Jamestown Settlement First Three Ships brings us lots to explore. Here’s a question for you today. D you travel to explore and learn more or relax and have fun; leaving all the worries behind and just kicking back.

I’m often asked why do I love to travel so much. Especially because travel has become work for me. I have a curiosity or interest in knowing what’s going on in other parts of the world and also learning more about history.

I am fond of museums, especially those that tell us more about who we are and we learn more about the things we thought we already knew.

• Museums teach us about the past. Everything there has a story to tell. We can easily learn how things were done, how life looked like and even what people wore and did every day. It is living history from times gone by that help us understand ourselves.
  
• Museums make us smarter. When we visit museums, we gain new knowledge.  Art and everyday objects have stories to tell about the past. Many museums even partner with schools to enhance education while others host hands-on workshops for people of all ages.
  
• Museums are great for research. Academics, researchers and regular folks often come to museums to study. Examining old artifacts is a great way to collect information. For example, old pottery, baskets and tools are not just showing us how others consumed and stored food. The techniques and materials used to make it tell us more about how we progressed and evolved in addition to what people ate. We also learn societal roles and cultural traditions.
  
• Museums inspire. They are great for stimulating new ideas, recharging and providing new perspectives. When you visit museums, you have access to the works of great masters, inventions and objects that changed our lives. Artists can see art which drives their dreams to be creative.  Sometimes it’s the simplest things that inspire us the most.
  
• Museums are a testament to the perseverance of humanity. The first known museum opened in the 3rd century BC at the University of Alexandria in Egypt. Museums document the history and show us that people have needed to collect and preserve things for a long time.
  

One of my favorite museums is the Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, Virginia. There are galleries which take you through time with exhibits – both permanent and temporary exhibits.  

Visiting the museum is like a walk through American history and the revolutionary war.

Open daily from 9am – 5pm, you’ll start your tour with the museum’s award winning introductory film – Catch Liberty Fever.

It sets the stage for the indoor gallery and outdoor living – history experiences.  

With all you feel that you know about American and our independence – the American Revolution timeline takes you on a visual journey from the 13 British colonies in the 1750’s to the westward expansion of the new US win the 1790’s. 

Highlighting individuals who survived and had their likenesses preserved with new technology of photography.

Perfect for us…. Because those who lived during that time can have their stories not only told, but we can see their image – which makes their stories much more vibrant. 

When I visited the museum, I was amazed with the amount of artifacts, maps, military equipment, furnishings…. Personal effects and so much more are all part of the permanent exhibition galleries. 

These are object made and used by people who were part of early America…. 

There are five themes in the exhibit area

The British Empire and America

– Featuring the geography, demography culture and economy of America prior to the revolution  and our relationship with Britain.

The Changing Relationship – Britain and North America 

This period captures what was taking place as the idea of independence was starting to take root. British measures to tax and control the colonies were becoming more and more unpopular. 

The Revolution –

This is one of the most exciting exhibits with a 4D experiential “Siege of Yorktown” theater. It brings the Yorktown battlefield of 1781 to life – wind, smoke and thunder of cannon fire.  

The stories are diverse – including women – such as Sarah Osborn, who followed the Continental Army with her husband and served food and coffee to the troops, Alexander Hamilton in his first military role and his famous words – Rush on Boys.  

There are enslaved and free African America stories – they question – do we defy or contribute to the Revolutionary war efforts.  What provides the best outlook for their future. 

The New Nation

The challenges and promise of the United States in 1780’s….what now.. forming a new government with an unstable economy and social tensions. 

The American People 

This exhibit looks at the changing face of the nation – what is the new identity. 

The museum does offer a look back in time. 

What I found most fascinating is the living exhibit – and in particular one which gives insight to the very start of America 

With the three ships which brought the first settlers to the area –

Those ships – Susan Contant, God Speed, and Discovery carried boys and men – looking for opportunities…. They were gentlemen, businessmen we would call them today. 

Their stories come alive with the recreation of the three ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607

You can board the ships, take a look inside and get a feel for what is was like on the four and a half month voyage from England to Jamestown.

The historical interpreters dressed in clothing from that time period will share stories of the ships and their passengers  

For the remainder of the show, I’ll share a conversation I had with Kaya Mosley interpretive supervisor of the three recreated ships.  She shares many stories as part of my podcast – Quarter Miles Travel and brings the significant part of America’s story to life. 

Fascinating stories about the stops they made.

How the ships returned to England for supplies. 

When we think of ships they were not sailing in luxury.

What would it be like to step onboard a ship, heading to a destination with little known about it. And not yet discovered – you’re leaving behind all that you know; family, friends, your way of life.  That’s the story of the three ships – Godspeed, Susan Constant and Discovery – bringing the first English settlers to what would become the United States of America. They set sail on December 1606 to arrive on what was then called the pawatan river.

For more information about the Jamestown settlement and american revolution museum – visit their website – history is fun dot org

More coming up on what it was like sailing across the Atlantic to start a settlement that would become the U.S. of America.

Could you set sail across the Atlantic – in hopes of finding fortune and new opportunities…. Leaving all that you know behind. 

It’s time for you to plan a visit to Jamestown Settlement and revolution museum at Yorktown. Visit their website – Historyisfun.org

And, to hear the full conversation visit my website TravelWithAnnita.com and there you will find my podcast Quarter Miles Travel – The story of the three ships and also the story of the first women who helped shape America.  

Take a look inside the ships. They were not luxury. Passengers would have found their spot for the passage. A big difference from how we sail today.

What would the Powhatan have thought seeing the three ships arrive. These photos give us an idea of what they would have seen from shore.

United States Mint Image

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