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Historic JamestowneJohn Smith Staute against a Jamestown Sunset
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Historic Jamestowne
Virginia Sutton Harrington
Virginia Harrington at Jamestown archeological site
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In the field, Miss Sutton and assistant Stevens measure Structure 80.
 
J. C. Harrington and Virginia Sutton at Jamestown archeological site
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Virginia Sutton and Chief Archeologist J. C. Harrington explain a New Towne excavation site to a group from the College of William and Mary.

 

After receiving her B.A. from Swarthmore College in 1934, Miss Sutton joined the National Park Service as a Seasonal Ranger Archeologist at Mesa Verde, while she was pursuing her M.A. in anthropology from the University of Chicago. In 1937, she came to work at Jamestown, the first woman to serve as a Ranger Historian in the National Park Service.

 
Virginia Sutton in the Jamestown Education Museum
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Miss Sutton in the Jamestown Education Museum.

 

As part of the team uncovering the ruins of Jamestown with J. C. Harrington, the “father of American historical archeology,” Miss Sutton participated in the excavations and also provided interpretation for thousands of visitors. Her exhibits and signage introduced archeological techniques to the public and showcased the most recent finds in the Jamestown New Towne site.

Tree ring section showing drought periods 1587-1589 and 1606-1612  

Did You Know?
Dendrochronology, the study of tree rings, indicates the Jamestown colonists arrived during the worst drought period in over 800 years for the lower Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia.

Last Updated: April 12, 2009 at 12:23 EST