The harrowing origin story of England‘s first permanent settlement in the New World reads like a Shakespearean drama filled with trials, tribulations, and triumphs against all odds. Historic Jamestowne brings this pivotal chapter of America‘s founding to life in vivid detail.
In a mosquito-ridden swamp on the banks of the James River in May 1607, 104 English gentlemen, laborers, and fortune-seekers landed with grand ambitions to establish a profitable colony for the Virginia Company. They christened their settlement James Fort, in honor of the reigning King James I, unaware of the miseries and hardships that lay ahead for this nascent beachhead in the New World.
Jamestown may have been England‘s first permanent foothold in America, but it was by no means the earliest attempt. Throughout the 16th century, the Spanish, French, and English sought to stake claims to the land they called "Virginia" in tribute to Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen". Previous English efforts like the famous "lost colony" of Roanoke founded in 1585 had vanished without a trace. The Virginia Company of London, a joint-stock corporation, aimed to succeed where others had failed.
A Struggle for Survival
The colonists who disembarked on Jamestown Island (actually a peninsula at the time) were ill-equipped for the challenges this unfamiliar land posed. Many were upper-class gentlemen unaccustomed to manual labor; only a dozen or so had practical skills like farming, carpentry, or masonry. As historian James Horn notes in A Land As God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America, "The settlers at Jamestown were dependent on trade with the Indians for food because they came without sufficient provisions and with too few farmers, craftsmen, and laborers to produce essential commodities."
The colonists hastily constructed a wooden palisade fort for protection and set about an ultimately fruitless hunt for gold and silver as their food stores dwindled. Their location on the swampy, brackish end of the James River, while deemed easily defensible, lacked fresh water and was a breeding ground for mosquitos carrying malaria and other diseases. A drought beginning in 1606 further decimated what little crops they managed to plant.
Over 80% of the original Jamestown settlers perished within the first two years, succumbing to famine, disease, and sporadic attacks from the neighboring Powhatan Confederacy of Algonquian-speaking tribes. In a letter to company officials back in London, Captain John Smith conveyed the desperation of the "starving time" winter of 1609-1610 when he reported only 60 of 300 settlers had survived.
Despite these unimaginable losses, the young colony limped along as a resupply fleet arrived carrying new recruits, provisions, and most importantly, a decisive new governor, Lord De La Warr, who brought much-needed discipline and leadership beginning in 1610.
Seeds of Empire
Jamestown‘s prospects began to improve when colonist John Rolfe (who later married Pocahontas) successfully cultivated a sweeter, more palatable strain of tobacco in 1612. This cash crop established a viable export economy for Jamestown and attracted more settlers and investment from England. By 1619, Jamestown was thriving, with a population of about 2000.
That same year saw the arrival of the first documented Africans to the colony aboard a Dutch slave ship. Initially, these 20 or so Africans from the Kingdom of Ndongo in Angola were treated as indentured servants, similar to many of the white laborers. However, as the plantation economy grew and the demand for cheap labor increased, their status gradually hardened into racially-based chattel slavery over the next few decades, setting the tragic foundation for the institution of slavery in America.
Another landmark event occurred in 1619 when the Virginia Company declared its intention to establish a general assembly with elected representatives. On July 30, 22 burgesses assembled at the Jamestown church in the first meeting of representative government in colonial America, planting the seeds of democracy and self-governance that would come to define the nation.
Evolving with the Times
As stability and profitability increased, Jamestown grew and evolved from a scraggly settlement into the colonial capital of Virginia. In 1639, they built their first brick church tower which still stands today as the last surviving above-ground structure from that era.
However, after the Powhatan uprising of 1622 that killed nearly a third of the colonists, the Virginia Company lost its charter and Virginia became a royal colony in 1624. The center of political power began shifting away from Jamestown to Middle Plantation (later renamed Williamsburg). In 1699, the colonial capital officially moved to Williamsburg after yet another disastrous fire in Jamestown, this time set by a female arsonist.
While Jamestown faded in prominence, it continued to play an important strategic role in later American history. The Jamestown fort was used as a military outpost during the American Revolution, and the island was occupied by both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War. But it was largely forgotten as an archaeological site until preservation efforts began in the early 1900s.
New Discoveries Unearthed
In 1994, Dr. William Kelso of Jamestown Rediscovery began excavations in search of the original 1607 James Fort, long thought lost to erosion. Miraculously, the trenches of the palisade walls were quickly discovered along with the post holes of the corner bulwarks and over a million artifacts that have illuminated many details of daily life, work, leisure, and industry in the early colony.
Some of the most exciting discoveries include the long-sought 1608 church where Pocahontas married John Rolfe in 1614, the remains of the governor‘s residence, a well-preserved cellar filled with swords, armor and tools, and a variety of ceremonial and religious objects. But perhaps the most poignant find was the burial sites of many of the earliest colonists, some with artifacts like Captain Bartholomew Gosnold‘s officer‘s staff finial and one young man with multiple gunshot wounds.
These burials reveal much about the identities and demographics of the colony. According to forensic analysis, over half were gentlemen as evidenced by the copper pins that fastened their burial shrouds; a small number were women; and several high-status Catholics were among the group known to history as the "Protestants of Jamestown." Isotope analysis of the bones also shows many colonists suffered from chronic lead poisoning likely from the lead-glazed pottery they used.
In 2010, archaeologists made another stunning find when they unearthed the remains of the "Jamestown queen," a young woman buried with a small hexagonal silver box believed to be a Catholic reliquary. This discovery hints at previously unknown religious diversity in the colony and the possibility that women played a more significant role than records indicate.
Bringing the Past to Life
Today, visitors to Historic Jamestowne can see the incredible results of this archaeology first-hand. The Archaearium museum houses over 2000 artifacts that paint a tangible picture of the colony‘s material culture. The active dig sites are open to the public and you can often catch glimpses of newly unearthed finds.
Engaging living history programs bring to life many aspects of work and daily life in 1600s Jamestown, from the skilled Native American hunters and farmers to the English blacksmiths and glassmakers practicing their trades. You can even try your hand at one of these colonial crafts in the re-created industries that were vital to Jamestown‘s economy.
Some of the most thought-provoking elements of the site commemorate the experiences and perspectives of groups marginalized or omitted from the traditional history books. A series of interpretive signs along the wheelchair-accessible Nagaya River Trail presents the settlement narrative from the viewpoint of the Powhatan while the "Triumph of Survival" memorial honors the first documented Africans who arrived in 1619.
As you explore the scenic island and uncover its many historical treasures, the struggles and sacrifices of Jamestown‘s earliest settlers come vividly to life. While the realities of colonial-indigenous contact, cultural upheaval, and the origins of slavery in America evoke justified criticism through the lens of modern sensibilities, this complex history is one we continue striving to piece together and learn from.
In the prophetic words of Captain John Smith, "Nothing would be done for a plantation, till about some hundred of your people arrive; then the work will go forward." And go forward it did, laying the foundational stones for what would one day become the United States of America, in all its imperfect glory.
- Annual visitors to Historic Jamestowne: approx. 230,000 (2019)
- Jamestown colonist mortality rate 1607-1625: over 80%
- 1624 population: 1,232 including 23 black Africans and 17 Indians
- Current area of Jamestown Island: 1,473 acres
- Number of artifacts recovered to date: over 3 million
