Jamestown VA and the National Archives in Washington, DC - Colonial History with Marina [July 27 and 29, 2017]

Two of the Jamestown colonists

In May 1607, 140 colonists landed on the island that is now known as Jamestown and established the first permanent English colony in the New World.  The colony struggled, starved, relied upon and fought with the Powhatan Indians, and somehow managed to survive.  It served as the capitol of Virginia until that function was moved to Williamsburg in 1699.  You can visit three places that tell pieces of that history on Jamestown Island.

Grabbing a slug of the molten glass

Making it into a shape

Finishing the details

Pretty art shot

We started the day at the Glasshouse where modern day artisans create glass containers using much the same materials and techniques as glassblowers did 400 years ago.  An early attempt at industrial manufacture, the glass works was never entirely successful.  [I am not sure who thought it would be a good idea to manufacture glass an ocean away and then transport it back to England...]  It is fascinating to watch the artisans grab slugs of molten glass, and blow it and finish it into shapes.  Of course, you can buy what they make - which we did.

The parallel lines are what remains of the trench that the palisades wall ran in around the original fort

A dig of a well site with our archeologist guide

From there, we visited Historic Jamestowne, the joint National Park Service (Happy 101 Birthday NPS!) and Preservation Virginia run actual site of the Jamestown colony.  Until the 1990s, people believed that the ruins of the original Jamestown settlement had been eroded into the James River and lost forever.  Archeological digs have found the foundations of the wooden palisades and buildings, graves, and thousands of artifacts.  You can take a tour with a real archeologist (dusty from the dig) who explains the research being done at the site, and what they have found.

Re-created palisades at Historic Jamestowne with a statue of Captain John Smith

Our last stop was the Jamestown Settlement where re-creations of the Powhatan Indian village and James Fort bring  history to life.  The fort has buildings, soldiers and craftsmen.  You can also climb aboard re-creations of the original 3 ships that brought the colonists to the New World.

Below decks on board ship at Jamestown Settlement

Working with a chisel to build a bench

After so much Colonial history, we returned home to Fairfax.  Our last stop, to visit the National Archives to see the actual  Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights.  Seemed a fitting closure to a week of early US History.

They don't let you take pictures inside the National Archives, so here is a photo outside

Drivin' by the Capitol...

...and the Washington Monument.