Jamestown & Williamsburg

Rita in front of one of the Indian hogans at Jamestown settlement

We're in Annapolis this week at the 40th reunion of my Naval Academy class. Really enjoying ourselves seeing a bunch of old geezers we haven't seen in years. Will get some photos out in a day or two, meanwhile here are a few photos of a couple of side trips we made from Yorktown last week, first to Jamestown and then to Williamsburg.


Artisan in period dress hard at work

Jamestown was the first English settlement in North America - believe that only St. Augustine (Spanish) predates it. The ships arrived from England in 1607 and by the end of the first winter only about 80 of the original 500 settlers were still alive. They had a love-hate relationship with the local Indians, who helped them thru the first difficult years only to be dispossessed later as more settlers poured in and established the Tidewater plantations that began the lucrative cultivation of tobacco from the West Indies. Once that cash crop got established the local tribes never had a chance.

This is the land of Pocahantas and John Smith - Smith was the first military commander of the settlement.


Talking to the armorer about Indian attack prevention


This guy was former Navy Enlisted...living in the area


Rita with Pocahantas. Rita's the one on the right. Interestingly they have Pocahantas in the garb of a plains Indian


The actual landing site and original fort was about a half mile down the road from the touristy Jamestown Settlement with it'e reenactors. There's been an excavation ongoing for years at the original site. One of the "finds" was about 20 graves that they've dated from the era, and which they believe belong to some of those who perished the first winter based on artifacts buried with them...and the evidence that they starved to death.


The original Statehouse which dates back to Jefferson, Washington, and the Virginia House of Burgesses that set the stage for American Independence in the southern colonies.

Spent the last pretty day in Williamsburg just up the road from Jamestown. In fact the capitol was moved from Jamestown to Williamsburg in 1692. We had been here many years before but never had time for a stroll. Really a pretty place, lots of history, and the College of William & Mary helps mellow out the local ambiance. Turned out it was homecoming weekend at W&M so there were a lot of old grads back in town.

A pretty little town on a pretty Autumn Day



One of the incandescent trees in Autumn dress that decorated the town. Had lunch in one of the old pubs dating from 1750...the kinds of places where the Founding Fathers debated, argued and generally hashed out the principles that begame the idea that became the United States. A neat place - we enjoyed it very much.

Spent a night with the Wellers before we headed to Annapolis. Great time reconnecting with them. Will get the photos up tomorrow.