1607

We spent the day back in the year 1607, when the Virginia Company of London first landed in America. This is the site of America's first permanent settlement (Virginians don't count the Spanish up north in Massachusetts  in 1492 because they didn't stay). 

This is also the site of Pochohantos and John Smith fame. 

We first went to the Jamestown Settlement, run by the Commonwealth of Virginia. This was the more interesting place, complete with recreated ships and living history spots. 

Then we headed to Historic Jamestowne, which is part of Colonial National Park, a half mile away. It's not as interesting, but it's the real site. The Virginia one, for instance, had cannons firing by the ship, and blacksmiths making nails, and cool woodpeckers, and this baker Ryan was enchanted by.

Whereas the National Park had the actual fields, with no old buildings still standing, and a fort with no cannons, and no ships.

I'm pretty sure there's a very geeky, fascinating story about the struggle 

between the federal government and the state government about these competing historical spots. But damn if I can find it online. 

Anyway, I had originally planned to do both Jamestown and Yorktown in one day, but certain little boys were getting fairly cranky about the whole thing. So we've revised our itinerary and threw in some beach time this afternoon instead of giving it a whole day on Sunday. It was a fairly crappy beach, in mg opinion, and not the exciting Virginia Beach I was planning, but I don't think they cared. 

Ryan was just happy he wasn't on his feet anymore.