Wednesday
Jamestown is just a very few miles from Williamsburg and it is where, in 1607, a vessel carrying 104 men and boys landed on the James River and established the colony of Jamestown, VA. This area was in a drought period then and starvation, disease and attacks by Indians ravaged the colonists and so life was never easy. The purpose in coming to Jamestown was a British business venture and it wasn’t until 1914 that a product was found to support the colonies economic future. It wasn’t until 1614 a product was found to insure the future. That product was tobacco. After that the people who came to this new land had one thing in mind: buy land and plant tobacco. They would stay in Jamestown until they could move out along the rivers in the area and begin to work the land. Most of the labor was done by indentured servants who had to work for 7 years for the persons who brought them to the area and then they would be free to establish their own farms. Before long slaves were brought to the land too. Today archeologists are busy digging up artifacts and learning more about this settlement. We were able to watch them carefully sift through the dirt. They have marked where graves are and the foundations of several buildings. A memorial church has been built over the foundation of the old 1609 church. They have also erected an Archaearium (archaeology museum) over part of the very old capitol building. It houses many very interesting artifacts including pottery, tools, guns, children’s toys, sewing tools including items as small as straight pins and many other items.