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Sunday, December 31, 2006

400 Years of History

"Coming to this place, this little island, from England, was basically to get rich," said the narrator. Dressed in 1600s constume, holding a rooster in her arms, and narrated the arrival of the first British settlers in Northern America. This old lady took her listeners back in time. She narrated that story in present tenses as if she just got off the boat from England in 1607. Her accent was almost medieval in all aspects, and her pride and love for the history she related to strangers like me was what made her narration impressive and alive. This is a site with old ruins, the first British colony in America, Jamestown park.
It was the most beautiful day I've seen since living here in Suffolk. No clouds, it was pure blue sky. No breeze, but the temperature was pretty cool. I started out off Suffolk, passed some Counties I've never been before, and drove through some lonely neighborhoods. About an hour and a half driving, we stopped by Smithfield-a little old town known to have been established by first British settler in 1600s, the center of peanut and beef in early America. We decided that Burger King was the best option for lunch, and yes, a fish-burger worth the stop. It was 2:00 p.m. and we were anxious to get to Jamestown before 4:00 p.m. We found ourselves on the road again, this time, we turned into the Sury road and headed toward the Sury wharves.
At the wharves, a barge was waiting. We drove in and joined other people who were heading to and beyond Jamestown. The sun descended slowly, transforming the still, brown James river into a long wide mirror, reflecting the boat, the blue sky, and the Seagulls that were flying all about us. The US flag flown infront of our car was lowered half-way. Later, I realized that was a tribute to the former US president who passed away days ago, president Gerald Ford. Looking up, I realized that I was on the same Ferry I took once across the same water in 2002, Williamsburg, named after the first capital of the British Colony of Virginia.
We left the wharf and headed to the Jamestown Festival area and historical park. The replicas of the ships that brought the British settlers appeared on the river side, and to the right, the park's huge monument stood taller than the largest trees in the area. We drove off and headed to Jamesriver. In a split-second decision, we decided to check out the historical park. The park was extremely busy, constructors and tourists were everywhere. The park was under construction in preparation for the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first British Settlers. We visited the chapel, one of the oldest buildings in the park-it was built in 1917 after the 1600s chapel was burned to the ground. On the walls were frames bearing the history and chronology of the chapel.
A few yards down from the chapel, and standing higher on the bank of the river, is the statue of Capt. John Smith. The leader who rescued fellow English settlers from the drought that killed hundreds and further rift apart the relationship between the natives and the settlers. His motto for surivival, no work-no eat, is cited in many history books dedicated to the first English people in America. Outside the chapel, near the entrance, is the statue of Pockahanta, the young native woman whose grace spared the lives of Capt. John Smith and the settlers from angry natives. Her supposedly marriage to Capt. Smith is high debated nowadays, however, her role in the survival of the settlers is being remembered to this day.
We came across a lady, a historian who is also known as the "narrator." She narrated the history of the park in a very professional way. Her accounts of the first settlers sought to reconcile modern history and what was percieved and held by historians for years prior to the escavation of the park. One thing stood out from her narration, and one of the most important points to remember in the history of Jamestown and that is, the settlers who came to James didn't know how to farm or even survived in the new world. They were well-trained soldiers whose fighting skills were essential for the defence of the newly established British colony against Spanish colonial power who ruled most of the Americas, and the native Americans. Provoking them to fighting resulted in settlers prevailed over all odds.

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