Jamestown Colony

Hey guys, back with another historical build, and this time it's actually something I had attempted before. If you look deep enough on my page, you'll find another Jamestown build from years ago that I never finished, well I finally got around to finishing a Jamestown map.

Jamestown as many Americans will know was the first successful English colony in the New World. The settlement was founded in 1607 and came in the footsteps of a previous failed colony called Roanoke which only lasted for 5 years between 1585 and 1590, after which all the colonists mysteriously disappeared. Jamestown was named for the King of England at the time, King James I (or King James VI if you're from Scotland). Jamestown only succeeded because after smuggling in some tobacco seeds, the colony began to grow and sell tobacco to England. However it should also be noted that this success also came through the use of slave labor, as the first African slaves in the New World arrived at Jamestown in 1619. The colony was burnt down in 1676 in Bacon's Rebellion, which was an armed uprising against the governor of Virginia. Ultimately Jamestown was abandoned by 1698 as larger and more prominent settlements appeared in the region.

Today Jamestown is an archaeological site that is open to the public (though not at the time of the writing of this post, as COVID-19 has closed down the park), only one original structure remains. A Brick Church that was likely built after the 1676 fire, however only the front tower is original, the rest of the church was rebuilt in 1907 for the 300th Anniversary of the colony's founding. Nearby to the original site is a replica of the colony that serves as an educational center and a way to bring history to life for kids and enthusiasts alike.

This build saw a few logistical problems, as there were two conflicting sources of the colony's layout. One was an original 17th Century map of the colony that depicts the layout of the buildings one way, and the other is the modern surviving foundations dug up during the archaeological excavations. Ultimately I decided to go with the modern excavations as there was more information of what the buildings were, and what the interiors may have looked like. The original 17th Century map has no indication of which building was what, aside from the church which was marked with a christian cross. What must also be pointed out is that some of the buildings were slanted along the sides of the triangular shaped fort walls, and I was unable to do that with the limitations of Minecraft's grid like system so the buildings orientations are not 100% accurate, however I have made the designs accurate to the period, and the interiors will be made accurate to the period as well.

NOTE: I do not claim ownership of any images used in this page aside from the images from the build, these images were included for educational purposes.


Diagram based on the Archeological Evidence



Original 17th Century depiction of the Colony