This morning we went to visit Jamestown National Historic Site, the location of the first permanent English settlement in America in 1607. The first thing we see when we get there is the Tercentenary monument that was erected in 1907 to commemorate the town’s 300th anniversary.

Jamestown Tercentenary Monument

This is an active archaeological site, and in the process of being reconstructed to its original condition.

Jamestown Archaeological Site

Jamestown Archaeology Site

All that had remained was part of a church. This has been rebuilt, and they kept glass panels on the floor so you can see the original footings underneath.

There are statues of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith.

Pocahontas

Captain John Smith

A new Archaearium includes the artifacts that have been found during the excavations and tells the story of what happened to the settlement.

Archaearium at Jamestown National Historic Site

When we finished there we drove 20 miles over to Yorktown, 174 years later.

October 19, 1781, the Siege of Yorktown.  After an historic battle here the British troops led by General Cornwallis surrendered to American and French forces under the command of General George Washington, essentially putting an end to the Revolutionary War.

A park ranger took us on a tour and explained how the battle went.

Park Ranger Talk

Revolutionary War Cannons

Yorktown Victory Monument

A driving tour leads us through the actual battlefields where we could get a close-up look at the trenches.

Some of the British Cannons Confiscated at Surrender

• Gasoline:  $30 @ $2.33
• Admission:  free with Bernie’s National Senior Pass