Jamestown, VA @ 400 Years, 1607-2007
First Successful English Colony in North America
Comp. & ed. by Mark H. Rothenberg, Central Reference
The Patchogue-Medford Library & Suffolk Cooperative Library System
General |
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Bacon’s Rebellion |
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Commemorative Stamps |
Documents |
Indians |
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Lesson Plans (see also General section) |
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Captain John Smith |
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400th Anniversary of Jamestown: A Proclamation by the President of the3 United States (The White House, April 6, 2007)
America's 400th Anniversary: Jamestown Virginia, 1607-2007
(Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Jamestown 2007 [agency])
This is the celebration’s official website, and a good starting point, with a wide array of useful links, including informational sites, museum links, curriculum-related material, planned events; commercial sites for travel ideas, planning, reservations and other advance arrangements.
America's Anniversary Weekend: Schedule of Demonstrations & Programs - Jamestown Settlement (Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center)
A Brief History of Jamestown (Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center. Jamestown Settlement)
Contains links to the Jamestown Settlement, Powhatan Indian Village, the fleet of 3 ships, Yorktown Victory Center, a Jamestown chronology, a 2007 special events calendar, new buildings, new galleries & exhibits, group programs, curriculum material, educational theme lines, publications, including the Foundation's recent newsletters Dispatch (esp. worth reading), and recent annual reports, media kits, tickets and tourist packages (caveat emptor), the film The New World), and more.
A Brief History of Jamestown, Virginia (Tobacco BBS)
Tobacco quickly became the colony's main cash crop, and a leading cause of its success, after John Rolfe intorduced a non-native Caribbean variety, more palatable to Europeans. Hence, the particular fondness of the tobacco industry for the history of this place and time, to which it owes an historic debt.
"Double Vision of History", by Alan Solomon, Chicago Tribune (Newsday, Travel, 2/18/07)
Evolution of the British Flag (U.S. Interior Dept. National Park Service. Colonial National Historical Park. Jamestown Briefs)
Fashions (Jamestowne Society)
Flowerdew Hundred (United States. Interior Dept. National Park Service. James River Plantations: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary)
One of the earliest English settlements, expanding from Jamestown, a survivor of the Massacre of 1622, with an interesting history. The James River Plantations website includes many extant sites that grew from Jamestown roots, and represent various periods in Virginia history. It also includes essays, clickable maps, travel itineraries, and more.
Historic Jamestown Resources (County of Henrico Public Library)
A very good selection of key websites.
Historic Jamestowne (U.S. National Park Service. Colonial National Historical Park. Historic Jamestowne)
Includes historic background, directions, Island Loop driving tours, living history tours (with costumed guides), historic sites & attractions, activities & demonstrations, information on early glassmaking at Jamestown (and the glasshouse), things to do with kids, and more.
History of Jamestown (Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities)
Major sections: Findings, Exhibits, History, Publications, Resources, Visiting, and more. In the upper right, you'll also find Jamestown Rediscovery which, a clickable site, focused on recent archeology at the fort, which, among other things, advertises a 2007 Summer Jamestown Field School (dig).
A History of Jamestown, Virginia (History.net)
While ©1996, this site has a nice timeline, and has interesting narrative sections, and is well worth perusing, esp. for placing the Jamestown settlement in wider context.
Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission Act of 2000 (Cornell University. Law School. U.S. Code Collection. P.L. 106-565, December 23, 2000, 114 Stat. 2812)
This is the law that started the 400th anniversary commemoration rolling.
Jamestown Historic Briefs: Topic Index (U.S. National Park Service. Colonial National Historical Park)
A series of links, grouped in 5 general categories: Historical Significance (17 links); Timelines (6 links); Personalities of Jamestown (6 links); Manufacturing and Industries (8 links); and Bibliographies (4 links). Recommended.
Jamestown, Virginia (Wikipedia)
Encyclopedia-style article, with links.
Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown Victory Center (Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation)
Presents information related to two of the pillars of southeast Virginia’s “Historic Triangle”, the other being Colonial Williamsburg.
Jamestowne Society (The Society, U.K.)
A pedigreed-membership organization, the Society is one of the major sponsors of the 400th Anniversary, and has scheduled events, listed here. The site contains a variety of interesting historical, document, genealogical, forthcoming events & activities, publication, and other links, some commercial.
Jamestown vs. Plymouth (U.S. National Park Service. Colonial National Historical Park. Jamestown Historic Briefs)
Compares, contrasts, and draws some conclusions on the natures, experiences, and legacies of the two earliest successful British colonies on the mainland of what today is the U.S. Interesting reading.
Kentucky Derby Bows to Queen Elizabeth (CNN.com; 2007 © Associated Press)
London Company (Wikipedia)
Article on the English joint stock company, The Virginia Company of London, granted a charter for a large swath of North America, that came to be known as Virginia.
From London to Jamestown, 400 Years Later (United States. Department of State. Embassy of the United States [to the Court of Saint James]. London, U.K.)
Thematic narratives, with related links (at the bottom of the page).
NASA to Fly Historic Jamestown Artifact, Mementos on Space Shuttle (ScienceDaily.com, from United States. National Aeronautic and Space Administration. Langley Research Center, Feb. 1, 2007)
Rendering them even more historic preservation-worthy, should they survive re-entry. Interesting story. 1 color illus.
Queen Begins Visit by Visiting Virginia Tech Survivors (CNN.com, May 4, 2007)
Afterward, also delivering a moving speech.
Queen Elizabeth Flashes Wit at Dinner with Bush (Reuters, May 8, 2007)
Queen Elizabeth Tours Jamestown Colony with Cheney (CBS News. US & World, May 4, 20070)
Text & photos, as well as audio clips, and more.
Queen of England to Visit NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Daylife Beta)
Secretary Norton Announces Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission
(United States. Dept. of the Interior. Office of the Secretary, 1/10/03)
State Visit to the USA by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh (British Embassy, Washington, 24 April 2007)
The general royal 400th anniversary itinerary (May 3-8) in Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland, and at the Kentucky Derby (May 5). Includes a link to a more detailed itinerary, courtesy of the British Monarchy Media Centre @ http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page5531.asp
Today in History: May 14 (U.S. Library of Congress. American Memory Project)
Not just about the day itself, this site also contains an impressive array of links to full-text primary documents (in fascimile) and period maps (sections of which may be enlarged), related to the early history of Virginia, e.g., records of the Longon [Virginia] Company and of the Colony, key political, diplomatic, social, and economic documents, and more. Well worth exploration.
Virginia, [comp. & ed. by] Paul Halsall (Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Colonial North America. Political Forms)
Includes links to the text of the first, second and third charters of the colony of Virginia, to the instructions for the colony, prepared by the London Company, and several other early documents of interest.
Virtual Jamestown Site Index, [comp. by] Crandall Shifflett (Virtual Jamestown.org)
Main sections: Jamestown Interactive, Chesapeake Indians, Public Records, Reference Center, First-Hand Accounts & Letters, Newspapers, Walking Tours, Teaching Materials, and a page about the Virtual Jamestown website.
Visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Virginia May 3-4 (historyisfun.org)
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (The Association)
Includes links to colonial artifacts discovered in a well, to seeds casting light on early agricultural efforts of the new colony, and a tooth with a history, with maps and links. There are also links to the Historic Jamestowne and Jamestown Rediscovery sites, among others, as well as to activities of the Association, and to a number of its publications and press releases, as well as to forthcoming events, activities, and travel notions, some of which are commercial, so caveat emptor.
Bill Kelso: Digging Up the Truth About Jamestown, by Thomas Pierce (NPR. Health and Science) [audio & print versions]
Archeologist who rediscovered the Jamestown Fort, when conventional wisdom was still saying that it had long ago been swept away by the James River. How new findings are shedding light on the earliest days of the settlement, and amplifying and enriching our understanding of American colonial history.
Fort Excavation Area (Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Home. Findings)
One of the big news items in recent months has been the relocation of the original Jamestown Fort, by Bill Kelso and a team of archeologists. Here you'll find a map of the fort, with 12 numbered locations. Click on them to see color photos and brief, but very interesting descriptions of what has been found there, so far, in the ongoing excavations of the fort.
400-Year Old Seeds Discovered in Jamestown Well Reflect Colonial Survival Efforts (Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Press Release)
May not sound like much, but it's an example of how archeology alters our perceptions and deepens our understandings of the past.
The Technology of History: Modern Science is Helping to Solve the Puzzles of the Past, text by Michael J. Lombardi, photos. by David Doody (Colonial Williamsburg: The Journal of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation).
Bacon’s Rebellion: The Other Jamestown Story (Central Rappahannock Regional Library. HistoryPoint.org)
A signal, traumatic event in late 17th century Virginia, while, at the same time, New England was cast into the flames of King Phillip's War.
1607 (Wikipedia)
Curious what else was going on, around the world, in the same year as Jamestown was settled? Try this site.
17th Century Timeline (W.W. Norton)
Key events & personalities, 1603-1692. Also contains links covering earlier and later periods.
17th Century Timeline (University of Idaho)
For Europe & North America, organized in quarter-century blocks, from left to right. Below are colored blocks that apparently represent philosophy, music, art, literature, political thought, science, and "various wars". Mainly personalities and works. Can help place Jamestown in a larger frame.
Jamestown Timeline (United States. Library of Congress. American Memory Project)
While it covers 1503-2007, the bulk of its entries are from the 16th & 17th centuries
Tobacco Timeline: The Seventeenth Century -- The Great Age of the Pipe, 1993-2003 © Gene Borio (Tobacco.com)
Chapter 3 of an online book, the other parts of which are also a click away.
Virginia Records Timeline, 1553-1743 (U.S. Library of Congress. American Memory Project. The Thomas Jefferson Papers)
This segment covers 1600-1609, and includes links to facsimiles and descriptive material about several period images.
2007 Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Program (U.S. Treasury Dept. U.S. Mint)
Color photos of the official gold and silver coins of the commemoration, along with descriptive material
America’s Anniversary Garden (Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Jamestown 2007; Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences & Virginia Cooperative Extension)
Sections: Garden Designs; Home Plant List; Corridor Plant List; Native Plant List; Planting Instructions and Resources; News & Projects; and more. Selections are plants native to Virginia in red, white, and blue.
Plant America’s Anniversary Garden, by Elizabeth Maurer, et al. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. Virginia Cooperative Extension)
The web version of a brochure published by the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Again note: Plants are native to Virginia (in reds, whites, and blues) and a handy chart is included, as well as clickable links to annuals, perennials, trees & shrubs. These may or may not grow well in other areas.
The 2007 Commemorative Stamp Program (U.S. Interior Dept. Postal Service)
Views of the forthcoming Jamestown stamp, released on 5/5/07 (6th stamp down).
The American Colonist’s Library: A Treasury of Primary Documents, [comp. &] maintained by Rick Gardiner
These selections are arranged chronologically from ca. 500 BCE / BC to ca. 1800 CE /AD, so only those written prior to May 1607 would be applicable to the initial settlers. It is likely that few of the original Jamestown settlers would have read all, or perhaps even most, of them. Yet, some of the better educated settlers might have read some of these works, and others might have have had some of them, or portions of the works, read to them. Of course, as time moved on, later documents would have come into play. Here you'll find short lists of classical and medieval works, a larger number from the 16th and 17th century, and long lists of 18th century works. As in our own time, many works in this list may have influenced and pre-conditioned settlers' thinking, without their being aware of it.
Documents (Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. Virginia Center for Digital History. The Geography of Slavery)
Presented under 4 general categories: Official Records (Virginia Laws, County Records, House of Burgesses Journals, and Other Documents), Newspaper Materials (from Virginia, Maryland, and New-York), Slaveholder Records, and Literature and Narratives (two 18th-century items)
Historical Subjects (Jamestowne Society. Links)
Contains links to 2 documents relating to Roanoke (of 1584), the text of Virginia's 1st, 2nd, 3rd charters (1606, 1609, 1612), An Ordinance and Constitution for the Virginia Company in England for a Council of State and a General Assembly (1621), and Governor William Berkeley's official version of Bacon's Rebellion (1676)
Instructions for the Virginia Colony (1606) (University of Groningen, Netherlands. From Revolution to Reconstruction)
Selected Virginia Statutes Relating to Slavery (Virtual Jamestown)
The texts of specific Acts or laws, passed by Virginia, increasingly tightening a legal noose around slaves and freedmen, restricting their activities, between October 1629-October 1705.
The Settlement of Jamestown – 1607, by Captain John Smith (National Center for Public Policy Research)
From Smith's 1624 account, Generall Historie of Virginia..., in his own inimitable style.
(see also Lesson Plans)
The Jamestown Online Adventure 2002 © Bob Dunn (The History Globe)
The 1607 Settlers (Jamestown, Virginia, 1607-2007. British Commonwealth Tourism Commemoration Partnership)
Short, but terse biographical accounts of each of the first settlers (individually clickable)
Jamestown, Virginia 1624 Census (Rootsweb.com)
Jamestown Passenger List (Rootsweb.com GeneaLinks. Virginia Genealogy)
Basically arranged by name, occasionally listing their trade(s), e.g.: "Barber", "Tailor, Soldier"; or status (e.g., "Gentleman", "Laborer")
Virginia Genealogy (Cyber Pursuits)
Over 40 links to Virginia-centered sites of interest to genealogists. Some are by family or descendants of planters or Jamestown settlers, some are by county or region of the state, some tying into maps, deeds, or colonial records, archives, manuscripts, family Bible entries, and more.
Virginia Genealogy on GeneaSearch (GeneaSearch: Free Genealogical Data to Help Find Your Ancestors)
Another mine of information, categorized into: Free Virginia Genealogy Look Ups, Virginia Genealogy Databases (e.g., Lost Female Ancestors, attorneys, school superintendents & normal school principals), Virginia Genealogy on Other Sites (archives, obits., marriage records), Virginia Societies & Biographies, Virginia Genealogy Links, and much more.
ª Gosnold, Bartholomew - Voyage & Remains
Master Bartholomew Gosnold's Letter to His Father, Touching His First Voyage to Virginia, 1602 (University of Virginia. Library. Electronic Text Center)
Reports his reconnaissance of the coast. One of the preludes to settlement. Gosnold would return to Jamestown, as an officer of the colony. Recently archeology exploration has discovered what are believed to be his remains.
Bartholmew Gosnold (BBC. Suffolk. Community)
The discovery of a skeleton in Jamestown, along with military artifacts, spawned a controversy over its identity, and the suspected DNA link of one of the earliest leaders of the Jamestown colony to family remains in Suffolk, England. Links to 8 articles, including audio clips.
Chief Powhatan (Wikipedia)
Politically and militarily adept leader of a large Algonquian confederacy, centered in eastern Virginia, in which Jamestown settlement would situate itself. His daughter, Pocahontas, would figure in diplomatic relations.
First Anglo-Powhattan War [1609-1613] (Wikipedia)
First People: The Early Indians of Virginia (Virginia. Dept. of Historic Resources)
Summarizes the chronological eras of Indian prehistory, to the contact era, organized under 5 headings.
Indian Massacre of 1622 (Wikipedia)
Martin's Hundred (Wikipedia)
A settlement destroyed in 1622, that left a time capsule archeological legacy (and was also subject of a book of the same title, by Ivor Noel Hume).
Opchanacanough (Wikipedia)
Powhatan's military war chief and successor, who took a dim view of European encroachments
Pocahontas and Jamestown (Scientific American Frontiers; PBS.org; Dead Men's Tales)
Pocahontas, John Rolfe, Jamestown, and Virginia, by Alan Rikard (Alan’s Genealogy and Cheshire, England Page)
Contains a series of links organized under 4 headings: Pocahontas & Powhatan Links, Virginia, John Rolfe, and Jamestown.
Pocahontas Marries John Rolfe, 1613 (U.S. Library of Congress. The Learning Page. Colonial Settlement, 1600s-1763: Virginia’s Early Relations With Native Americans)
Includes a general account and also the transcribed text of John Smith's account, from Chapter 12 ("The Arrivall of the third Supply") of his Generall historie of Virginia (1624).
Powhatan (Wikipedia)
A Study of Virginia Indians and Jamestown: The First Century, [by] Danielle Moretti-Langholtz. Principal Investigator, et al. (U.S. Dept. of the Interior. National Park Service. Colonial National Historical Park) [online book, Dec. 2005]
11 chapters, 2 bibliographies (1 for children’s literature), 6 appendices, all clickable, along with the acknowledgements. Well worth exploring.
Virginia's First People (Virginia. Department of Education. Prince William Network)
Includes, e.g., historical articles, information on current tribes, lesson plans (by age group), cultural resources, a bibliography.
War and Peace with Powhatan's People (Beyond Books.com)
(See also websites in the General section above)
Dry Drunk: The Culture of Tobacco in 17th and 18th Century Europe, by Elizabeth Wyckoff (New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, & Tilden Foundations)
Glassmaking at Jamestown (U.S. Interior Dept. National Park Service. Colonial National Historical Park. Jamestown Historic Briefs)
Precursor Light Industry in Support of the Jamestown Glassworks: Potash, Charcoal and Lime Production, by Richard J. Orli (Boleslav Orlicki’s Light Artillery 17th Century)
Tobacco and Staple Agriculture, by Charles A. Grymes (Virginia Places)
Note: The "Manufacturing & Industries" section of the Jamestown Historic Briefs, includes separate articles on 17th century techniques of Brewing, Drug Production, Glassmaking, Flax Production, Silk Production, Pottery Production, Tanning, & Tobacco cultivation, applicable to Jamestown. (Many of these techniques were also used in the early days of 17th century colonies.)
ª Lesson Plans (Study & Teaching) & Homework Help
Jamestown (Kid Info. Colonial Life in America)
Jamestown Changes (National Endownment for the Humanities. EDSITEment) [Grades 3-5]
Jamestown Fort: Finding History (University of Virginia. Virginia Center for Digital History)
Jamestown – Why There? (Virginia Places.org)
Has many useful, related links, also of general interest
Virtual Jamestown in the Classroom (University of Virginia. Virginia Center for Digital History. Virtual Jamestown)
Jamestown in 1607: Windows to the World (Virginia Tourism Corporation)
New World Offers New Take on Pocahontas, by Kim Masters (NPR, Morning Edition, Dec. 21, 2005) [audio]
Pocahontas: A Film Review by Berardinelli (Reelviews.net)
Welcome to The New World, by Virginia Johnson (Central Rappahannock Regional Library)
ª Roanoke Colony (Jamestown’s Prequel)
(On a coastal barrier island in what became North Carolina)
The Colony at Roanoke, by Ralph Lane 1586 (National Center for Public Policy Research)
First English Settlement in the New World (State Library of North Carolina)
Fort Raleigh National Historical Site (National Park Service)
The Lost Roanoke Colony (LibararyReference.org)
ª Slavery & Indentured Servitude
African-Americans at Jamestown (U.S. National Park Service. Colonial National Historical Park. Jamestown Historic Briefs)
A chronology and suggested readings.
African Nation Founders: Africans in the Chesapeake (U.S. Interior Dept. National Park Service. Ethnography Program)
The Geography of Slavery in Virginia, [comp. by] Tom Costa (University of Virginia)
Legacy of Slavery Echoes Beyond Jamestown Founding, by Courtland Milloy (Washington Post)
Captain John Smith, by Dennis Montgomery (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Colonial Williamsburg Journal, Spr. 1994)
Did Pocahontas Save Captain John Smith?, by Stan Birchfield (Stan Birchfield)
John Smith’s Voyages (Virginia Center for Digital History. Virtual Jamestown)
This is an interesting map of the area he explored. Click on the word "Voyage" (3rd line down, on the left), for a start, and choose either Smith's 1st or 2nd sail around the Chesapeake Bay region. Watch the route come to life in a series of moving red dots, tracing his route. You can also add and remove the names of modern rivers and cities, major and minor Indian settlements, tribes, names that John Smith assigned to places and bodies of water, and the limits of his exploration. There is also a key and instructions on how to use the site and to, e.g., zoom in on a particular place on the map. This also ties in nicely with the map immediately below.
[Map], (Friends of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail)
Proposed U.S. National Park Service map of the Trail, depicts John Smiths two voyages of 1607 and his exploration forays of 1609.
Travels of John Smith (Jamestowne Society)
The larger picture of Smith's life, in brief (accompanied by general maps) across Europe, around the Mediterranean, from Western Asia, to the Caribbean and East Coast of North America, including Jamestown, VA.
Vision for the Trail: An Opportunity for Discovery (Friends of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail)
This Trail was recently established by Congressional legislation and signed into law by the President on Dec. 19, 2006. A printable color map is included, as well as links to capsule historical material and legislative initiatives, as well as commemorative voyage schedules, native American participation, and more.
[2nd capital of colonial Virginia, after Jamestown, later succeeded by Richmond]
Colonial Williamsburg (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)
Newly added are several slideshows and videos of Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip's 2007 and 1957 visits to Jamestown. Includes Colonial Williamsburg activities, events, and Williamsburg's participation in the Jamestown 400th Anniversary celebration, and more.
Research (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)
Colonial Dry Spell, by Richard A. Grossman (Archaeological Institute of America. Archaeology)
Indispensible Role of Women in Virginia (U.S. National Park Service. Colonial National Historical Park. Jamestown Historic Briefs)
Women in Early Jamestown (Virtual Jamestown. Jamestown Interpretive Essays)