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Jamestown Settlement is nothing like what your history teacher showed you

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Jamestown, VA: December 9, 2021: Jamestown historical settlement in Virginia on a sunny day. The Jamestown settlement was started in 1607.
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It’s bigger and deeper than you’d expect

Most people think of Jamestown as a history-class footnote. What you find at Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, Virginia, is something else entirely.

Three replica ships sit on the James River. A re-created Powhatan village stands in a wooded clearing.

A full-scale fort rises behind wooden palisade walls. Inside, more than 500 artifacts trace three cultures whose collision shaped a nation.

Plan three to four hours, and come ready to get your hands on things.

Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 24, 1607 (May 14, 1607), and considered permanent after brief abandonment in 1610, it followed several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Jamestown served as the capital of the colony for 83 years, from 1616 until 1699. The settlement was located within the territory of a political entity known as Tsenacommacah, the state of the Powhatan Confederacy, with around 14,000 native inhabitants, and specifically was in part of the subdivision known as the Paspahegh tribe. The natives initially welcomed the colonists with dancing, feasting and tobacco ceremonies, and they provided crucial provisions and support for the survival of the colonists, who were not agriculturally inclined. Relations with the newcomers soured fairly early on, leading to the total annihilation of the Paspahegh in warfare within 3 years. Within a year of Jamestown's founding, the Virginia Company brought Polish and Dutch colonists to help improve the settlement. In 1619, the first documented Africans were brought to Jamestown, though the modern conception of slavery in the future United States did not begin in Virginia until 1660. When the colony was subdivided into the original eight shires of Virginia in 1634, the town became located in the eponymous James City Shire. The London Company's second settlement, Bermuda, claims to be the site of the oldest town in the English New World, as St. George's, Bermuda was officially established (as New London) in 1612, whereas James Fort, in Virginia, was not to be converted into James towne until 1619, and further did not survive into the present day. In 1699, the capital was relocated from Jamestown to what is today Williamsburg, after which Jamestown ceased to exist as a settlement, existing today only as an archaeological site. Today, Jamestown is one of three locations comprising the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, along with Williamsburg and Yorktown, with two primary heritage sites. Historic Jamestowne, the archaeological site on Jamestown Island, is a cooperative effort by Jamestown National Historic Site (part of Colonial National Historical Park), and Preservation Virginia. The Jamestown Settlement, a living history interpretive site, is operated by the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Virginia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown,_Virginia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
Wikimedia Commons/Ken Lund

From a 1957 anniversary park to a serious museum

Jamestown Settlement didn’t start as the place it is today.

Virginia created it in 1957 as Jamestown Festival Park to mark the 350th anniversary of the colony’s founding.

Nearly 25,000 people showed up on Oct. 16 of that year, and Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were among them.

The museum expanded dramatically for the 2007 quadricentennial, and a $10.6 million renovation finished in 2019 added new research, updated technology, and an expanded collection.

The result is a museum that earns its American Alliance of Museums accreditation.

Interior of the reconstructed armory workshop at the Jamestown Settlement museum in Virginia.
Wikimedia Commons/Mike Durkin

Walk a century of Virginia history inside the galleries

Step into the indoor galleries and you’re looking at more than 500 artifacts pulled from 17th-century Virginia, Europe, and Africa. Portraits, documents, weapons, tools, and archaeological finds line the cases.

A great hall spans the length of the building, walking you from 1600 to 1699, the year Virginia’s capital shifted from Jamestown to Williamsburg.

Along the way, interactive stations let you compare how the Powhatan, English, and West Central African cultures approached language, religion, government, and daily life.

One digital touch-screen table digs into the myths and realities of Pocahontas specifically.

"Ralph Hamor asks for the hand of Powhatan's daughter" "English interpreter Thomas Savage, gesturing at center, negotiates with two of Pocahontas's brothers (at right) in this engraving from Theodor de Bry's Americae (1634). Pocahontas, a daughter of the paramount chief Powhatan, was captured by the English in 1613, and is shown here surrounded by English guards as the interpreter converses with the Indigenous people. Encyclopedia Virginia " JSTOR Fausz 1990 : "In March 1614 the English sailed up the York River to deliver an ultimatum to Wahunsonacock. As a precaution, they brought with them the captive Pocahontas. Here Pocahontas, surrounded by guards, and English interpreter Thomas Savage try to persuade two of Pocahontas's brothers to cease hostilities. JSTOR Fausz 1987 : "This image records an incident in the attempt by Governor [Thomas Dale] to force Powhatan to deal for hostage Pocahontas or else ." JCB Library : "Two of Powhatan's sons came to the English settlement to see if their sister [Pocahontas] was still alive. They discovered that she had been treated well and promised to report to their father. This image is derived from Theodor de Bry. America , part 10, plate 8, and follows the special title page for De genenkwaardige reizen vanden beroemdent Capiteyn Johan Smith na Virginien ..., Leiden, 1706." This collection of voyages consists of 127 parts, each having a special title page, separate pagination, and register. The voyages covering the period from 1246 to 1696 are arranged chronologically. Part of Naaukeurige versameling der gedenk-waardigste zee en land-reysen na Oost en West-Indiën ... zedert het jaar 1524 tot 1526, In het ligt gegeven te Leyden [Leiden]; Door Pieter Vander Aa, boekverkoper in de St. Pieters Koor-steeg, in Plato. F706 A111n
Wikimedia Commons/Matthäus Merian

Two films that drop you into the action

Before you head outside, catch at least one of the two films.

The documentary “1607: A Nation Takes Root” runs every 30 minutes and covers the Virginia Company’s formation, the early relationship between colonists and the Powhatan, and the arrival of the first recorded West Central Africans in 1619.

The 4D theater runs “Bacon’s Rebellion” every 20 minutes, telling the story of the 1676 armed uprising against Governor William Berkeley. Wind, mist, and seat vibrations put you in the middle of it.

Both are included with admission.

A recreation of powhatan huts in the jamestown settlement museum in Williamsburg Virginia.
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A Powhatan village built from the ground up

In a clearing at the edge of the outdoor area, reed-covered houses form a re-creation of a Paspahegh community, one of the 30-plus Algonquian-speaking groups inside the Powhatan chiefdom.

The village is built on what archaeologists and English colonial accounts recorded about the Paspahegh, the tribal group closest to the original Jamestown site.

Walk inside the houses and you’ll find mats, animal hides, arrows, pottery, and tools. Costumed interpreters demonstrate hunting, fishing, hide processing, and weaving.

You can climb into a dugout canoe and try grinding corn the way it was done four centuries ago.

Jamestown, Virginia, USA - 6/21/2009: A replica of the first ship to land at jamestown. Jamestown was established by the Virginia Company of London as
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Board the ships that crossed the Atlantic in 1607

Three ships carried 104 men and boys from England to Virginia in 1607, and full-scale re-creations of all three are docked on the James River.

The Godspeed and the Discovery are open for boarding right now.

The Susan Constant, the fleet’s flagship, is away for a multi-year restoration, but a 360-degree virtual tour stands in for it.

Get on deck and an interpreter will walk you through the roughly four-and-a-half-month crossing. You can try piloting, navigation, knot-tying, and sail-handling.

The Virginia General Assembly designated all three ships the official fleet of the Commonwealth in 2001.

"Replica "Susan Constant" which brought settlers to Jamestown, Virginia" - original caption at Flickr
Wikimedia Commons/David

The Susan Constant’s $4.7 million overhaul

The Susan Constant is a 120-ton wooden cargo vessel built at Jamestown Settlement and commissioned April 25, 1991.

In the three decades since, an estimated 19 million people have walked her decks, including schoolchildren, presidents, and royalty.

By June 2024, the wear showed enough that the Virginia General Assembly approved $4.7 million to send her to the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut.

Workers are replacing hull planking above the waterline, repairing upper framing, and servicing the masts and rigging. The goal is another 20 to 30 years of service.

The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. William Kelso says Jamestown "is where the British Empire began,... this was the first colony in the British Empire." Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 4, 1607 (O.S., May 14, 1607 N.S.), and considered permanent after brief abandonment in 1610, it followed several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Jamestown served as the capital of the colony for 83 years, from 1616 until 1699. The settlement was located within the country of Tsenacommacah, which was administered by the Powhatan Confederacy, and specifically in that of the Paspahegh tribe. The natives initially welcomed and provided crucial provisions and support for the colonists, who were not agriculturally inclined. Relations with the newcomers soured fairly early on, leading to the total annihilation of the Paspahegh in warfare within 3 years. Mortality at Jamestown itself was very high due to disease and starvation, with over 80% of the colonists perishing in 1609-1610 in what became known as the "Starving Time". In 1608, in the Second Supply, the Virginia Company brought eight Polish and German colonists, of whom some built a small glass factory, although the Germans and a few others soon defected to the Powhatans with weapons and supplies from the settlement. The Second Supply also brought the first two women to the settlement. In 1619, the first documented Africans were brought to Jamestown, though the modern conception of slavery in the future United States did not begin in Virginia until 1660. In 1676, the town was deliberately burned during Bacon's Rebellion, though it was quickly rebuilt. In 1699, the capital was relocated from Jamestown to what is today Williamsburg, after which Jamestown ceased to exist as a settlement, existing today only as an archaeological site. Today, Jamestown is one of three locations comprising the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, along with Williamsburg and Yorktown, with two primary heritage sites. Historic Jamestowne, the archaeological site on Jamestown Island, is a cooperative effort by Jamestown National Historic Site (part of Colonial National Historical Park), and Preservation Virginia. Jamestown Settlement, a living history interpretive site, is operated by the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Virginia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown,_Virginia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
Wikimedia Commons/Ken Lund

Inside James Fort: the colony at its roughest

The triangular James Fort you walk into reflects the colony as it looked between 1610 and 1614, when survival was still the primary occupation.

Inside the wooden palisade walls, wattle-and-daub buildings with thatched roofs hold a church, a governor’s house, a storehouse, and bunkhouses.

Interpreters work through the day’s tasks, from tending crops and cooking meals to hammering metal at a working blacksmith’s forge. The matchlock musket firing demonstrations draw a crowd every time.

You can try on armor, play ninepins and quoits, and handle reproduction tools scattered throughout the fort.

Reconstructed buildings at the Jamestown Settlement museum in Jamestown, Virginia. (House?) in foreground, church in background.
Wikimedia Commons/David

Touch things, try things, and actually do stuff

Jamestown Settlement is built around participation, not just observation. In the Powhatan village, you can weave baskets, carve fishing hooks, and help shape a dugout canoe.

At the fort, you can grind corn, sew garments, and watch how 17th-century tools cut wood and leather. On the ships, you steer with a tiller and pick up sailor vocabulary that dates to the 1600s.

If you want a more structured experience, two-hour private tours are available, and the “Jamestown Gallery Tour” app in the app store gives you a full self-guided walkthrough.

The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. William Kelso says Jamestown "is where the British Empire began,... this was the first colony in the British Empire." Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 4, 1607 (O.S., May 14, 1607 N.S.), and considered permanent after brief abandonment in 1610, it followed several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Jamestown served as the capital of the colony for 83 years, from 1616 until 1699. The settlement was located within the country of Tsenacommacah, which was administered by the Powhatan Confederacy, and specifically in that of the Paspahegh tribe. The natives initially welcomed and provided crucial provisions and support for the colonists, who were not agriculturally inclined. Relations with the newcomers soured fairly early on, leading to the total annihilation of the Paspahegh in warfare within 3 years. Mortality at Jamestown itself was very high due to disease and starvation, with over 80% of the colonists perishing in 1609-1610 in what became known as the "Starving Time". In 1608, in the Second Supply, the Virginia Company brought eight Polish and German colonists, of whom some built a small glass factory, although the Germans and a few others soon defected to the Powhatans with weapons and supplies from the settlement. The Second Supply also brought the first two women to the settlement. In 1619, the first documented Africans were brought to Jamestown, though the modern conception of slavery in the future United States did not begin in Virginia until 1660. In 1676, the town was deliberately burned during Bacon's Rebellion, though it was quickly rebuilt. In 1699, the capital was relocated from Jamestown to what is today Williamsburg, after which Jamestown ceased to exist as a settlement, existing today only as an archaeological site. Today, Jamestown is one of three locations comprising the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, along with Williamsburg and Yorktown, with two primary heritage sites. Historic Jamestowne, the archaeological site on Jamestown Island, is a cooperative effort by Jamestown National Historic Site (part of Colonial National Historical Park), and Preservation Virginia. Jamestown Settlement, a living history interpretive site, is operated by the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Virginia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown,_Virginia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
Wikimedia Commons/Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA

The 1619 story that changed everything

One of the most important chapters in the museum is also one of the quieter ones.

In 1619, the first documented West Central Africans arrived in Virginia, and Jamestown Settlement traces what that moment meant for the colony and the country that followed.

The “Africa to Virginia” gallery uses artifacts, personal stories on monitors and life-size screens, and interpretive programs to lay out the significance of that arrival. The story doesn’t stay in one gallery either.

It runs through the outdoor areas and into conversations with the interpreters working at the village and the fort.

Colonial Williamsburg, VA, USA - May 29 2024: Man riding on a horse and buggy in colonial Williamsburg with tourist in carriage
Shutterstock

Living history events throughout the year

The museum’s calendar runs year-round. A current special exhibition pairs Chinese Ming porcelain fragments uncovered at the 1607 James Fort site with intact pieces from collections around the world.

Jamestown Day in May marks the 1607 founding with artillery salutes, maritime demonstrations, and special programming.

The American Indian Intertribal Powwow, a Black Artist Showcase, military re-enactments, escape-room puzzle events, behind-the-scenes costume exhibitions, and the Foods and Feasts of Colonial Virginia program fill out the rest of the year.

Check the calendar before you go.

Historic Jamestowne is the cultural heritage site that was the location of the 1607 James Fort and the later 17th century city of Jamestown. It is located on the James River at Jamestown, Virginia and operated as a partnership between Preservation Virginia (formerly known as the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities) and the U.S. National Park Service. It is adjacent and complementary with Jamestown Settlement, a living history museum built run by the Commonwealth of Virginia to interpret the early colony. Jamestown, first established in May 1607, was the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America. Jamestown was the capital of the Virginia Colony, and saw Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, when the statehouse was burned. After a second burning in 1698, the capital was relocated to higher ground at Middle Plantation in 1699, which was then renamed Williamsburg. By the middle of the 18th century, the land was cultivated mainly by the Travis and Ambler families. During the American Revolutionary War the area was used as a military post where American and British prisoners of war were exchanged. In the 19th century, Jamestown Island reverted to little-used farmland, and in 1862 became the site of Doller's Point Battery, a Confederate earthworks during the American Civil War intended to protect Richmond against Union gunboats. Swann's Point Battery was a Union Army battery located Swann's Point above the mouth of Gray's Creek on the James River, opposite Jamestown Island from 1862-1865. The Ambler Farm was burned by escaped slaves, who found the desolate island to be a haven. The area then reverted to farmland until preservation efforts began at the end of the 19th century. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_Jamestowne en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
Wikimedia Commons/Ken Lund

What you need to know before showing up

Jamestown Settlement is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Adult admission runs $20, and children ages 6 to 12 are $10.

Kids five and under get in free. A combination ticket with the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, about 20 minutes away along the Colonial Parkway, runs $34 for adults and $17 for ages 6 to 12, and covers seven consecutive days of unlimited access to both.

Parking is free. Most of the museum is wheelchair accessible, though the ships are the exception.

Local residents of James City County, York County, and the City of Williamsburg get in free with proof of residency.

Jamestown, VA: December 9, 2021: A statue for Captain John Smith, Governor of Virginia, at the Jamestown historical settlement.
Shutterstock

Visit Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, Virginia

Jamestown Settlement sits at 2110 Jamestown Road (Route 31 South) in Williamsburg, right next to Historic Jamestowne, where archaeologists have pulled more than three million artifacts from the actual 1607 colony site since 1994.

You can walk between the two. The Colonial Parkway connects Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown, so a multi-day trip through all three is easy to piece together.

Hours run daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check the official website for current event schedules and combination ticket options.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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Currently residing in the "Sunset State" with his wife and 8 pound Pomeranian. Leo is a lover of all things travel related outside and inside the United States. Leo has been to every continent and continues to push to reach his goals of visiting every country someday. Learn more about Leo on Muck Rack.

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