Evening star., 1915-11-14

HNlHE site OF jamestown, the HrSI
permanent English settlement
within the boundaries of the
United States. is now protected
by a sea wall against further erosion
by the James river. and the land on
which the settlers of 1907 began the
building of the first city of the United
States is being set with monuments
and memorials. Through research in
all old records bearing on jamestown,
its inhabitants and its period. and by
excavations on the island, there have
been identified within the past few
years the probable site of the triangu-
lar fort built in 1907. the place Of land
ing of the first settlers. Nav IA. 1907;
the site of the wharf constructed by
Gov. Dale in 1911, the site of the thlrd
and fourth statehouses of the period
1666-169S the site of the brick fort
constructed between 167o-1676. the ap
proximate site of the blockhouse built
by Capt. Richard Stephens in 1924, the
approximate site of the old statehouse
which served the colony from 1850 to
1856 the site of the turf fort built
about 1868 and the probable site of the
orieinal naled four-acre town.
There have been unearthed the ruins
Of three brick houses which belonged
to Philip Lndws'1 mart of the founda-
ton of a hnilGins believed to have
been p powder magazine of earlV
jamestown. the fourdarion of a chim-
re,- on, tho lnnd Of Ma athaniel Bacon.
sr- the foundations Of ra-o"s early
Jamestov-n chu-ch~s tho foun@at'on of
y hnrse that nroha hlv belonged 70 Rich
ard lawrence n-naro,,s toInhs and
other relics OF the town that disap-
ueared long. long ago.
Rv natiAnt study Of Old natents to
lands to the early settlers there has
been reconstructed rlat Of the van
isheS town showing the line of the
main street the prir"inal nub'ic and
private hui'dines and tho situation of
the tracts of land belonoinp to the set
tiers The patents bear date from 1924
TO 1890.
The man to whom credit is due for
the rediscovery and the reconstruction
of Jamestown's site is Samuel H.
Yonge civil enrineer and descendant
of one of the oldest of the Virginia
far,ilies He was in charge. under the
direction of the Engineer Corps of the
United States Army. of the government
work of protecting jamestown Island
from the further encroachments OF the
James river. concrete slopinS-face
sea wall which was begun in 1870. con-
structed in 1901 to a point where was
situated the southeast corner OF the
palisades which inclosed the older
Jamestown. and completed IN l9o6
along the whole James river front OF
the island In his work Mr.. Ionge had
some assistance from William G. Stan
ard secretary of the Virginia Histori-
cal Society. and the announcement OF
the Association for the Preservation of
Virginia Antiquities the association
three acres of the island covering the
site of jamestown. and which historic
tract was presented to the society in
1899 by Mr.. and Mrs. Edward e. Bar
ney, owners of jamestown Island.
The story of jamestown is not an
easy one to tell briefly. 1t is meaty
with important and interesting facts
or the town was burned and rebuilt
several times. Famine, plague and
Indian massacre nearly wiped out the
population at different lines, and
though the colony of Virginia grew.
jamestown did not prosper. The last
statehouse there burned in 1898. and
the next year the capt. Il, with all the
state offices and officials. was removed
to Williamsburg, leaving jamestown
nearly deserted.
jamestown continued to be the
county seat of James City county until
l7l5 when the county court was also
to Williamsburg. Such build
fngs as then stood on jamestown lsland,
and particularly those remaining IN
crumbled and their bricks
were carted off for use elsewhere. Such
ruins as were left were overgroWn
with vegetation and were finally Gov
cred by several feet of earth The