As I look over the
collection on my kitchen counter, I reflect on how lucky we are to
live in the middle of history right here in Williamsburg, Virginia. Indeed, we often say, you can’t throw
a rock around here and not hit an archaeological site.
Our family
frequently goes boating on the James River around Jamestown Island.
Often, we pull up to different beaches and comb the shoreline for
treasures. So far this summer, we have found six Indian arrowheads,
some flint, several pieces of sea glass, and at least a dozen shards
of pottery. The pottery is always my favorite. Most of what we have
found this year is blue and white, but with a variety of motifs. The
most exciting piece to me is the complete base of a tea cup, with the
maker’s mark on the bottom. I can easily imagine its owner handling
it, a precious possession carried across sea from the “old country”.
I get excited just holding it and feel a connection to those great
adventurers of the past. Another wonderful piece is the neck of a
terracotta bottle. The inside of the neck has the swirled imprints of
the maker’s fingers where they smoothed the clay. This piece, along
with the arrowheads, bring visions of the Powhatan people, living here
in the woods and the feelings they must have been experiencing with
the arrival of these new and strange, indeed aliens, to their land.
When you visit Jamestown, you can see the archaeologists digging up
similar artifacts and feel the excitement of discovery. The
Archerareum on Jamestown Island is a museum especially dedicated to
interpreting the artifacts to create a tangible picture of the lives
of the settlers and the Native Americans. To stand on the edge of the
river near the statue of John Smith and look out over the water, one
can truly feel you are standing in the footsteps of the settlers.
Last Sunday, I attended an Episcopal Church service on the island
which was held as part of the 400th anniversary
celebration. I realized as I was sitting under the shade of a tree to
the north of the original fort site, that I was exactly in the path
where the Indians would have approached for the 1622 massacre.
Adjacent to
Jamestown Island is Jamestown Settlement. The new museum there is
fantastic! You will definitely want to go outside afterwards where
you can visit the reproductions of Indian lodges, the fort and the
three ships. Perhaps you will be there when they are demonstrating the
art of making arrowheads at the Indian lodges. The ones we’ve
recently found could be from before the English settlement of
Jamestown. I always go on the ships. Even though I’ve been many
times, I do it as a discipline to truly appreciate the challenges of
the journey. When you go “below decks” you start to wonder how so
many men could have fit, and then shared that minimal space for such a
hazardous journey. I can look at even the largest of the ships and
envision it bobbing like a cork on the sea for weeks. No wonder they
were so thrilled to see land!
One of the best
things about fitting Jamestown in to your visit here is the
opportunity to juxtapose the 17th century with the 18th.
The progress made in a century is so phenomenal, not just in the
structures, but in the development of political structure – the making
of America. You should really try to make time to go to both. I
suggest one full day for Jamestown and a minimum of two days for
Colonial Williamsburg.
