We hope all of you are well. We have spent the last several days exploring Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. The history here is amazing! For those of you who might not remember the history of these three cities from our US History lessons, here's a quick rundown on each of the three cities..... By the way, they call this area the Historic Triangle....
Jamestown was one of the first towns settled by the British in 1607. Capt. John Smith arrived with about 150 people and they formed Jamestown, named after the King James himself. The first settlers were men and able bodied boys, and it wasn't until later that some ladies came over.... We visited the city of Jamestown, saw the ships that they sailed over on, and also had the opportunity to see what the Indian villages looked like. There is also a museum to walks through with various artifacts, and a glass blower shop - they were both fascinating!
Williamsburg was the capitol of Virginia until almost 1800. It was a bustling city and many events took place in Williamsburg at the outset of the Revolutionary War. The history is rich, and the city that is there today is very much the same as it was 200 years ago. We saw the Cabinetmaker's shop, the Gunsmith, the Wig making shop, the Blacksmith, etc... We toured the Capitol building and the Governor's Palace as well - both were very cool! And every day, they perform in the streets of Williamsburg, replaying some important event that happened in the city at the time. We saw George Washington and Patrick Henry speak, too. They were fantastic! Patrick Henry, as in real life, was a passionate man who was one of the most outspoken of our founding fathers.
Yorktown was the site of one of the most, if not the most important battle of the Revolutionary War. The proximity to the water and Great Britain's ability to cut off supplies to Virginia make this a strategic piece of land to fight for. The British occupied the area of Yorktown, and were fortifying it in case of battle. Col. George Washington had tricked the British into believing that the Continental Army was going to stay in New York. Washington and his Army marched 450 miles so they could surprise the British in Yorktown!! This was a "siege attack" - constant firing and lobbing of cannons with mortars and bombs. The battle went on for eight days!! This kind of attack is relentless, and it devastated the already tired and worn out British Army. This battle proved to break the backs of the British Army, and sent them out of Yorktown. This battle tipped the war in the direction of the Colonies, and even though the war lasted almost 2 more years, it was mostly political and the fighting was greatly reduced.
So, with that, here are a few of the highlights of the last week....
+We saw a "dig site" at Jamestown where they have uncovered some of the original foundations of the buildings - very interesting!
+The Army encampment of Yorktown - we saw a Musket and Cannon demonstration and Nancy was picked from the audience to be the captain and lead the "troops" - how appropriate(ha-ha)!
+We took a ferry ride across the bay - what a blast!
+And best of all, we met another homeschooling family - the McGlauns. What a great family. We hung out with them for a few days and saw the sights of the area. It was such a blessing to meet them! The kids got along well, and Nancy and I felt like we had known Greg and Donna for years. We hope to meet up with them someday soon....
So there you have it. You are up to speed on what we have been doing. May God bless you, and keep you!
Jamestown was one of the first towns settled by the British in 1607. Capt. John Smith arrived with about 150 people and they formed Jamestown, named after the King James himself. The first settlers were men and able bodied boys, and it wasn't until later that some ladies came over.... We visited the city of Jamestown, saw the ships that they sailed over on, and also had the opportunity to see what the Indian villages looked like. There is also a museum to walks through with various artifacts, and a glass blower shop - they were both fascinating!
Williamsburg was the capitol of Virginia until almost 1800. It was a bustling city and many events took place in Williamsburg at the outset of the Revolutionary War. The history is rich, and the city that is there today is very much the same as it was 200 years ago. We saw the Cabinetmaker's shop, the Gunsmith, the Wig making shop, the Blacksmith, etc... We toured the Capitol building and the Governor's Palace as well - both were very cool! And every day, they perform in the streets of Williamsburg, replaying some important event that happened in the city at the time. We saw George Washington and Patrick Henry speak, too. They were fantastic! Patrick Henry, as in real life, was a passionate man who was one of the most outspoken of our founding fathers.
Yorktown was the site of one of the most, if not the most important battle of the Revolutionary War. The proximity to the water and Great Britain's ability to cut off supplies to Virginia make this a strategic piece of land to fight for. The British occupied the area of Yorktown, and were fortifying it in case of battle. Col. George Washington had tricked the British into believing that the Continental Army was going to stay in New York. Washington and his Army marched 450 miles so they could surprise the British in Yorktown!! This was a "siege attack" - constant firing and lobbing of cannons with mortars and bombs. The battle went on for eight days!! This kind of attack is relentless, and it devastated the already tired and worn out British Army. This battle proved to break the backs of the British Army, and sent them out of Yorktown. This battle tipped the war in the direction of the Colonies, and even though the war lasted almost 2 more years, it was mostly political and the fighting was greatly reduced.
So, with that, here are a few of the highlights of the last week....
+We saw a "dig site" at Jamestown where they have uncovered some of the original foundations of the buildings - very interesting!
+The Army encampment of Yorktown - we saw a Musket and Cannon demonstration and Nancy was picked from the audience to be the captain and lead the "troops" - how appropriate(ha-ha)!
+We took a ferry ride across the bay - what a blast!
+And best of all, we met another homeschooling family - the McGlauns. What a great family. We hung out with them for a few days and saw the sights of the area. It was such a blessing to meet them! The kids got along well, and Nancy and I felt like we had known Greg and Donna for years. We hope to meet up with them someday soon....
So there you have it. You are up to speed on what we have been doing. May God bless you, and keep you!
What a blast you appear to be having. It's been great reading your blog. If you have time check out he US Marine Museum in Quantico, Virgina. Highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Rebecca Stephens
So glad you made it down there and the weather seems to have been good for you! We stayed near there (Newport News) at Fort(ress) Monroe - where President Lincoln came to stay during the Civil War - the general on base lives in the very house that Lincoln visited - always wondered what that would be like? We will contine to pray for safe travels and good weather!
ReplyDeleteHope you guys are having a lot of fun! We miss you! Hope to talk to you soon!
ReplyDeleteThat's so exciting that you got to see Jamestown and Williamsburg and Yorktown. We went to some of those places when we were on the east coast too. They were pretty cool. The cannon shooting looks pretty cool.
Hope to talk to you guys soon! Hope you guys have beautiful weather!
--Caitlin