Jamestown

Jamestown is a historic settlement in Virginia located on a peninsula with water on three sides, offering natural protection and access for ships. Ongoing excavations reveal the foundations of buildings and fortifications that show how the early colonists lived and worked.

The Virginia Company founded the settlement in 1607 with around 100 English colonists as the first permanent English colony in North America. The early years brought hardship and disease, but the arrival of new colonists and the introduction of commercial agriculture eventually stabilized the community.

The settlement became the birthplace of representative government in English America, where colonists first gathered to make decisions together through elected delegates. This early form of self-governance left a lasting mark on how people in the region organized their communities.

The site is best explored on foot at a relaxed pace to properly view the archaeological areas and reconstructed structures. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for varying weather, as parts of the grounds are open and exposed.

The first known Africans arrived in 1619 aboard a slave ship, an event that would become central to understanding the colony's later development. This arrival marks the beginning of a system that shaped the region and the nation for centuries to come.

GPS coordinates: 35.99411,-79.93566

Latest update: December 7, 2025 20:21