Jamestown, Virginia: The Townsite and Its Story — John Shaqi
Jamestown, Virginia: The Townsite and Its StoryHatch, Charles E., Jr.
History
Jamestown, Virginia: The Townsite and Its Story
Hatch, Charles E., Jr.
Jamestown (Va.)
The third momentous event in 1619 was the arrival of Negroes in a Dutch
warship. They remained in Virginia, some finding homes, and some as
indentured servants even as some white men were at that time.
Nevertheless, this first arrival of Negroes was to lead to the
introduction of slavery into the colony. It was more than a generation
before the institution of slavery began to be entrenched as the backbone
of the economic life in Virginia, yet this event of 1619 was the first
move in that direction.
[Illustration: _A typical view of the landscape on Jamestown Island.
The high ground is principally along low ridges, sometimes called
“fingers,” divided by marshes or very low ground._]
Under Dale, the emphasis on colonization was away from Jamestown, yet
later governors found the original seat desirable. Capt. Samuel Argall,
who succeeded Yeardley as deputy governor in 1617, wrote that he
advanced physical improvements prior to his hasty withdrawal from
Virginia in the spring of 1619 to avoid arrest under charges of
mismanagement of company affairs. Argall had been the first to prescribe
limits for Jamestown. Yeardley followed him as governor, and for the
next few years Jamestown, at this time most often called “James City,”
witnessed considerable growth and activity. The town, long before, had
expanded outside of the fort and spread along the shore on the extreme
west end of the island. The borough or incorporation, of which it was
the center, extended west to the Chickahominy River and downriver beyond
Hog Island. Its territory was along the north side of the river and
included the south side as well—the area that later became Surry County.
West toward the Chickahominy the area adjacent to Jamestown Island
became rather heavily developed and was referred to as the “Suburbs of
James City.”
The period from 1619 to 1624 was one of considerable activity for
Virginia in general and Jamestown in particular. The reorganized
Virginia Company, following its political changes, renewed its efforts
to expand the colony and to stimulate profitable employment. Heavy
emphasis was placed on new industries, particularly iron and glass, the
latter evidently attempted a second time on Glasshouse Point. The
planting of mulberry trees and the growing of silkworms were advanced by
the dispatch of treatises on silk culture and silkworm eggs in a project
in which King James I himself had a personal interest. Immigration to
the colony was increased, and measures were taken to meet the religious
and educational needs of the settlers. This was the period that saw the
attempt to establish a college at Henrico.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account