Colonial National Historical Park - Jamestown

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2110 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
www.nps.gov/colo/

Commonly regarded as the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts. It was founded by the Virginia Company, headquartered in London. Settled in 1607 due to its lack of native inhabitants and its defensible position from attack by other European powers. The settlement struggled financially until the introduction of tobacco as a cash crop in 1612. Jamestown became the capital of the colony of Virginia when it was organized into cities in 1619. Part of this organization involved the establishment of the first elected representative body in North America, the General Assembly. Slaves were also brought to Jamestown in that year as booty from a raid on a Portuguese ship, making Jamestown the first location of slavery in the North American English empire.

Jamestown remained the capital of the colony after its transfer to royal control in 1624. The city was plagued with malarial conditions and the repeated burning of the capitol building. In 1698 the statehouse burned for the fourth time and the General Assembly relocated to the Middle Plantation, location of the College of William and Mary. There they were convinced by a proposal by students from the college to permanently move the capital there. After the capital was moved from Jamestown, the city declined until it was essentially disestablished, becoming part of local farmland. Its importance was renewed during the Civil War as a strategic location on the James River, but sank back into obscurity afterward.

In 1930 the settlement was declared a national monument, and in 1934 the National Park Service acquired the entire island and developed it as a national historic park.