2013 - 2014 Eastward and Beyond Travels: America's Birthplace

We returned to Jamestown the next day intending to take in the museum, which was the primary site we didn't get to the day before. Along the way we saw the "Glasshouse" site, about a mile away from Jamestown's historic site. One of the first challenges the colonist needed to do was create a viable product to generate income or trade with the locals and England. Having the chemist's formula for glass they set about making an area that could be used to make beads, jewelry and a variety of glassware. This drawing below shows the original site. The kilns and ovens are secured in a museum on site but there is an active "glasshouse" on site that continues production, though on the colonists scale.

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The 1608 Glasshouse was 37' x 50' with four furnaces and a clay pit 8' x 8'.

The current day Glasshouse was manned by two artists making cobalt "sparking lanterns" shown in the foreground of the picture below. When a daughter was being courted, and depending on how well the father liked the young man, the amount of oil put in the lantern would be commensurate with the father's approval. The more oil the better he like the boy. Once the oil was gone the flame went out and the young man had to leave. Very cleaver if you ask me.

Beyond the production area was a gift shop with loads of different glassware and in a variety of colors. In the center of the picture is the word Mine. That's the one I bought.

The design is called a Jack In The Pulpit vase, named after the below wild plant....ah....Jack In The Pulpit.

Of course we all know now that making glass and beads wasn't cutting it so they planted tobacco and the rest is history.

We returned to the Visitors Center, crossed the bridge over the swamps and once again were in the historic site of Jamestown. Here I was able to take a much nicer picture of Pocahontas without all the field trip kiddies hanging on her. Notice the shining palms. Who didn't want to hold her hand.

Unlike the popular tradition, which Gail and Larry had to partake in....

Bill and I enjoying the day and keeping our hands off poor old Pocahontas.

Pocahontas was born in 1595. As a young girl in 1608 she made frequent visits to Jamestown, bringing gifts of food from her father. In 1613, Captain Argall kidnapped Pocahantas and imprisoned her in Jamestown. While a hostage she received lessons in Christianity, converted, and was baptized. In 1614 she met and married John Rolfe. This helped establish peaceful relations between the Powhatan and colonists. A son was born to them, named Thomas. In 1616 she visited England with Rolfe and was presented to the Royal Court. She never returned to Virginia after getting ill and dying in 1617. She is buried in St. George's Church in Gravesend, England.

The church with Captain Smith in the background. We are still making our way to the museum.

I mentioned yesterday the Confederate mounds made from the surface dirt in the Fort. We didn't get as far as this sign yesterday. I see you can't read what it says but it's about what I said yesterday. Over two million artifacts were uncovered in these mounds. Many are in the museum on site, which is totally dedicated to the early years of Jamestown.

THE MUSEUM.

Some of the earthware uncovered in the "pit" and in different locations throughout the site.

Pocahontas married farmer John Rolfe in 1614. It was thought to be the first legal marriage between a Virginia Indian Woman and an Englishman. However it was reported that many colonists had married Indian women. It was also not unheard of for a colonist to have an Indian wife in Virginia and an English wife in England.

More artifacts found on site.

So now we've seen the rest of the site and again returned across the bridge over the swamp. At the far end, closest to the Visitor's Center we saw this young family of deer.