We squeezed it a short detour to Jamestown, VA on our way north.  We wanted to tour all of Williamsburg, but realized that we didn’t have enough time to devote to the historical site, so we settled with a visit to the Jamestown museum this time around.

The museum exhibits were fantastic and we learned so much about the early British settlers and life in the New World.  The museum did a great job of sharing the culture of the three major people groups that co-existed in the area: The Powhatan Native Americans, the British Settlers, and the Kongolese people that arrived via the slave trade.

We did find it odd and disappointing that the museum seemed to wash over the tragedy of the slave trade.  They gave the facts of how the trade operation worked but they seemed to wrap it all up with phrases like, “Their treasure was their rich culture that they brought with them to America”.  As much as we enjoyed the museum, it was interesting that we all came away with the same impression of a “white washed” portrayal of black history.  The museum was still a wonderful experience and well worth the visit, but I hope that they will make some changes to that important component.

In addition to the indoor museum, there are three walk-through replicated historical sites connected by a trail system.  We walked through a Powhatan hut village, a replica of Jamestown itself, and replicated ships in the boat yard.  The ships were the most interesting.  We were amazed to see how the early settlers survived on such tiny quarters across the Atlantic.