New Towne
In the 1620s, William Claiborne began surveying the area to the east of the old 1607 fort. Governors, planters and merchants soon purchased lots in what was called "New Towne" and constructed dwellings there. Taverns, warehouses and wharves served those visiting the capital to attend the courts, to serve on the House of Burgesses or to have their tobacco graded, weighed and taxed at this official government port city.
When the capital moved from Jamestown to Williamsburg in 1699, Jamestown was largely abandoned. Two farming families, the Amblers and the Travises, owned the majority of the 1500-acre island by 1750. (The illustration to the left is a photograph of the ruins of the circa. 1750 Ambler mansion, located in New Towne.)
In 1934, the National Park Service acquired the New Towne site and began excavations with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). J.C. Harrington, the project leader, has been called the father of modern historical archeology. more...
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