As I write this Queen Elizabeth II is being honored at the White House by President Bush. (It’s the first white-tie dinner of his presidency). Her Royal Highness’s visit to Washington comes at the tail end of a six-day trip that began with a tour of Jamestown in Virginia.
The Queen spent two days visiting America’s first permanent English settlement as it prepares to celebrate its 400th anniversary. While the Queen’s visit was filled with pomp and circumstance, Jamestown directors say the actual anniversary events won’t get underway until this weekend.
Have you ever been to the area? If you answered “no,” you are not alone. A recent survey showed that many Americans have never stepped foot on either of Jamestown’s two distinct sites. The first site is Historic Jamestowne, which is the location of the original fort and settlement built by the 104 brave souls who landed on the banks of the James River 400 years ago. The second site is the one you saw broadcast on the news during the Queen’s visit— the Jamestown Settlement, which is an outdoor living history museum created by the state in 1957 for the 350th anniversary.
The grand re-opening of Historic Jamestowne (it recently underwent a multi-million dollar facelift) begins May 11th and according to event organizers, tickets for the event are still available.
If you plan to take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate this momentous occasion you can expect to see the following new features:
Historic Jamestowne now has a new visitors center and a separate “Archaearium” which showcases some of the more than 1 million artifacts unearthed since researchers discovered the site of the original fort in 1994. Outside, a wall representing the fort’s location has also been constructed.
Jamestown Settlement has also been given a facelift: James Fort and Powhatan Indian village have been revamped and an exhibition wing has been added to the visitor center. In addition, a new display “The World of 1607,” featuring artifacts from 1607 (including one of the original copies of the Magna Carta) will be on exhibit until next year.
Just a heads up: Organizers of the anniversary are calling the events a commemoration rather than a celebration in deference to the Native Americans, who were all but eliminated, and African-Americans, whose ancestors arrived as slaves.
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