Colonial Times

On my way to Shenandoah National Park, I decided I wanted to get my U.S. history on and stop at the “Colonial Triangle:” Yorktown Battlefield, Historic Jamestowne, and Colonial Williamsburg. Yorktown was the final battle of the Revolutionary War, where the U.S. cemented its freedom, Jamestown was the first permanent colonial settlement, and Williamsburg became the the capitol of colonial Virginia and the historic part of town is still preserved.

Yorktown Battlefield is part of the Colonial National Historical Park along with Historic Jamestowne. The park has a great museum describing the battle. I walked around the museum, watched the park movie, and learned about all of the players involved in the battle; the Americans, Canada, and French against the British. Then I did the driving tour which was really great. The tour took me around a lot of great spots that told the story of the battle. I saw where the French stored and repaired their weapons, multiple earthworks marking battle lines, spots where leaders made camp, including George Washington’s camp next to a spring, redoubts 9 and 10 where the battle ended, the house where the terms of surrender were negotiated, and the field where the British turned in their weapons. The driving tour was fun, it gave a lot of information. It was amazing being in such an important place.

After that, I stopped by Colonial Williamsburg. I knew a little about the place before showing up, but I was not expecting it to be quite like it was. I for some reason thought it was just a small town where everyone lived like they would have in colonial times. But, it was more like a colonial themed Disney World. No rides or anything, but there was a big parking lot and all of the colonists are staff putting on a show. There’s someone giving horse drawn carriage rides, there’s someone selling colonial crafts, and all of the shopkeepers talk in a formal colonial accent. To get the full experience, I would of had to pay admission and that would of got me into tours of the historic buildings like the colonial capitol building and the governor’s mansion. I was just curious about the town so I opted for the free route and I just walked around and watched the colonial people do their thing. I went in a few shops with some neat colonial wares like candles and ink bottles and quills. I also liked seeing the historic buildings and walking on the horse poop covered cobblestone streets. I had a good time but I would like to go back to do the full attraction.

The last part of my Virginia Colony tour was Jamestown. I went to the National Park Service run Historic Jamestowne , which is the actual site of the original settlement. Up the street is Jamestown Settlement, which is a re-creation of what life in the town would have been like. Historic Jamestowne is an active archaeological dig site, uncovering the remnants of the town. Most of the ruins are covered back up after being researched in order to keep them protected. But in some places, they have recreations of what the ruins looked like when they were found, so you can see what’s left. For example, I could see the ruins of the fort and could see its triangular shape and where they had a well, blacksmith, and where the cannons were stored. The town was destroyed by fire during a raid in 1676 so it's amazing all of the information known now could be learned from the remains. One building that was still standing was the church. It was a small but impressive brick building. Inside were lots of stone memorials and I could watch the archaeologists work on a dig below the church. My favorite part of the park was the archaeology museum. Here they had a ton of the artifacts they have found on display and they tell the story of Jamestown. There were lots of tobacco pipes, goods traded with the Powhatan Indians, everyday objects like beauty and kitchen supplies, and they had skeletons of two of the settlers. Jamestown was an amazing learning experience!

Being at these three significant places was a great feeling. America is a young country with an exciting history and I got to visit some of the oldest and most important places in the nation. I had so much fun walking in the same places as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Smith, Pocohantas, and Thomas Jefferson as they brought success and independence to the U.S.