JAMESTOWN — Jamestown Rediscovery is hosting a number of activities for the whole family this summer thanks to a recent donation from the Jamestowne Society will support educational programs.
According to the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation, children of all ages can experience the moment of discovery inside the Ed Shed, join the ranks of Lord De La Warr’s halberdiers with Captain Brewster, and see artifacts brought to life by blacksmiths and woodworkers.
A hands-on space for children, the Ed Shed is located just outside the walls of James Fort. The foundation notes the artifacts at the Ed Shed are real pieces of Jamestown history, giving visitors the unique opportunity to see, touch and feel our shared past.
This year, the foundation said most of the sorting material will come from James Fort’s First Well, also called the John Smith well, which was likely abandoned and then filled in with trash during the post-Starving Time clean-up of the Fort in 1610, creating a time capsule of the early fort period.
Visitors to the Ed Shed will help curators and archaeologists identify tiny artifacts from these layers, including European and Virginia Indian ceramic fragments, pipe stems, glass, small animal bones, and other materials, according to Jamestown Rediscovery.
New this year is a weekly program called “GPR Tuesdays.” Every Tuesday, according to Jamestown Rediscovery, staff in the Ed Shed use a small ground-penetrating radar scanner to help guests find artifacts hidden beneath the sand. GPR is a vital tool in excavations at Jamestown, the foundaton said, and this new program teaches budding archaeologists the magic of seeing beneath the surface.
The Ed Shed is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is included with admission to the Preservation Virginia portion of Historic Jamestowne.
Back again this summer, Jamestown Rediscovery said Captain Edward Brewster is looking for recruits for Lord De La Warr’s corps of halberdiers. Captain Brewster first arrived in Jamestown in 1610 as the Captain of Lord De La Warr’s 50-man honor guard, made up of halberdiers — soldiers who carried the pole arm called a ‘halberd.’ Every summer, Captain Brewster, interpreted by Director of Living History & Historic Trades Willie Balderson, comes to Jamestown for a recruitment drive. New recruits and children of all ages have the opportunity to learn the manual of arms for the halberd, “a most ancient and honorable pole arm,” and then practice their new skills inside the Fort.
“Captain Brewster’s Kids” brings some of Jamestown Rediscovery’s most recognizable artifacts to life, the foundation said, like the halberd excavated from the Second Well, which likely belonged to an actual member of Lord De La Warr’s honor guard. “Captain Brewster’s Kids” is offered on Fridays at 12:30 p.m. beginning June 13 through August 29 and is included with admission to the Preservation Virginia portion of Historic Jamestowne.
Other family-friendly activities at Historic Jamestowne include living history programs on blacksmithing, woodworking, and Virginia Indian culture on Saturdays and Sundays. Utilizing historically accurate tools, Jamestown Rediscovery said blacksmiths and woodworkers bring artifacts and archaeology to life and share the importance of historic trades at Jamestown, especially in the earliest days of the colony. Renowned Nanticoke historic interpreter Daniel Firehawk Abbott engages visitors of all ages with stories of Indigenous culture and knowledge and how Powhatan culture was impacted by the arrival of the English, it added.
To learn more about family-friendly programs at Jamestown, visit historicjamestowne.org.