4/12/2025
9:00am - 5:00pm
Site Supervisor Anna Shackelford gives a tour of the excavations at James Fort.
Explore America’s Birthplace and discover the stories of Jamestown!
Just over 30 years ago, archaeology proved the site of the 1607 James Fort was on dry land, not lost to erosion as myth portrayed since after the Civil War. Join Jamestown Rediscovery archaeologists to kick off the 2025 archaeology season at Jamestown! This year, archaeologists will tackle several sites that are at risk of damage due to increasing flooding. Learn how you can help save artifacts and features before they’re lost. See archaeology in action just outside the Archaearium Archaeology Museum, go on a walking tour to learn about recent finds, and get hands-on with real artifacts in the Ed Shed.
Archaeology in at-risk areas is supported by the Jamestowne Society.
Archaeology Opening Day events are included with admission to the Preservation Virginia portions of Historic Jamestowne. In the event of bad weather, programs will be moved indoors to the Archaearium or Memorial Church.
SCHEDULE
All Day Events
The Buried Truth: Archaeology in Action – Witness the moment of discovery at the original 1607 James Fort. Meet Jamestown archaeologists and learn about ongoing excavations and the latest discoveries near Statehouse Ridge. (Weather Permitting)
In the Footsteps of Democracy – Visit the Memorial Church and see the re-interpretation of the site’s original 1617-18 church and its foundations – which was the meeting place for the first representative government in English America. Stand on the exact spot where the first General Assembly was held in 1619 and where our nation’s democracy began. At the Memorial Church.
From Fort to Port: Legacies of 1619 – Explore the tobacco boom in Virginia, Jamestown’s development from a fort to a port, as well as the exploitation of Africans, Virginia Indians, and indentured servants in this new gallery exhibit at the Natalie P. and Alan M. Voorhees Archaearium Museum.
Activities & Living History: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Ed Shed Archaeology Program – The Ed Shed is an educational space for children and adults alike. Come join the archaeology team and sort through artifacts recently excavated by Jamestown archaeologists. Families can also check out recently excavated artifacts. The Ed Shed is located outside the west wall of the 1607 Fort, near the Hunt Shrine
The Powhatan Indians – Meet Dan Firehawk Abbott of the Nanticoke people of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and learn about the material culture and life ways of the Tidewater Algonquians and their interactions with the settlers of Jamestown. At James Fort
Forged in Iron – Blacksmithing was one of the earliest trades to be practiced at Jamestown. Join the blacksmith for demonstrations and a discussion of the types of work that went on at the site of the original James Fort Forge. At James Fort
“Pales, posts, and railes” – Building a fort proved a necessity for the colonists within a month of their 1607 arrival. Carpenters and tradesmen will demonstrate the tools and methods used by the first colonists to build everything from the fort walls to the buildings. At James Fort
Meet Anas Todkill: “A Tractable Trade” – Learn first-hand about the trials of the first English settlers and their experiences exploring the Chesapeake from Anas Todkill, one of the settlers that explored the bay with Capt. John Smith. At James Fort
Special Tours
Archaeology Walking Tour of James Fort – Join an archaeologist for an in-depth tour of the 1607 fort site and learn about this season’s excavations and new discoveries. Offered at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. At the Pocahontas Statue
The Powhatan & the English Walking Tour – Join Public Historian Mark Summers for a tour discussing the interactions, trade and conflict between English colonists and the Powhatan Paramount Chiefdom based on the archaeological evidence. At the Pocahontas Statue
