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t up we set our sights on Williamsburg, Virginia. The colonial-era history here is a big draw as the kids have been studying early American history. Our first stop was Jamestown – site of the first permanent English settlement in the US with 104 settlers arriving from England in the spring of 1607. Although nothing remains of the original wood fort, archeologists discovered its exact site in the 1990’s and the fort walls and a few buildings have been reconstructed so you can get a sense for what it was like. Evidently the site was only found in recent years because most people assumed that it had been washed away by the river many years ago. Active archeological work continues at the site so there will no doubt be more information gathered over time. The National Park Service oversees the park and we got a great tour by one of the volunteer park rangers. There is also a private museum nearby that displays many of the items found in the excavations and has interesting profiles of some of the settlers buried there. Interesting stuff…
About 20 miles away from Jamestown is Yorktown. This is the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. It is here that Lord Cornwallis surrendered his troops to George Washington, leader of the Allied Forces – American and French - effectively ending the Revolutionary War. It was 2 years later that the Treaty of Paris was signed which formally established America as an independent nation. Yorktown today is very much like it was during colonial times – perhaps a bit smaller as many of the homes and buildings were destroyed during the Revolutionary and later the Civil War. It was fun to walk the town and see many of the historic buildings. One thing that I found interesting – there was a huge memorial commemorating the battle here and the independence that followed. Although the memorial was authorized by congress shortly after the British surrendered the monument wasn’t actually built until 100 years later. Why?? Evidently the government didn’t have the money to pay for it. Novel concept…
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| Lucas and Pocohantas |
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| Jamestown fort - excavation work in the foreground and the fort wall in the background. The fort wall surrounded an area about 1 acre in size. |
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| Jamestown fort - reconstructed shelter with fort wall behind and the river in the background |
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| Monument at Yorktown commemorating the final surrender of British forces |
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| Close up of the inscription on the Yorktown monument |
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| Yorktown |
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| Yorktown house of a prominent citizen and patriot dating to colonial times |
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