Guide
Explore the History of the James River
Few places are as central to our complex American story as Jamestown, situated along the James River in Virginia. Here in 1619, our aspirational American experiment in democracy began; here too, the roots of slavery first took hold in North America.
As we mark the 400th anniversary of these seminal events, we're exploring their complicated legacy through the places along the James River where history played out in dramatic, challenging, and inspiring ways.Now that you know more about the James River's significance in American history, you might be surprised to learn that this bedrock location is threatened. Americans visiting the iconic waterway along Colonial Parkway near Jamestown will find it marred by 17 power transmission towers—reaching heights nearly as tall as a 30-story building and damaging the historic landscape that has served as a backdrop to Jamestown for centuries.
Join the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Virginia, and 30,000 other Americans who’ve added their voice to ours in recent years and urge Dominion Energy to take down the towers—to end this national disgrace and help us protect this irreplaceable landscape.