A Trip to Historic Jamestown: A Journey into America’s Past

Dear Henry,

Fish and I recently took a trip to Jamestown, and I’m excited to share what we discovered!

Jamestown holds the distinction of being the first successful English colony in what would become the United States. The settlers arrived on May 14, 1607, after initially landing at Cape Henry (near present-day Virginia Beach) on April 26 of the same year.

The colony was established about 60 miles inland from the Chesapeake Bay along the James River. The location was chosen for strategic defense rather than agricultural promise—a decision that would haunt the settlers. The group mainly consisted of English nobles and their servants, ill-equipped for the harsh conditions and tensions they would face. It’s honestly remarkable that they survived at all.

When the 104 settlers first landed in 1607, they were largely unprepared and came dangerously close to starvation. Although the Virginia Company had instructed them not to provoke the local native peoples, they quickly angered the Powhatan Confederacy despite selecting a marshy site that the Powhatans had no interest in. More settlers arrived in 1608, but conditions continued to deteriorate.

The worst period came during the winter of 1609–1610, known as "the Starving Time." Of the approximately 500 settlers, only 60 survived. The colony was on the verge of being abandoned when Lord De La Warr arrived in June 1610 with supplies and reinforcements. His arrival marked a turning point, but it also ignited the First Powhatan War.

Things began to improve by 1612 when John Rolfe successfully cultivated tobacco, which became the colony’s cash crop. In 1614, Rolfe married Amonute (better known as Pocahontas), which brought a brief peace with the Powhatan. In 1619, the colony took a step toward self-governance by establishing the House of Burgesses.

That peace didn’t last. In 1622, tensions boiled over again when the Powhatan Confederacy, reacting to continued encroachment and resource depletion, launched a deadly attack that killed a third of the settlers. The English retaliated and, by 1624, had forced the Powhatans further inland. That same year, the Virginia Company lost control of the colony, and it became a royal colony under the Crown.

The final conflict with the Powhatans came in 1644. Again, the cause was colonial expansion, and this time, the English response ended the resistance conclusively.

Internal strife wasn’t far behind. In 1676, settler Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion against Governor William Berkeley, burning Jamestown to the ground in what became known as Bacon’s Rebellion.

Eventually, in 1698, a fire destroyed the statehouse, prompting the capital of Virginia to be moved to Williamsburg.

For a long time, it was believed that the original Jamestown site had been lost to the James River. But in 1993, archaeologists with the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities began excavations and discovered the original fort’s remains.

There’s so much to explore at Jamestown today. We drove on the Colonial National Parkway and hiked the Black Point Trail. We visited the Jamestown National Historic Site and Jamestown Rediscovery, an ongoing archaeological project that also features a museum full of fascinating artifacts. One of our favorite stops was the Jamestown Glasshouse, where colonial glass-blowing techniques are still practiced—we brought home a hand-blown vase and a shot glass!

We didn’t get to see everything on this trip. We missed the Jamestown Settlement, the replica of James Fort, the ships Godspeed and Susan Constant, and even the ferry ride. So, we’ve decided we’ll definitely be going back.

If you love history, road trips, or exploring something new, Jamestown is a must-see. It’s an unforgettable journey into America's roots.

Until our next adventure!

xoxo a.d. elliott

P.S. You can check out the YouTube video of our adventure here: https://youtu.be/DDyq1MxEJ_Y

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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