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.-
Photo By: Sam Kittner
James River
The James River flows through a collection of nationally recognized cultural, historic, and natural resources in Virginia’s Historic Triangle—a region that receives more than 3.5 million visitors annually. A part of the nation’s first nationally designated water trail, the waterway has been the site of significant historical events that stretch back before the founding of the United States, including the convening of the first elected legislative assembly and the start of the transatlantic slave trade, both beginning in 1619.
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Photo By: Ken Lund/Flickr/CC by SA 2.0
Colonial National Historical Park
Colonial National Historical Park comprises two of the most historically significant sites in English North America: Historic Jamestowne, the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607; and Yorktown Battlefield on the York River, the final major battle of the American Revolutionary War in 1781. Situated on the Virginia Peninsula and connected by the 23-mile scenic Colonial Parkway, these two sites represent the beginning and end of English colonial America.
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Photo By: James River Association
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail
Four hundred years ago Englishman John Smith and a small crew of adventurers set out in an open boat to explore the Chesapeake Bay. Between 1607 and 1609 Smith launched multiple trips from Jamestown Island during which he mapped and documented nearly 3,000 miles of the Bay and its rivers. Today, the first national water trail lets you experience and learn about the Chesapeake Bay through the routes and places associated with Smith’s explorations.
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Photo By: Preservation Virginia
Historic Jamestowne
Here, at the original site of the first permanent English settlement in America, three cultures--Native American, European, and African--came together to lay the foundations of modern American society. Today, at Preservation Virginia's property, Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation supports the preservation, education, and archaeological investigation of Historic Jamestowne.
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Photo By: Jimmy Emerson DVM, Flickr
Bacon's Castle
Built in 1665, Bacon's Castle is the oldest brick dwelling and the only surviving example of High Jacobean architecture in the United States. Originally the home of prosperous planter Arthur Allen and his family, the building was occupied during the political uprising of 1676 led by Nathaniel Bacon, known as Bacon's Rebellion.
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Photo By: m01229/Flickr/CC by 2.0
Cape Henry Lighthouse
The Cape Henry Lighthouse, ca. 1792, silently guards the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. It stands near the "First Landing" site of the Jamestown settlers where in 1607, Captain Newport raised a cross to offer thanks for their safe crossing of the Atlantic.
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Photo By: Smith's Fort
Smith's Fort Plantation
Situated on the south side of the James River, Smith’s Fort Plantation is located on the site of Captain John Smith’s planned “New Fort,” nestled in the land given by Chief Powhatan as a dowry for his daughter, Pocahontas, upon her marriage to John Rolfe in Surry County. This one-and-a-half-story brick house was built sometime between 1751 and 1765.
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Photo By: Morgan Riley
Shockoe Bottom
Shockoe Bottom was the center of Richmond’s slave trade, second only in importance to New Orleans between 1830 and 1865. Here, slave-trade auction houses, offices, slave jails, and residences of the most prominent slave traders were scattered throughout the a creek valley flowing into the James River. While much of Shockoe Bottom has since been razed and paved over, for many descendants of the enslaved, it remains sacred ground associated with suffering, injustice, and resistance to slavery.
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Photo By: Fort Monroe Authority
Fort Monroe National Monument
In 1619, the first slave ship to arrive in the English-speaking New World deposited its cargo of enslaved human beings where Fort Monroe now stands. In 1861, as the Civil War raged, three enslaved African American men sought protection at Fort Monroe, a Union stronghold. Union General Benjamin Butler declared them “contraband” of war. As word spread of the freedom seekers at Fort Monroe, more than 500,000 enslaved people followed their footsteps, leading to one of our nation’s most extraordinary and overlooked chapters, and heralding the end of slavery in America.
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.