Jamestown~America's 1st Settlement

The Jamestown Settlement was a replicate town of the original Jamestowne including the fort, every building in it's place. Here are some pictures of our time there.

The first ships to bring over Jamestown colonists were the "Susan Constant", The "Godspeed", & The "Discovery."  

The first voyage they brought over just about 100 men in 1607 from England in these 3 ships. They traveled for months until they landed in Jamestown. The men were simply dropped off and the ships headed straight back to England. Can you imagine being on a crowded ship for months with stinky people and having NOTHING to do!  Here's the fam inside the Captain's quarters which was the nicest part of the ship and you can see Tim is crouching.

So when the settlers arrived the land was swampy and desolate. Further into the land were the Indians. They had their fair share of contentions with the Indians as you well know, but there were also times the Indians were helpful in showing them how to work with the land. This was what the European settlers saw when the arrived.

 Here is what the Powhatan Indians lived in.

My kids couldn't get over the fact that they had dirt floors & not CARPET!:)

Here is the inside of one of the family huts. Full of animal skins that they used as blankets.

These huge logs were what the Powhatan Indians chopped down and burnt out the middle of until they looked like and turned into canoes. 

The settlers struggle but begin to establish this town inside a fort that built protecting them from the Indians.

A Few Things We Learned:

1607~The 1st settlers arrived and began to establish Jamestown

1608~ John Smith was  made "president" of town

Out of over 200 colonists only 60 survive the bad winter

1609~Settlers built fort for protection from the Indians

 1614~Pocohantas, daughter of Chief Powhatan is baptized as a Christian and marries

 John Rolfe.

~1619 First group of African men & women arrive as slaves in Virginia.

~1620 First large group of English women arrive at Jamestown to be wives for settlers. 

Inside & Outside the Museum

You can really feel the roots of our country here.