Williamsburg Vacation - Part 2

On our second day of vacation, we headed over to Jamestowne.  This was an amazing tour because it is the original Jamestowne colony, right on the river.  Archaeologists have been finding out more and more that corroborates with the written  accounts we have from that time.

This is what the fort looked like as we waked on the bridge over the marsh to get to it.

Closer view of the fort wall and skeleton of the large house inside the fort.

It came as a shock to many of the people in our group that the first permanent building that was constructed was the church.  I was shocked at how little some of the people knew about their own history...

Impressive building!  On one of the highest points inside the fort, it naturally draws your attention to it.  You can see a person walking next to it on the right to get a sense of how tall this structure was.

Just to give you an idea of how large this building is...

Inside were two carved stones that were the cornerstone of their faith and the code they lived by...What would they think of us now removing any trace of them from many federal buildings?

These pictures are of the stone that was excavated and is part of the original structure...you are looking at the actual stone that was used to build this church.

We didn't plan it, but God knew this was the day for us to be at Jamestowne because they were continuing the archaeological dig and one of the original team members was on hand to conduct the tour. 

One of the unavoidable facts was that this was a hard life and many did not survive those first years.  Many of the graves have been found inside the fort under the houses.  This is believed to be how the colonists acted on the advice of not letting the local Indians know how few in number they were becoming.

Sobering, isn't it?

Of course, there were graves near the church that were reserved for those rich enough to purchase a plot.

One of the big issues the colonists had to face was finding fresh, safe water.  Many died because of the lack of water to drink.

This is a well they found during the dig...what a long way down!

Of course, I took a lot more pictures (so grateful for digital cameras and memory cards!) but I hope this helps you get a sense of Jamestowne if you've never been there.

And I couldn't finish without a picture my daughter took of a dragonfly!