WILLIAMSBURG, Va., January 28, 2013 – An exhibition previewing artifacts destined for exhibit at the future American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and a series of commemorative special events and themed interpretive programs will be presented at Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center in 2013. The two state-operated living-history museums tell the story of America’s beginnings through gallery exhibits and outdoor re-created settings – Powhatan Indian village, 1607 English ships and 1610-1614 colonial fort at Jamestown Settlement, and Revolutionary War encampment and 1780s farm at the Yorktown Victory Center.
“Jamestown’s Legacy to the American Revolution,” opening March 1 at Jamestown Settlement, examines the lives of Revolutionary War-era descendants of people associated with 17th-century Jamestown, the first capital of colonial Virginia, and features more than 60 objects to be exhibited at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, which will replace the Yorktown Victory Center by late 2016. The exhibition runs through January 20, 2014, and is the focus of family tours and activities on “Community Day,” September 21.
“From Africa to Virginia” in February is the first of three theme months at Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center. Gallery exhibits and daily interpretive programs highlight the west central African culture of the first known Africans in Virginia, and the experiences of people of African descent in 17th-century Virginia and during the American Revolution in the following century. Lectures at Jamestown Settlement on February 10 and 24 will address the archaeology of slave quarters in colonial Virginia and the development of slavery in the 17th-century Chesapeake Bay region. In June, “Seed to Stalk” theme month at both museums explores early American agriculture. “Pastimes of Colonial Virginia” in August showcases games and other diversions of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Jamestown Settlement’s annual “Military Through the Ages” takes place March 16 and 17, with hundreds of re-enactors spanning centuries of military history.
Three events mark important milestones in the nation’s history. “Jamestown Day” at Jamestown Settlement on May 11, jointly sponsored with Historic Jamestowne, commemorates the 406th anniversary of the founding of America’s first permanent English colony. At the Yorktown Victory Center, “Liberty Celebration” July 4-6 salutes the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. A rare broadside printing of the historic document dating to July 1776 is on exhibit in the museum galleries. “Yorktown Victory Celebration” is held October 19 and 20 in conjunction with the 232nd anniversary of the decisive military victory of the American Revolution.
Both museums offer holiday programs beginning in late fall. Historical Virginia foodways are featured during “Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia” November 28-30, and 17th- and 18th-century holiday traditions during “A Colonial Christmas,” December 1 through January 5, 2014.
Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, until 6 p.m. from June 15 through August 15. A value-priced combination ticket for both museums, offering 20 percent off separate admissions, is $20.50 for adults, $10.25 for ages 6 through 12. Jamestown Settlement admission is $16.00 for adults, $7.50 for ages 6-12. Yorktown Victory Center admission is $9.75 for adults, $5.50 for ages 6-12. An annual pass also is available. Parking at the museums is free.
Jamestown Settlement is located on Route 31 South at the Colonial Parkway next to Historic Jamestowne, administered by the National Park Service and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (on behalf of Preservation Virginia). The Yorktown Victory Center is located on Route 1020 in Yorktown near Yorktown Battlefield, administered by the National Park Service. The museums are a short distance from Busch Gardens®, Colonial Williamsburg’s Revolutionary City and Art Museums, and other attractions. Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center admission is included in several Williamsburg area joint tickets and vacation packages.
For more information, call (888) 593-4682 toll-free or (757) 253-4838 or visit www.historyisfun.org.
