Historic Jamestowne!

What Is Historic Jamestowne?

This is a reconstruction of the original 1607 James Fort, built at the site of the first permanent English settlement in the Americas!

What Makes It Historical?

In 1607, the Virginia Company took advantage of its colonial monopoly in the so-called New World, granted them by King James I, and sent three ships west across the Atlantic: the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery! Aboard were 104 men and boys, including one prisoner named John Smith, whose mission was to set up a colony in the area now called Virginia and make lots of money!

The rumors of Virginia were far from accurate! It was not actually summer all year, and the colony named for King James was right next to a pitch and tar swamp! Folks were really unprepared for food deficits and malaria! Negotiations with the local Powhatan people, led by John Smith and Pocahontas, were crucial to keeping these newcomers alive!

After John Smith left in 1609, wounded in a mysterious explosion, the first fort collapsed in the hard winter of 1610. That part separates the history of Old James Fort (managed by Preservation Virginia) from new Jamestowne (National Park Service)! The latter was started by the 60 survivors of James Fort, whipped back into shape by Lord De La Warr. Nine years later, in 1619, there was a town here! That year, the House of Burgesses opened, the first representative assembly in the Americas, and the first enslaved African folks arrived on Virginia’s shores. Although Jamestowne burned in Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676, it remained the colonial capital all the way until 1699 when it was relocated to Williamsburg!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
Volunteer at Jamestown Settlement!
Donate to the Jamestown Settlement!
Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!