Evening star., 1935-01-14
jamestown Island Is Probed
For Earliest Colonial History
Arcleologists Dig Entire 1,5O0 Acres
Hunting Cle,cs-Hulks of British
Frigates Found in York Riuer.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
National Park Service archeologists,
probing literally foot by foot the 1900
acres Of jamestown Island, are bring
ing to light, after nearly $50 years,
the buried story of the earliest English
settlements In North America.
Following nearly the same method
In the vacant lots Of Yorktown, they
are locating the significant spots on
the field Of the battle which secured
American independence, and divers
in the York River have located the
wooden hulks. nearly buried in sand,
Of the British frigates Charon and
Guadalupe.
The same foot by foot probing
method Is being used to determine the
lines Of the great Civil War system
of intrenchments east and south of
Richmond-which is turning out to
have been the most extensive trench
system known before the World War.
Capital Hub of Enterprise.
These are steps in a progressive
program to make American history
live again throughout the great Revo-
lutionary and Civil War area in Vir-
Enia and Maryland. Of which the
National Capital may be considered
the hub. With the plan of eventually
tying in the scenes of lesser events
with the principle ones through uni
fed road systems. the whole area is
expected to become an American
shrine with hardly mile Of the ter
ritory without some association sig
nificant in the history of the country.
Considerable progress has been
made on Jamestown Island. When
the 1,500-acre tract, more than 800
acres Of which was swamp, came to
the National Park Service through
condemnation. it seemed a rather
hopeless task to recover anything from
the site Of the first settlement and
old Colonial capital, which was prac-
tically q wilderness of scrub pine, live
oak. bushes and marsh grass. A small
tract, where the jamestown Monu-
ment and old church tower are 10
Gated, had been preserved, and still is
in the custody Of the Association for
the Preservation Of Virginia Antiqui-
ties. The rest was desolate sand and
swamp. Only one building was stand
ing. an abandoned nineteenth Cen
tury farm house. The National Park
Service did not contemplate any res
toration, such as has been done at
nearby Williamsburg, but they want
ed to be able to tell students, coming
to the island in greater numbers every
year, Just what had been there and
where it has been located, and to es-
tablish a museum filed with authentic
relics OF the jamestown settlements.
Three Phases Recalled.
Any extensive restoration, it now
appears, probably would be impossible
for the excavations are making 1t in
creasingly evident that there were three
rather distinct "Jamestowns," one fol-
lowing the other and partly overlap
ping In range. The first was the cele-
brated Capt. John Smith settlement
Of 1907. The second followed the
destruction of this after 1922 and In
turn this was replaced by third after
Bacon's Rebellion in 1915. This town
continued until about 1700, but prob
ably was abandoned very rapidly when
the Colonial capital was removed to
Williamsburg, a post originally estab-
lished as one Of Jamestown's outer
defenses against the Indians.
At the best, the National Parks Serv-
Ice archeologiStS point out, jamestown
Island must have been a dismal an6
unhealthy place to live on, with its salt
marshes breeding swarms of malaria
spreading mosquitoes, and it IS less
remarkable that the town had a dis
astrous history than that it survived
so long. From the first the National
Parks Service realized that whatever
work was to be done there must be by
the methods of scientific Archaeology
complete, step-by-step excavation, with
no gays or guesswork. Expert archie
ologists have been engaged to carry
out the project.
Entire Island Plotted.
The whole island is being plotted in
geometrical 10-foot-square plots A
plot is excavated to depth of 10 or
Is feet. Accurate record of old house
foundations and roadways revealed by
the excavations is kept. Artifacts
found in the digging-glassware,
kitchen utensils. mechanics tools, fire.
place tile, tongs, farm utensils. ETC.,
are removed for exhibition in the Ma
tional Parks Service Museum. Then
the digging is refilled and work started
on the next plot. In this way literally
every inch Of the island will be
covered
1t will be possible to tell where
every house was located, in so far
as any traces of the foundations re-
main, where the old roads ran, and
similar facts. The only exceptions
will be those parts Of the island which
obviously were under water in 1907
From other sites which have been in
undated since the water will be
drained and the exploratory work
carried on.
Vivid Story to Be Revealed.
The archeologists expect that from
this work will emerge a far more vivid
story than history has preserved OF
the way of life, the troubles and the
triumphs of the settlers in their bat
ties against hunger, Indians and
mosquitoes. In addition to the
archaeological work all the Jamestown
land patents in the Virginia archives
and elsewhere have been searched to
identify the buildings and much as
sistance has been obtained from
GeorDe Gregory, Richmond banker,
who has made a speciality Of James
town history.
Even more picturesque is the work
being carried on at Yorktown, where
1t is complicated by the fact that there
is still a flourishing town and county
seat on the site. But there are many
vacant lots which are being probed in
the same geometric fashion, the old
trench lines are being retraced, and
spots such as the tent sites
of Washington and Rochambeau, have
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