Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in America. On May 14, 1607, three ships from London landed here with 104 or 105 colonists. The place chosen was a marshy peninsula (now an island about 2-1/2 square miles [6.5 km2] in area), on the James River, about 32 miles (51 km) upstream from Chesapeake Bay. The colonists were ably led by Captain John Smith, chief councilor, 160809, but suffered from famine, fire, Indian raids, and the effects of an unhealthful location. The town was burned during Bacon's Rebellion in 1676.
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in America.Jamestown was the capital of Virginia until 1699. Removal of the capital to Williamsburg hastened Jamestown's decline. By the American Revolution it was no longer inhabited; only the church tower and some tombs remained. Systematic excavations were begun in 1934. The church has been reconstructed, and foundations of the settlement's original fort and many of the houses have been uncovered. Relics are on display at the Visitor Center. Most of Jamestown is in Colonial National Historical Park; part is set aside as a national historic site. The Jamestown Festival, held in 1957, commemorated the 350th anniversary of its founding. Jamestown Settlement, one mile (1.6 km) upstream from the site of Jamestown itself, contains a museum, a reconstruction of the early settlement, and replicas of the colonists' ships.