The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-25
ACHURCH WITHIN ACHURCH
An Important Historic Discovery
on jamestown Island.
The Foundations of Two Buildings
Evidently Erected Prior to the
Seventeenth Ceutury-ArchneOIo-
Eists Investigating the Matter.

RICHMOND. Va. June 25--There were
discovered during the recent excavations
at historic jamestown. conducted under
the direction OF the Association for the
Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, the
foundations of two buildings, the one
within the other.
The larger of these buildings evidently
had walls about three feet thick with four
buttresses on each side The walls are
evidently those of the last church which
stood here, and there is every reason TO
believe that after the destruction by fire
in 1916. il was rebuilt on the same founda-
tons and in the same style. Indeed, it is
most probable that walls of such thick
ness and of no greater height than this
church is believed to have been. would
not have been seriously injured by fire.
Instances have frequently occurred
where the interiors of old thick-walled CO.
lOniaI houses have been entirely destroyed
without materially affecting the walls
themselves.
To the question as to why these walls
have disappeared down to the founda-
tons, the answer is q simple one. All
| ever eastern Virginia it has happened
that abandoned buildings have been pulled
! down fer the sake of the bricks Bishop
/ Meade mentions not a few which met this
| fate,
| The church of the three-foOt wall just
! described was found upon excavation to
| have been paved throughout. with the ex-
cepti Il Of the chancel, with bricks of ordf-
nary standard size The chancel was
( paved with a larger brick tile and was
/ formerly on level with the body of the
| church. as indicated by a few of the tiles
/ stiH remaining in original position Nov,
most Of the chanceI floor is sunken. espe-
| CialIy just in the middle which is about
! foot below the level The cause Of the de-
| preston is unkncwn, and the committee
has decided to leave the problem IN
/ solved, rather than disturb the chanceI
| pavement.
/ Some persons of rather romantic tenden-
| cies have advanced the theory that the
sinking is due to an underground passage
| Others with less imaginative turn of
| mind, have thrown cold water on this idea
by expressing the opinion that additional
excavation would disclose nothing more
sensational than the graves Of early set
tiers One good result of the committees
| resolution to leave the chancel undisturb-
ed is that it gives all the privilege of in
| dulging their faacies upon the subject at
| viii
| The excavations already made. however
! in the body of the church have served q
| valuable purpose. Under the brick pave
ment there have been found ashes bits Of
charred wood fragments Of diamond
! shaped window panes. some of which
! have portions of the lead framing stiu at
| tached to them and other evidences of the
| conhagration. In the southwest. corner Of
| the church, also under the brick pave
ment, were found the sections tools
two spades and a mattock, the latter hay
ing in It the charred remains OF a
| hsIve- At this spot also was found what
may be either the head of a lance or har-
DoOn- This has q barbed head and a shank
about a foot long with place for inserting
a shaft
It remains evident that after the fire. in
1916, the mass of debris was removed
within the ruins of the church. down to
the level Of the present floor; this was
then smoothed over without excavating.
and the present brick pavement laid
The inner 9-incI. wall, which has been
referred TO in all accounts of the recent
work, and which has been the cause of
much speculation. has been nearly but not
quite traced through its entire circuit. The
| excavation needed to complete this trac-
ing viii soon be done. II seems probable
that this wall is the undeTpinning of an
]
brick one. Whether or not this is 50
must for the present remain an open
| question, but it viii take very strong rea-
sons TO induce one to believe that a
church and church-yard which had been
I in Use for thirty-one yearS-I608 to 1893
/ would be abandoned and new church
erected at the distance of only a few hun
/ bred yards. There appears no good rea-
son why spot that must have grown
sacred to the people of the parish, should
have been abandoned for one so near by
There are Instances in large country par
! ishes where churches We're removed five
or six miles. thus saving many parishicn-
ers long distances, but none of such a
short removal
Should the work Of excavation pos
itfveIy identify the foundation unearthed
/ as being on the site of the original
jamestown church it will have rendered
the greatest possible service from an his
| toricaI and antiquarian point OF view
/ With this connection established the mind
can bridge the chasrn Of centuries and 20
back to the year 1910, the time when Lord
Delaware renovated and beautifed this
/ earliest Of AngIo-American churches
Then we are told he had it fitted with
q chanceI Of cedar and communion ia
bic of black walnut; that the church was
Z so cast as to be very hight within
/ and the chancel was kept passing sweet
| being trimmed UP with divers flowers
The history of the Virginia colony
and the history Of the jamestown church
! are one and the same, all early events
| Of importance being closely associate
| with it, or having transpired within It's
walls The earliest Of these are impressed
by frequent REPETITION, but as late as tn,
year 1890, there was a great convention
! OF the clergy at jamestown, presided ovei
! by James Blair, which met to discuss tht
! scheme for a college at williamsburg
Tangible evidences of early altar furnish
ings are not lacking. for some pieces o.
the plate belonging to the ancient James
town church have been preserved. anC
Lyon G. Tyler. in his admirable work
The Cradle Of the Republic thus de
scribes them:
I here are two massive silver pieces: {
silver chalice and paten, with an inscriD
ton on each; then 4 silver plate, beins
part of the communion service: then {
silver aims basin or plate; and lastly.
silver vase OF font for baptism
OF these. the two first are possessed
by Bruton Church, Williamsburg and
with the inscription, bear the date 1861
the year when they were given to tn,
jamestown Church.
! The third piece. the silver aims basin
} is at the Union Theological Seminary, Al
= exandria, and the fourth articIe-the hap
/ tismal vase-is now to be seen at Monu