4/16/2022
9:00am - 5:30pm
Site Supervisor Anna Shackelford gives a tour of the excavations at James Fort.
Explore America’s Birthplace and discover the stories of Jamestown!
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: “The Buried Truth.” Share in the moment of discovery at the original 1607 James Fort. Meet the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeologists and learn about ongoing excavations and the latest discoveries. At James Fort. (Weather Permitting)
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Experience the work of craftsmen at the Glasshouse, tour the Visitor Center exhibition gallery, visit the archaeological site of the 1607 James Fort and the waysides of New Towne.
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: “In the Footsteps of Democracy”. Visit the Memorial Church and see our “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 our nation’s democracy began. At the Memorial Church.
9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: 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.
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.: Explore Jamestown This ranger guided walk through the historic grounds will highlight the story of Jamestown Island and the development of this colony through the years. Visitors should be prepared for a walk up to one half mile. Limited seating is found along this walk, visitors should plan to stand for much of this presentation. Each ranger-led walk begins at the Tercentennial Monument and includes time exploring New Towne.
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Ed Shed: Family-Oriented Archaeology: The Ed Shed is an educational space for children and adults alike. Come join the archaeology team, experiencing the moment of discovery as we sort through artifacts from a 1630-1650s trash pit. The Ed Shed is located outside the west wall of the 1607 Fort, near the Dale House Café.
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Native Lifeways of the Chesapeake. 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. In the Archaearium.
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Forged in History: Blacksmithing was one of the earliest trades to be practiced at Jamestown. Join Blacksmith Shel Browder 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.
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: A New Life in the New World. 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.
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: “Hoops and Staves.” Join cooper Marshall Scheetz as he demonstrates traditional methods and tools in creating buckets, barrels and casks. While the technology of coopering (making wooden storage containers) has existed for over 3,000 years, at Jamestown casks were once used to transport precious cargo such as wine, beer, tobacco, sugar, and salt. And every household had a need for wooden buckets and tubs. At James Fort.
11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.: 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. At the Tercentennial Monument.
12 noon: Meet George Thorpe, Gentleman and “Superintendent” of a new school for the education of the original inhabitants of Virginia. Having arrived in 1620, he will discuss the colony’s most recent events as well as his optimism and perspectives for a path to prosperity in this New World. At the Hunt Shrine.
1:30 p.m.: Ranger Talk Join a park ranger for a brief exploration of one of the many important stories here at Jamestown. Each ranger has developed a different presentation exploring different stories. Park staff will meet their audience at the Tercentennial Monument and travel to a specific program location. This program requires limited walking and is perfect for visitors with limited time.
2:00 p.m.: Powhatan and English Walking Tour This program discusses the interactions, trade, and conflict between English colonists and the Powhatan Paramount Chiefdom based on archaeological evidence. At the Tercentennial Monument.
