5/17/2025
9:00am - 5:00pm
Explore America’s Birthplace and discover the stories of Jamestown!
Join us to mark the 418th anniversary of the arrival of 104 men and boys at Jamestown. On May 14th, 1607, three ships anchored in the deep waters of the James River, their passengers disembarked, and they decided to establish their settlement on a swampy, unoccupied peninsula “in Paspiha’s [Paspehegh] country” (George Percy). Their task was to find gold and a water route to the Pacific Ocean. They were not successful at this, but they set in motion the events that would help build the foundation of America.
Jamestown Day events are included with admission to the Preservation Virginia portion of Historic Jamestowne. In the event of bad weather, programs will be moved indoors to the Archaearium or Memorial Church.
SCHEDULE:
All Day Events
James Fort: the Birthplace of America – Visit the archaeological site of the 1607 At James Fort
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.
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. At James Fort
Forged in History – Blacksmithing was one of the earliest trades to be practiced at Jamestown. Join blacksmiths Shel Browder and Steve Mankowski 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 Danny Whitten and Jesse Robertson will demonstrate the tools and methods used by the first colonists to build everything from the fort walls to the buildings. At James Fort
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
Hands-On Archaeology at the Ed Shed – Join the archaeology team and help us identify and sort through artifacts from the John Smith Well. The Ed Shed is located just outside of the west wall of James Fort. At the Ed Shed
Tours
Archaeology Walking Tour of James Fort (11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.) – 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 Pocahontas Statue
The Powhatan & the English Walking Tour (1:00 p.m.) – 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
