America’s First Permanent English Settlement Survived Starvation, Indian Attacks & Nearly Vanishing Into a River

Jamestown, Virginia

In 1607, 104 English settlers picked the worst possible spot to build America’s first permanent colony.

The 104 original settlers were mostly gentlemen who’d never worked a day in their lives, trying to get rich quick off non-existent gold. Instead, they got malaria, starvation, and some seriously angry neighbors.

Out of those first colonists, only 38 made it through the first year.

But here’s the thing: Jamestown survived.

America’s origin story

Thanks to some last-minute saves from Pocahontas (the real one, not the Disney version), tobacco farming, and sheer dumb luck, this disaster of a colony became the birthplace of American democracy and capitalism.

The first representative assembly in the New World? Jamestown, 1619. First African slaves brought to English North America? Same year, same place.

Still, it wasn’t actually a happy ending.

Starvation got so bad, things turned grim

In 2013, researchers dug up the skull and leg bone of a 14-year-old English girl they nicknamed “Jane.” Her bones, found in a trash heap, show clear cut marks where someone tried to butcher her.

A scientist named Douglas Owsley figured out she was from southern England by studying minerals in her bones. Only about two-thirds of her skull was found, but experts used CT scans to make a model of her face.

You can see Jane’s remains when you visit the Archaearium museum at Historic Jamestown.

Civil War Soldiers Built a Fort Right on Top of Jamestown

Confederate soldiers put up Fort Pocahontas in 1861, not knowing they were building right on top of the original Jamestown settlement.

Their fort had three storage rooms for gunpowder and an underground shelter called a “bombproof” where soldiers could hide during attacks.

This fort actually helped preserve archaeological evidence by covering it with five feet of dirt. When archaeologists dug it up between 2003-2008, they found wooden supports and even Civil War sandbags still intact.

The Confederates also used the fort to test their famous ironclad ship by firing cannons at wood models covered with metal.

The Original Jamestown Fort Wasn’t Actually Washed Away

For 200 years, everyone thought Jamestown’s first fort had eroded into the James River. Then in 1994, archaeologist William Kelso started digging and found it was still there.

The west wall wasn’t discovered until 2003, when they looked under the Confederate fort.

The measurements of the walls matched almost exactly with what colonial secretary William Strachey wrote down years ago – east and west walls 100 yards long and river wall 140 yards.

Jamestown Settlers Were America’s First Chemistry Pioneers

The settlers at Jamestown tried their hand at early chemistry experiments by setting up facilities to make glass, metal, soap, and even perfume. Diggers found a special pot used to create medicinal fumes.

The colonists were especially interested in finding zinc to make brass – something the Virginia Company really wanted.

They brought over special German metal experts to run these operations. Even before Jamestown was built, an expedition in 1602 was sent specifically to collect plants for making perfumes and medicines.

Polish Workers Held America’s First Labor Strike at Jamestown

The Polish glassblowers who arrived in 1608 made history when they staged what many call America’s first labor strike.

When they weren’t allowed to vote in the 1619 General Assembly, they refused to work until they got equal voting rights.

Captain John Smith specifically praised these workers in his writings, noting they were among the few colonists who actually knew “what a dayes worke was.”

Archaeological finds show these craftsmen lived in separate workshops outside the main fort, away from the English settlers.

Jamestown Was Founded During a Terrible Drought

Scientists studied tree rings from 800-year-old cypress trees and discovered Jamestown was founded during a that lasted from 1606-1612. This made it nearly impossible to grow food.

The settlers also arrived too late in spring to plant crops for their first season. Researchers gathered this evidence in the 1990s by taking core samples from ancient trees that can live up to 1,000 years.

Some German Colonists Switched Sides and Joined the Powhatans

A few German craftsmen who came on the second supply ship made a shocking decision to run away to the Powhatan tribe in 1608. They took valuable weapons and gunpowder with them.

These men then taught the Powhatans how to use European weapons against the colonists.

Historical records show they even planned to help with a rumored Spanish attack on the struggling colony. This betrayal happened when the colony was at its weakest.

You’ll Walk Above Colonial Graves When You Visit the Museum

The Archaearium museum at Historic Jamestowne displays over 2,000 artifacts while sitting directly on top of colonial graves.

Opened in 2006, the building has special pier foundations designed not to disturb the burial sites underneath.

In 2010, archaeologists found four graves lined up perfectly inside the original church’s chancel area – a spot usually reserved for important people.

The museum’s design includes glass floor panels so you can look down and see excavated foundations below.

John Rolfe’s Forbidden Tobacco Seeds Saved the Colony

In 1612, John Rolfe started growing Caribbean tobacco using seeds that were illegal to share. Spain had threatened to execute anyone who gave them away.

Within five years, colonists were shipping 20,000 pounds of tobacco to England, and twice that amount the next year.

This crop became Virginia’s economic foundation after both glassmaking and mining failed to make money.

Colonial artifacts in the mud

Researchers have mapped over 40 underwater sites around the island. They’ve pulled up everything from trade good to weapons and personal items from the riverbed.

River currents sometimes uncover new artifacts during storms. Several shipwrecks, including boats deliberately sunk during the Civil War to block river access, still lie hidden under the water.

The Church Tower Has Survived Everything for Four Centuries

The brick church tower is the only original structure from the settlement still standing above ground. Built around 1639, it’s 18 feet square and was once 46 feet tall.

The tower survived when Jamestown was burned during Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 and later served as a Union lookout post during the Civil War. It almost got washed away before a protective seawall was built in 1900.

Visiting Jamestown

Historic Jamestowne welcomes visitors daily from morning to late afternoon. You’ll find it on Jamestown Island along the Colonial Parkway.

Children under 6 enter free. Check the official website for current pricing and hours before your visit.