The statue of Captain John Smith at Historic Jamestowne, Virginia. June 20, 2007.
On our anniversary trip in 2007, Betsy and I went to Virginia. After visiting Jamestown Settlement (a living history museum) we went to Historic Jamestowne, the site of the first English settlement in North America.
I assume that the story of Jamestown is still taught in our schools. We were taught that the settlers were all ‘gentlemen’ who didn’t do anything but look for gold, that the Indian maiden Pocohantas saved Captain John Smith, and that Captain Smith saved Jamestown. We also learned that later almost all the settlers died and the survivros decided to give up and return to England, only to be met by supply ships and new settlers at the mouth of the James River.
There was some truth in what we were taught, but there was also much more. Jamestown survived and grew. The first representative assembly in the New World convened in the Jamestown church on July 30, 1619. In 1624 Virginia became a crown colony with Jamestown as the capital. A “New Town” grew up east of the fort which contained wharfs, warehouses, taverns and merchant’s homes. Jamestown remained the capital until the statehouse burned in 1698. The capital was then moved to Williamsburg and the town of Jamestown began to slowly disappear.
I must admit that it was very interesting and exciting to be at the site of so much history. If you would like to see more of Jamestown, click HERE.
Senior Moments 