The Holmes Family: Jamestown

We left our house at 6 AM on Saturday morning, so we could spend a day exploring Jamestown and Yorktown. We studied early American history this last year, so it was a fantastic "field-trip" for our family.

After nearly three hours of driving, we made it Jamestown! It was exactly as I envisioned it being, pretty swampy!

The girls discovered what typically was packed for a voyage to the Americas.

The girls used an instrument to see the stars and navigate the seas.

A portrait of King James. "When James Stuart became King of England after the death of Queen Elizabeth 1 in 1603, he already had been King of Scotland for more than thirty years. Born in Edinburgh in 1566, James was the son of Mary Queen of scots and Henry, Lord Darnley. Mary gave us her throne in 1567, making her own one-year old son King James VI of Scotland.
King James 1 was not a popular king in England, and he clashed repeatedly with the English Parliament over religious and money matters. He promoted overseas trade and colonization through private commercial companies called joint stock companies. James preferred peace to war, and in 1604 he ended England's long conflict with Spain. He was very interested in religious matters, and sponsored the creation of a new translation of the Bible which today is called the King James Version. King James VI and I died in 1625."

All the girls enjoyed this exhibit in which we learned about the tools of the Powhatan, English, and the Africans. They are slightly different from one another but overall very much the same. They also had a video of each group demonstrating how they used their tools.

Faith was so excited to see a "Felicity bed" in one of the homes in Jamestown fort. (We found out later that it took the colonist three years to build houses, before that they lived in tents.)

Anna, Jillian, and I in front of the pretty fireplace.

The girls volunteered to be a part of the military drill demonstration.

Jillian said this was one of her favorite experiences in our journey to the birthplace of America.

Anna was quite adorable when she was called to her duties.

After the kids demonstrated how a military drill worked, we saw the loading of a Jamestown gun with gun powder and the shooting of it too! It was SUPER loud.

After visiting the fort, we went to see Susan Constant, the Discovery, and the Godspeed.

Then we watched a demonstration of the cannon being fired.

We had a fantastic view from onboard the Godspeed.

Then we went to explore the officer's cabins. Those who served on board the ship were living in luxury compared to the passengers who had to stay underneath with the cargo. The passengers had to sleep, eat, and use the privy pots on top of the barrels!! It was cramped and dark and the voyage was 4 1/2 months long.

A view of Susan Constant, the largest vessel taken to the New World, from the Godspeed.

The girls with one of the sailors who helped us explore the Godspeed.

The Susan Constant had its own cooking room.

On our return to the fort from the ships, Anna was able to sneak up on a chicken who was drinking water in the tobacco field.

Faith and Jillian with the men guarding the fort.

This woman shared some fascinating information about the food that was eaten at Jamestown.

She shared that corn never really caught on in Europe because they didn't know how to prepare it. The Indians taught the settlers of Jamestown how to use corn multiple ways, including hominy.

The girls had fun touching the rising bread.

Brad pointed out the gun powder barrels.

The Jamestown blacksmith was making nails while were visiting.

Brad and the girls in the church/ meeting house of Jamestown.

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Candles + Wooden Beams= Big Fire Hazard

We thought this man looked super spiffy in his uniform, only for us to find out that his job was to sweep the floors!

The governor's chair.

The crest of King James was above the alter at the church. The king wanted all the settlers to remember who was in command of Jamestown colony.

After the fort, we ventured to the Powhatan Indian Village. When I was a child (nearly 20 years ago) I visited Jamestown with my family and I remember this being my favorite part.

Jillian enjoyed holding onto the arrow the Powhatan Indian was creating.

This guy was fully-committed to his role as a Powhatan. He had shaved half of his head and the let the other half grow long. He had a feather in one pieced ear and in the other pierced ear was a bird's claw.

Anna enjoyed observing from a distance.

Anna was so excited when she saw this in the village. She ran up to it and asked me, "Can I grind the corn?"

Whoa!!! This momma was super impressed by her 3-year old!

The Indian homes looked so comfy with all the animal hides.

Jillian said she would have preferred to live in the Powhatan village than the settlers' fort.

A tool for catching fish in the river.

The girls enjoyed touching the soft furs.

Then we had a demonstration on the Powhatan's cooking.

She was cooking corn, beans, and nuts in the clay pot.

She had found some wild strawberries in the forest too.

The girls helped the lady spread out the clay to cover the fish and cook it over the fire.

The fish was all ready to cook over the fire. When it is done, approximately an hour later, the clay will be broken, the cooked fish will be inside, and it will be ready to eat.