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Visit the Jamestown Settlement
Colonial Jamestown History
– From Settlement to Colony
The Jamestown Colony was settled in 1607, thirteen years before
the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock and is the site of the
first permanent English settlement in the New World. Three ships
landed containing a total of 104 men and boys, all sponsored by
the Virginia Company of London which hoped to expand English
trade and, of course, make a profit. Each of these early
settlers was required to meet a financial obligation by sending
back trade goods to the Company that sponsored them.
 On May 13, 1607, the colonists chose the site of Jamestown
Island to build a three-sided fort erected on the banks of the
James River. The area offered a good defensive position and the
Virginia climate and fertile soil was well suited to building
large plantations. These early settlers were somewhat
disappointed to discover that, unlike the many Spanish myths
surrounding the New World, gold and gems were not laying about,
waiting to be scooped up and sent to London for easy profits.
They also quickly discovered that they were, indeed, employees
of the Virginia Company – following directions given by the
gentlemen who were appointed to rule over the rest. These
laborers were armed and given food and clothing in return for
their work, as well as a promise of their own land after seven
years of indenture to the Company. Their first task was to
decide how they were to meet their financial obligation so the
Company could profit. The industries they chose to concentrate
on were glass manufacturing, beer and wine making, and pitch and
tar production.
From the beginning, the Jamestown Colony struggled to make a
profit for the Company. Most of the 1607 settlers were used to
the ‘city life’ of London. They lacked wilderness survival
skills and were inexperienced at the tasks needed to develop the
chosen industries. In addition, disease and hunger took their
toll, as did poor relations with the local Natives led by Chief
Powhatan. Between 1608 another 200 colonists set sail for
Jamestown, including women. The first recorded marriage at
Jamestown was in 1608 between Anne Burras and John Laydon. This
was a time of improved spirits and relations with the Powhatans
that lasted through the arrival of another 400 colonists in the
fall of 1609. Unfortunately, these ill-fated settlers arrived
just in time for what became known as “The Starving Time” – a
winter of sickness, disease and starvation that saw 80% of the
population die.
During the following years, the Virginia Company used numerous
methods to continue to gain stockholders, support from the
Crown, and entice hundreds of settlers to the Jamestown Colony.
They appealed to God and Country, they held lotteries – but they
never made a profit. The mortality rate of settlers and the cost
of sending new settlers remained high, impacting any type of
steady income they hoped to achieve. In 1612, John Rolfe
successfully experimented with what would become Virginia’s cash
crop, tobacco, and it was the first venture at the settlement to
make a profit. Soon, it became the only industry arriving
settlers focused on. In 1617, the Virginia Company established a
headright system – a form of indenture in order to increase the
colony’s numbers as many believed that populating the Jamestown
settlement was its only hope for success. Current residents or
investors paid for the passage of new settlers in return for
land. These new settlers then spent a period of time serving on
the investor’s land.
Despite both the success of tobacco crops and the many hundreds
of settlers that arrived, by 1621, the Virginia Company was
severely in debt. In March of 1622, the Powhatan Indians staged
an uprising, killing a quarter of the European population
settled in Jamestown and the small holdings that had sprung up
around it. Finally, King James I officially changed the status
of Virginia to a royal Colony in 1624, to be administered by a
governor appointed by the King, a form of government that
continued until the Nation’s Independence in 1776.
Jamestown Today: Historic Park
and Living History Museum
Today, Jamestown consists of two separate properties, managed
and maintained by separate entities. Historic Jamestown is
located at the original site of the Colony and is
co-administered by the National Park Service and APVA
Preservation Virginia. The Jamestown Settlement is a living
history museum operated by the
State of Virginia and adjacent to
the original site. Visiting both is a great way to experience
life as it was in the 17th century.
At the historic site, you can watch archaeologists excavate the
recently discovered site of the original 1607 fort, walk amidst
the many ruins of original buildings that stood in town,
including the original 17th-century church tower, meet a
character from Jamestown’s past, and talk with costumed
glass-blowers at the Glasshouse, the actual site of the settlers
early attempts at industry.
At the Jamestown Settlement next door, you can explore replicas
of those first three ships that brought the 1607 settlers, as
well as recreations of the fort they built and a Powhatan
village. Costumed interpreters bring history to life throughout
the outdoor areas of the Settlement. In addition, there are
gallery exhibits, a film and a riverfront area that provide
further information on the many facets of this first Colony in
the New World.
Find further information on
Jamestown 2007.
Interested in
visiting Yorktown, VA? Browse information on the
Historical Triangle here!
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