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Hands-on history
By KAREN M. LASKI
© St. Petersburg Times,
Adults, too, are amazed that 144 people sailed across the Atlantic for months on such small vessels that lacked even a ship's wheel. The wooden sailing ships depended on the wind to reach their destination and thus create the first English settlement in the New World.
Jamestown Settlement is a living history site where hands-on experiences help children develop an appreciation of life in the 17th and 18th centuries. (Familyfun Magazine named this place among the top historical sites in the Southeast.) Many adults share the misconception that the better-known Pilgrims were the first to settle, after landing at Plymouth Rock. But the fine introductory film, Jamestown: The Beginning, explains that Jamestown was settled in 1607, 13 years before the Pilgrims reached what is now Massachusetts. The Jamestown Settlement attraction is just a few yards from the original site, on Jamestown Island. The Virginia Company of London had instructed the colonists to go forth "for God, gold and glory." In May 1607, after almost five months at sea, the ships dropped anchor at Jamestown Island. Indoor galleries build on the film. For instance, the English Gallery traces the history of Jamestown, which was an ambitious and troubled business venture, not a utopian experiment in a far-off land. Another gallery explains economic, political and social conditions that drove the English gentry and underclass to seek new lives in an unknown land. The native peoples gallery explores the lifestyle of the Powhatan (POWA-tan) Indians, who were farming, hunting and fishing here when the English arrived. Dioramas illustrate the Indians' lives; visitors are free to examine the hide of a white-tail deer, which would have been a major source of meat, clothing and tools for the Indians, and the arrowheads used to kill such animals. Outside, visitors can board full-scale models of the three sailing vessels, a triangular fort of rough-hewn logs and a Powhatan village. Costumed interpreters demonstrate the Powhatan's way of life by weaving baskets, cooking over open fires, tanning hides and making dugout canoes. Visitors can take turns using oyster shells to scrape fur from hides. Making a canoe by scooping out the charred wood from a cypress log -- using shells -- is considerably harder. Inside the traditional Indian houses, made from saplings that were covered with bark or woven mats, Powhatans stored most of their possessions. Displayed here are tools and weapons of wood and stone. Deer hides cover beds as well as bodies.
Children can try their hand at making cord from plant fibers; the cord would have been used to make animal traps and fishing nets. Full-size models of the Susan Constant, Discovery and Godspeed are moored nearby on the James River. After boarding these tiny merchant ships, visitors might wonder why anyone left England. As costumed interpreters explain, these vessels were terribly overcrowded, the food barely edible and disease commonplace. The crew always had priority for the minimal deck space, so even getting fresh air during the voyage was a chore. Because the original ships made seven stops to take on fresh food and water, only one person died during the voyage. (He succumbed to heatstroke while on shore in the Caribbean.) Imagining what life was like aboard the ships for the months-long voyage is difficult, for we have nothing in our experience to compare it to. For instance, the largest ship, the Susan Constant, measures just 116 feet from bow to stern. The crew numbered 17, the passengers 70, and the latter had to stay in a cramped area between the main deck and the cargo hold for most of the trip. They were forced to share this space with all their belongings as well as cannon. Beneath them was cargo and livestock. There were no bathrooms, just buckets. The ship averaged less than 4.5 miles per hour. The first colonists were ill-prepared for the tasks that lay ahead. There were not even farmers among the passengers. So the settlers relied on trade with the Powhatans for corn, meat and furs. By the autumn of their first year, a half-year after landing, about one-third of the English settlers had died from dysentery and typhoid fever. Another third died that winter. They never found the gold, and there was little glory in fending off Indians who were alternately friendly and hostile. And when the Indians realized that the white man threatened their way of life, they laid siege to the fort one winter, preventing the colonists from foraging for food. Hundreds died in the winter of 1609-10. Once women arrived in the colony, they planted small gardens, growing vegetables and herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes, and tended livestock just as they had in England. Present-day children are welcome to help weave strips of wood into fencing used to confine the goats, chickens and pigs. The children can also dress like 17th century colonists or don the body armor worn by men assigned to guard duty. Karen M. Laski is a freelance writer living in Marshall, Va. If you goGETTING THERE: Jamestown Settlement is on State Road 31, 6 miles southwest of Williamsburg. It is about 65 miles southeast of Richmond, about 45 miles northwest of Norfolk; both of these cities are served by major airlines. Jamestown Settlement is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Christmas and New Year's. Admission is $10.75 for adults, $5.25 for children ages 6 to 12. Children under 6 are admitted free. STAYING THERE: Virginia Coastal Getaways offers discounted rates at area hotels and attractions. The price of customized packages depends on the accommodations and attractions selected, as well as the length of stay. Call toll-free 1-800-828-7477 or visit Coastal Virginia's Web site at www.coastalvirginia.com. FOR INFORMATION: Call the attraction toll-free at 1-888-593-4682. The Web site is www.historyisfun.org.
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