Photos from Jamestown

Jamestown, Virginia was the first permanent settlement of the English in what is now the United States. On May 13, 1607, 104 men and boys landed on the banks of the James River in three ships and though most of them would die within a short period of time, the colony wouldn't. Here are a few pictures from our day at Jamestown.

This photo is of a monument placed by the federal government in 1907, the 300th anniversary of the settlement.

The National Park Service has a Junior Ranger program where kids can complete a series of tasks in a workbook and earn a certificate and a Junior Ranger patch. Here the kids search for answers to their booklet questions.

Here the kids hold up the patches they earned at Jamestown. They also earned them at Yorktown later that afternoon. (They also got them from Yellowstone five years ago, and you can also earn one at the Arch and Grant's Farm!)

Statue of Pocahontas at Jamestown. She married John Rolfe, moved to England and adopted English customs, dressing as a British woman. She is buried in England.

Annette and I standing on the banks of the James River, exactly where archaeologists have uncovered their original fort. Notice Annette's hair which is blowing sideways. It was extremely windy. The river is very wide at this location because it is so close to the Chesapeake Bay. One of the reasons the colonists chose this spot is because the river was deep enough for them to anchor their ships.