Jamestown and Yorktown - Two Historic Sites

Colonial National Historical Park, operated by the National Park Service, showcases two important sites in American history; one celebrates the beginning of a relationship and the other marks an end. Jamestown was the first English settlement in America, while the 1781 Siege of Yorktown was the last major battle of the American Revolution, signaling the colonies independence from Britain. These two historic places are joined by a scenic 24-mile parkway.

Jamestown
James I of England established the Virginia Company for the purpose of creating a settlement in America. A group set sail across the Atlantic Ocean on three ships, arriving first at Cape Hope (present day Virginia Beach) before heading up the James River and founding Jamestown in 1607. Visitors can view the grounds where John Smith and Pocahontas walked and learn about the first government on American soil, as well as how colonists, Native Americans and African Americans came together.

Explore two historic sites:
Jamestown Settlement, a living history museum managed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, spotlights that first colony. Interpreters in period costume portray early 17th-century life in re-creations of the three ships, a fort and a Powhatan Indian village. See their collection of interesting and intriguing items obtained through extensive research.

The National Park Service and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) oversee Historic Jamestowne at the site of the original fort. The complex features the 17th-century church tower, reconstructed foundations of many 17th-century buildings, the remains of the 1608 glass factory and a reconstructed and functioning glasshouse. The Archaearium highlights artifacts and findings of the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological project.

Battle of Yorktown
The last major battle of the American Revolution took place on the peninsula's eastern shore near the York River. With French forces advancing from the water and supplies running low, British General Charles Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington, who was joined by French General Comte de Rochambeau. Yorktown National Battlefield, under the direction of the National Park Service, promotes the site and the strategic win.

Travelers are invited to take the two, self-guided auto tours or visit the Nelson House, the home of patriot Thomas Nelson Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence; the restored Moore House, where the terms of the surrender were negotiated; the Poor Potter site, a misnomer for a successful business that existed illegally during British rule; the Yorktown Victory Monument, commemorating the pivotal moment in the war; or the Yorktown National Cemetery, dating to the Civil War. Seasonally the park service offers walking tours of the seaport community of Yorktown.

Nearby, the Yorktown Victory Center chronicles America's struggle for freedom from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of the new nation. Indoor and outdoor exhibits, as well as programs, relate the experiences of those who lived during the revolutionary era.

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