reverend Alexander Whitaker, who arrived in Jamestown in 1611 to found the first Presbyterian Church in Virginia. Pocahontas later married John Rolfe on April 24, 1614. Within two years, the couple left for London, where Pocahontas died at Gravesend on March 17, 1617.
Growth and development
In 1611, a majority of the population of the Jamestown settlement was dead and its economic value was negligible with no active exports to England occurring. 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. However, by 1617, tobacco exports were beginning to generate enough profit to ensure the economic survival of the colony.
John Rolfe was the first man to successfully raise export tobacco in the Colony (although the colonists had begun to make glass artifacts immediately after their arrival). The 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 (by 1617, the colonists exported 50,000 pounds of tobacco to England). After Rolfe and Pocahontas lived together at his Varina Farms plantation, when they left for England in 1616, he was wealthy; and they had a son, Thomas. When Rolfe returned to Jamestown following Pocahontas's death from sickness while in England, Thomas remained behind (in England). Once back in Jamestown, 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, Jamestown was thriving as a producer of tobacco, and Jamestown's population would later top 4,000. Wheat also first grew in the colonies in Virginia, in 1618. Tobacco led to the importation of the colony's first black "indentured servants" as well as women from England, in 1619. That same year, 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. That year was also the same year that the first ironworks of the colonies were established in Virginia.
The Indian Massacre of 1622, an uprising led by Opechancanough, led to the deaths of nearly 400 settlers, wiping out several entire communities, including Henricus and Wolstenholme Towne. However, Jamestown was spared from destruction due to the warnings of a Native American boy named "Chanco", who gave warning to colonist Richard Pace originally from Wapping Wall, London (d. abt 1624), a resident since about 1613. 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. A year later, Captain William Tucker and Dr. John Potts worked out a truce with the Powhatan Native Americans 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. In 1624, the Virginia Company lost its charter, and Virginia became a crown colony.
Later colonial era
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. About 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, serving his second term in that office. Berkeley had previously been governor in the 1640s, and was a scholar and playwright, as well as a veteran of the English Civil War and in his seventies. In the mid 1670s, a young cousin of his through marriage, Nathaniel Bacon, Jr., arrived in Virginia; sent by his father in the hope that he would "mature". Although lazy, Bacon was intelligent, and Berkeley provided him with a land grant and a seat on the Virginia Colony council.
In July 1675, the Doeg Indians raided the plantation of Thomas Mathews 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 in "retaliation". This led to large-scale Indian raids. Berkeley tried to calm the situation, but many of the colonists refused to listen to him, and Bacon disregarded a direct order and captured some Appomattox Indians.
Following the establishment of the Long Assembly in 1676, war was declared on "all hostile Indians", and trade with Indian tribes was 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 and Bacon and his men fled, upon which time 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, apologized, and was pardoned by Berkeley.
Bacon demanded a commission, but Berkeley refused. Bacon and his supporters surrounded the statehouse, and threatened to start shooting the Burgesses if Berkeley did not receive the commission 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 hanged the major leaders of the rebellion, and was relieved of his governorship and returned to London, where he died in July, 1677.
"Jimsonweed" is a corruption of "Jamestown weed," named for the village after some British 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 first phase of Jamestown's history ended in 1699, when a decision was made not to rebuild the statehouse which had burned down in 1698, but instead to accept a proposal by students of the College of William and Mary to move the capital of Virginia to higher ground, to about 12 miles (20 km) away, where their school was located at Middle Plantation, which would soon be renamed Williamsburg.
18th century
Due to the movement of the capital to Williamsburg, Jamestown began to slowly disappear above ground. By the 1750s, the land was owned and heavily cultivated, primarily by the Travis and Ambler families.
19th century
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 therefore protecting Richmond, from the Union Navy. He was soon joined by Lieutenant Catesby ap Roger Jones, who directed the building of batteries and conducted ordnance and armor tests for the first Confederate ironclad warship CSS Virginia (formerly known as the Merrimac) at the site. By the end of 1861, Jamestown had a force of 1200 men, which was augmented in early 1862 by an artillery battalion. With the Union forces landing at Yorktown under General George B. McClellan, in April, however, the peninsula was abandoned by the Confederates.
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. For the most part, Jamestown did not have an active role in the Civil War, although both sides used it for feints. Following the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, the oath of allegiance was administered to former Confederate soldiers at Jamestown.
20th century
Jamestown Exposition of 1907
The Jamestown Exposition of 1907 was one of the many world's fairs and expositions that were popular in the United States early part of the 20th century. Early in the 20th century, as the tercentennial of the 1607 Founding of the Jamestown neared, leaders in Norfolk, Virginia began a campaign to have a celebration held there. The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities had gotten the ball rolling 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.
No one thought that the actual isolated and long-abandoned original site would be suitable because Jamestown Island had no facilities for large crowds, and the fort housing the Jamestown Settlement was believed to have been long-ago swallowed by the James River.
The decision was made to locate the international exposition on a mile-long frontage at Sewell's Point near the mouth of Hampton Roads. The Jamestown Exposition was held there from April 26, 1907 to December 1, 1907.
Jamestown National Historic Site
Currently, "Jamestown National Historic Site" exists on 22 ½ acres (91,100 m²) of land at the western end of Jamestown Island. The area was donated to the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities in 1893, before which time, it had seen settlement, rebellion (in 1676), and battle (during the Civil War). In 1934, Colonial National Historical Park obtained the remaining 1500 acre (6.1 km²) island and partnered with the APVA to preserve the area and present it to visitors in an educational manner. The NPS attraction is now known as Historic Jamestowne.
Jamestown Festival Park
Jamestown Festival Park was established at Jamestown Island in 1957 to mark the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown Settlement. At the National Park Service site, the reconstructed Glasshouse, the Memorial Cross and the visitors center were completed and dedicated. Full-sized replicas of the three ships that brought the colonists, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery were constructed at a shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, and docked at Jamestown. Other 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, 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.
Jamestown Settlement
Although the 1957 celebration is long past, many of the attractions remained and some have been enhanced in the years since. Now known as Jamestown Settlement, the former Jamestown Festival Park features a new indoor museum as well as a working reconstruction of the settlement. The original replicas of the three ships that brought the colonists, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery which had been constructed at a shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia have been rebuilt, and are still very popular with tourists, especially school groups.
APVA archaeological campaign
Starting in 1994, a major archaeological campaign at Jamestown has been conducted by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, 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". [1]
Early on, the project discovered the remains of the 1607 settlement. This was something of a surprise, as it had been widely thought that the original site had been entirely lost, due to erosion by the James River. However, only one corner of the first triangular fort (which contained the original settlement) turned out to have been destroyed.
The extended archaeological campaign has made many 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 original settlers.
Among the discoveries, a gravesite with indications that is was of someone important was located. It has been thought to be that of Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, one of the most important figures in the English settlement of the New World. [2] The gravesite thought to contain the remains of Captain Gosnold may instead contain those 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. [3]. The studies are ongoing as of 2006.
Archaeological work at the site continues, and is greatly expanding knowledge of what happened at Jamestown in its earliest days.
21st century
Jamestown Settlement is the promotional name used by the Commonwealth of Virginia's portion of the historical attraction at Jamestown which includes the former Jamestown Festival Park, a living museum, and the replicas of the three ships.
Historic Jamestowne attraction on Jamestown Island is adjacent and complimentary to the Jamestown Settlement attraction. It is operated by the Colonial National Historical Park. At Historic Jamestown, archaeological work currently underway is among the activities and historic sites.
In addition to current programs, preparations are underway for America's 400th Anniversary which will commemorate the quadricentennial of the founding of the Jamestown Settlement with 18 months of statewide, national and international festivities and events.
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. A limited release of the film took place in December, 2005, with the full release in January, 2006. Many scenes were filmed on-___location nearby along the James and Chickahominy Rivers.
Further reading
- 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
External links
- Geographical coordinates: 37°12′33″N 76°46′39″W / 37.20917°N 76.77750°W
- APVA web site for the Jamestown Rediscovery project
- Historic Jamestowne
- America's 400th Anniversary
- Jamestown 1607
- 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
- The New World (2005) – an historical adventure movie based on Jamestown history;