The day opened with a burst of sunlight as the sun rose over colonial Virginia. We left our hotel to explore the different sites associated with this historic part of the country. I fueled up on coffee and pastries in Williamsburg while my daughter and Nonna anxiously awaited the drive to the different parts. First stop - the reconstructed area in which visitors are able to see houses, the fort, the ships, and the Native village models. The museum is wonderful having been expanded for the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in 2007.
We then set forth to discover something new - Historic Jamestown administrated by Preservation Virginia and the National Park Service. This is an active dig on the original fort site on Jamestown Island and worth a visit.
We stood on the edge of the dig site listening to our wonderful guide, Don, tell us about the process and the work invested in this dig. He told of graves found, the dedication of the teams working the site, and the different artifacts uncovered thus far. Twelve inches below the ground, history is being unearthed and brought to life in, providing information that no one envisioned.
The james river lapped against the shore line just yards away as we stood - my 4th grader attentively listening and preparing to ask questions at the end of the tour. Having read Written in Bone and Blood on the River, she was prepared.
She asked her questions. Don did his best to answer them.
The river rolled past.
People milled about.
And the wind blew - whispering around us and weaving in its own tales of the past.
Jamestown was established 13 years prior to the settlement in new England. By 1619, representatives from 4 settlements and 7 plantations were sent to jamestown to serve in a government of sorts. it was here, in jamestown, that the country had a chance to live or die... and 400 years later - we are thriving as the original Jamestown citizens never could have imagined.