Jamestown Rediscovery

09/01/2026

Batter up! Swing for the fences! Just make contact! Follow through on your swing! Other baseball euphemisms!

Archaeologist Josh demonstrates proper technique for removing a 100-year-old concrete water tank in the middle of our seawall dig site.

08/31/2026

A team of many tasks: archaeology in action at Jamestown Rediscovery!

08/29/2026

An early morning view of our current seawall dig site.

An early morning view of our current seawall dig site.

08/28/2026

Let's catch up on some cool artifact finds from the sea wall excavations! This dig site contains a large midden, or trash pit (along with several 20th-century utilities), so we're finding plenty of 17th-century artifacts. Here's some of our favorites from last week:

Projectile points that pre-date James Fort by hundreds, or even thousands, of years
Lots of pipe stems, including European and local types
Nueva Cadiz beads - blue, rectangular beads made in Venice and often brought as trade items
A sherd of a flecked glass beaker - this is very similar to the beaker we shared on July 4!
A large fragment of a ceramic vessel that mended in the field! We're not sure yet what type of vessel this may be
A ceramic foot, possibly redware
Plenty of small glass, lead, and ceramic sherds found during water screening

08/26/2026

Earlier this month, Jamestown Rediscovery was delighted to welcome representatives from the Virginia Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Jamestowne Society to dedicate the restored steps on the historic 1907 Yeardley House. Both organizations generously supported the restoration in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary.

Like many buildings and monuments at Jamestown, Yeardley House was built in 1907 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. The building was a gift of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution to Preservation Virginia.

Our many, many thanks to the Jamestowne Society and the Virginia Society Daughters of the American Revolution, as well as the Williamsburg and Ann Wagers chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, for their generous support.

08/24/2026

Jamestown archaeology: It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.

08/20/2026

Excavations continue near the sea wall, where archaeologists are working around several 20th-century utility features! Running through most of the dig is a 17th-century midden, or trash pit - archaeologists love trash, so this is great for artifact recovery! Here are a few finds from last week:

🍾 Case bottle base - three sherds that mend!
🍳 Pipkin leg - the small leg of a ceramic cooking dish, made for cooking directly in hot coals
🏺 Native ceramic - nice rim sherd with some type of impressed decoration

08/19/2026

Tonight's program is about the Archaeology of Bacon's Rebellion, so you know we'll be there! There's still time to join us, get all the details at the link below.

There's still time to get your tickets for tonight's lecture: "The Archaeology of Bacon's Rebellion" hosted at Bacon's Castle!

In-person and virtual lecture tickets are available at baconsrebellion350.org/event/lecture-archaeology/

Don't miss this incredible chance to hear from the archaeologist who uncovered evidence of Bacon's rebels at the castle. You'll also get an in depth look at the ordinary finds from an extraordinary context and what they can reveal about everyday life and labor during this pivotal period.

In 2026, “The Archaeology of Bacon’s Rebellion” is presented as part of “Reconsidering Bacon’s Rebellion at 350 Years,” a joint program series by Preservation Virginia, Jamestown Rediscovery/Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, W&M Strategic Cultural Partnerships, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe & Reservation, the The Rappahannock Tribe, and the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, Inc. (Official) with support from Virginia Humanities.

08/17/2026

We're hiring for the new-and-improved Dale House Cafe! Join the team that helps support daily operations and visitor experience at Historic Jamestowne. Available positions and application instructions are at https://historicjamestowne.org/about/jr-job-opportunities/

Stay tuned for more announcements about opening!

📸 A 20th-century postcard of the garden at Yeardley house, now the offices of Jamestown Rediscovery, with the Dale house in the distance.

08/14/2026

Archaeologists found this cool sherd of Delft tile during excavations at the seawall site this week! We have more than 1500 fragments of Delft tile in our collection that represent at least 85 tiles with hand-painted illustrations of soldiers, everyday people, and a few landscapes or other motifs. Check them all out at historicjamestowne.org/collections/artifacts/delft-tile/