Jamestown Through Time

On May 13, 1607, three small English ships - the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery - approached a spit of shore at what was soon named Jamestown, the manifestation of England’s determination to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. Today, Jamestown is one of three locations - along with Williamsburg and Yorktown - that comprise the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, and it is home to two heritage tourism sites related to the original fort and town: Historic Jamestowne, the archaeological site on the island a cooperative effort of Jamestown National Historic Site, part of the Colonial National Historical Park, and Preservation Virginia, formerly the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA), and the Jamestown Settlement, a living history site and museum, originally Jamestown Festival Park, built for the celebration of the semiseptcentennial anniversary and operated by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Virginia.