We had a great time Tuesday in Williamsburg. The historical aspect was immersive and experiential. This really worked for Eliot and Gavin...because as opposed to the passive experience of standing and observing in a museum, the Williamsburg experience was complete, an active lifestyle.
So we woke Wednesday with this experience fresh in out minds. Dave had prepared the night before for his presentation to Mars Drinks, so he'd be away until after lunch. I thought it would be interesting for the kids (and me) to continue with the theme of historical authenticity and take a short trip 10 miles East to the Jamestown Settlement, the original English Colony in the New World.
First, a refresher for the history-challenged amongst us: Jamestown is understood to be the first English settlement in what is now America. It was settled in 1607 by an English expedition, primarily in search of gold and silver, as well as commodities like furs, to send back home. The war with Spain had emptied the coffers, so this particular expedition was one that was largely focused on material goods. The English were exclusively men at first, and since most warring parties looked like this, the native Indian tribe in this area--the Powatons--did not provide an altogether warm welcome to these newcomers.
This context aside, Eliot, Gavin and I arrived late morning, to another crisp, Fall day in Virginia. After passing through the mammoth visitor center, we followed trails in back to a recreation of the original fort. There, we toured the barracks, saw how the soldiers lived, and even
tried on some cool metal helmets, which you see here.
One of the guides demonstrated how the soldiers would have loaded and fired a musket (loud!), and we investigated some of the tools of the day, clothing, bedding, etc.
Beyond the fort, a narrow path led to the inlet, and the waters of the Atlantic (a first experience for Eliot!) where we could see the sailing vessels that were functional replicas of those original ones that brought the settlers to Jamestown. We boarded several, descended steep stairs into their galleys, saw and touched the cannons aboard, and imagined our lives aboard a ship like this. The boys were impressed with the simple controls of the ships, and wondered a
loud about the sailors who climbed the rope ladders into the crows' nests.
On our loop back to the visitor center, we stopped by a replica Powaton Indian village, that included probably 10 huts that were made by tightly woven and lashed sticks, and covered by tightly lashed reeds that protected families from the elements. Most of these huts had many different animal furs inside, from white wolves to minks, skunks, bears and racoons--typical of this time period.
Eliot and Gavin wandered about, found what appeared to be arrowheads, or at least flakes of rock that easily could have been, and they were able to mill corn in a hollowed-out log with a thick, blunt stick.
After wrapping-up a short, but worthwhile trip to Jamestown, we headed back to Williamsburg to pick up Dave. His presentation to Mars was a great success, so we all left Williamsburg to DC in high spirits, looking forward to new adventures in a decidedly different environment.
As usual, see my Facebook page for all of our pictures.
No comments:
Post a Comment