History Timeline

explore the history of jamestown’s early years

The Fort Period at Jamestown lasted from 1607, when the first colonists arrived, to circa 1624. By then, the settlement was expanding and James Fort had mostly fallen out of use. To explore key events from this period and the years leading up to it, click on a year in red below. Events shown in gold pertain directly to Jamestown, while events in green took place elsewhere in Virginia and events shown in white provide context or background information. Linked names, topics, and images lead to more information elsewhere on the website.

You can also explore our map of the fort site to learn more about what the archaeology at Jamestown has revealed.

1600

1601

1604

1605