INSIDE JYF
Issue 3 | November 2021
from the
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
I
t is with warm gratitude and appreciation that we share the third edition of INSIDE JYF! We hope you enjoy these stories about our museums, as well as the generous support acknowledged inside our Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report. JYF, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) private nonprofit with a mission to “cultivate donors, expand funding, contribute to program development and steward resources to strengthen the Foundation’s living history museums.” In partnership with the JYF Board of Trustees, the JYF, Inc. Board of Directors is key to securing much needed private resources to supplement public funding and operations revenue, carefully manage our endowments and provide invaluable guidance to museum leadership. The Annual Report is another opportunity for us to showcase the wonderful programs offered at our museums this past year, investments made and strategic initiatives begun. We’ve faced and overcome many challenges thanks to the creativity of our skilled staff, volunteers and the generosity of our donors and friends who’ve supported our museums in numerous ways. Using the pandemic disruption to reevaluate our programs, processes and more, JYF was able to pivot quickly. The result is new exhibitions, virtual programming, events and on-site activities – all adjusted to meet the uncertainty of the time. We managed to finish the fiscal year in a strong financial position despite declines in visitation, primarily impacted by the loss of on- and off-site school groups. Fortunately, the endowments grew more than expected and several long-term donors have chosen to include JYF in their estate plans. None of these accomplishments would be possible without the support of every person reading this message today. We are excited about what the future holds. Many wonderful things are on the horizon for 2022, most notably the “Stuarts” special exhibition, new virtual education programs and a website and marketing campaign to reach new and existing audiences. On behalf of everyone inside JYF, we thank you for your enduring support of time and resources to sustain our world-class museums. It means the world to us, and it makes a world of difference! Warm Regards,
Christy S. Coleman Executive Director
INSIDE JYF
TRACY PERKINS Editor
CLAUDIA KESSEL Assistant Editor
JOAN HEIKENS JANET KANE Production Management HOLLAND WINSLOW Designer STAFF CONTRIBUTORS Cindy Daniel Erin Koch Constance Graham Cathy Fox Rawlins Jamie Helmick Abigail Schumann Heather Hower Meghan van Joosten STAFF WRITERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Edward Ayres, Anne Marie Baker, Cindy Daniel, Nancy Egloff, Jamie Helmick, Jane Hohensee, Heather Hower, Janet Kane, Steven Prokopchak, Bly Straube, Lara Templin Enjoy INSIDE JYF? Support the museums by donating to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. If you no longer wish to receive INSIDE JYF in print or would like to convert to digital, email insidejyf@jyf.virginia.gov or call (757) 253-4139.
INSIDE JYF Volume 1, No. 3 – printed October 2021 The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational institution of the Commonwealth of Virginia accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, fosters through its museums – Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown – an awareness and understanding of the early history, settlement, and development of the United States through the convergence of American Indian, European, and African cultures and the enduring legacies bequeathed to the nation.
JAMESTOWN-YORKTOWN FOUNDATION P.O. Box 1607, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (757) 253-4838
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table of CONTENTS About the Cover
A colorful bounty of corn, beans and squash rest inside a cooking circle in Jamestown Settlement’s re-creation of Paspahegh Town. The lifestyle of the Paspahegh Indians and other Powhatan tribal groups was heavily dependent upon a seasonal cycle, with their planting, hunting, fishing and gathering following the rhythm of the seasons. Inside this issue, explore the history of fall harvests and Thanksgivings, and savor cultural foodways on display at our annual Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia event in late November.
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How Sweet It Is Historical Foodways Two delicious recipes to try this holiday season—Sweet Potatoe Fritters & Ugali
Immersed in History Summer Teacher Institute Virginia teachers adventure into America’s past
Virginia Indian Education “FOCUSED” special exhibition explores a compelling story of the Virginia Indians’ 20th-century history
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Let’s Talk Turkey!
Making a Turkey Feather Mantle Historical Interpreter Roger Ballance carries on a Virginia Indian tradition of feather weaving, connecting oral history and cultural customs into museum interpretation at Jamestown Settlement.
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Human Resources A restructured team focuses on JYF talent management
Annual Report on FY21 Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. A generous community of donors supports JYF Museums
The 1777 Epidemic Washington Inoculates the Continental Army Yorktown Historian Edward Ayres examines General Washington’s efforts to contain smallpox
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Turkey Feather Mantle: Weaving oral traditions into museum interpretation
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urkey may be a favorite dish today for celebratory meals, but the turkey was more than a food source to the native people of the Eastern Woodlands. Turkey bones were made into beads and whistles. Turkey feathers were used to fletch arrows, fan fires, decorate hair, and most spectacular of all, worn as a mantle – a symbol of power and authority. In Jamestown Settlement’s re-created Paspahegh Town, historical interpreter Roger Ballance (Eastern Band Cherokee and Shawnee) recently completed the first turkey feather mantle created at the museum in decades. “I learned how to do this from my aunt and it was passed down in my family,” Roger explained. “I talked to people in my family who knew how to make them. And when I got older, I learned more by going to museums and asking to see ones they had.” He studied a mantle at the Museum of the Cherokee in North Carolina and had an opportunity to examine one in the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation collection made in the 1930s by Mollie Adams (Upper Mattaponi), currently featured in the “FOCUSED: A Century of Virginia Indian Resilience” special exhibition.
We have seen some [Virginia Indians] use mantles made both of turkey feathers and other fowl so prettily wrought and woven with threads that nothing could be discerned but the feathers, which were exceeding [warm] and very handsome.
– William Strachey, an English settler at Jamestown in 1609-1612
Crafting the feather mantle is significant to Roger, who interprets Virginia Indian culture and traditions to visitors. “What means the most to me is that we have maintained the ability to produce this from pre-contact times until now,” he said. “So much has been lost and yet this skill has been passed down, it’s something physical we can touch.” The reproduction mantle, often seen in Paspahegh Town, is made primarily of small turkey tail feathers and smaller wing feathers, chosen not only for their size but for their attractive patterns and iridescence. In order to have the mantle fit correctly, the feathers are woven smaller over the shoulders.
Roger donned the turkey feather mantle during a trade demonstration with this past year’s JYF Summer Teacher Institute, bringing the past to life for teachers and museum educators using native oral traditions passed down through generations and primary source descriptions from the English in the 17th century. – Lara Templin, Assistant Interpretive Program Manager Online Video: Roger Ballance shows how to weave a turkey feather mantle at jyfmuseums.org/turkeyfeathers.
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history BLOG
First Thanksgivings
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy declared that Virginia and Massachusetts held the first Thanksgivings in America. What about other claims – when and where?
“the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perputualy keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god.”
Even before European settlers arrived in North America, Indigenous people celebrated with harvest feasts and festivals. Virginia’s Powhatan Indians actually had two harvest seasons, a general fall harvest and an earlier one at the end of summer when they gathered their precious corn crop.
This instruction required a yearly commemoration of the arrival date at the settlement site. No records exist to indicate if the original 35 newcomers offered thanks when they placed their feet on the ground on December 4, 1619.
The first documented European thanksgiving in North America occurred in Florida in 1513 when Juan Ponce de León claimed the land for Spain, offering thanks for a safe passage. The Spanish customarily offered thanks upon arriving in a new area. When Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded and claimed St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565, the newcomers sang hymns of thanks, celebrated Mass, and fed themselves and the local Indians with food from the ships. A year earlier, French Huguenot refugees arrived in northern Florida and gave thanks “for our favourable and happie arrival,” although the Spanish wiped them out the next year. Records of the Virginia Company of London indicate that Virginia’s first official English Thanksgiving perhaps occurred as early as December 1619. That year the Company granted 8,000 acres on the James River to a group of Company investors who planned to establish Berkeley Hundred. Prior to leaving England in September 1619, the investors sent indentured servants with instructions that included these words:
Maybe the settlers at Berkeley Hundred subsequently followed the instructions in December 1620 and 1621. However, in March 1622 Powhatan Indians attacked English settlements along the James River, killing 11 at Berkeley Hundred. Survivors moved to safety and did not immediately resettle Berkeley Hundred, so no documents exist indicating if anyone later followed up on the 1619 directive. Meanwhile, the first 1620 settlers at Plymouth (Massachusetts) struggled with food shortages and death their first year, but in Fall 1621 they celebrated for three days with a harvest festival of food and entertainment with the local Wampanoag people. Roast turkey, pumpkin pie, football, Pilgrims for Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November? Think about the myriad possibilities and enjoy the day! Learn more about the history of Thanksgivings at jyfmuseums.org/thanksgivingblog. – Nancy Egloff, Jamestown Settlement Historian
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How Sweet
It Is
Try a different and delicious twist on sweet potatoes this fall with centuries-old favorites from English cookbooks. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was popular to cook sweet potatoes with tart apples like Pippins or Granny Smiths. At Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, historical interpreters enjoy making these recipes (known as receipts) in outdoor re-creations of James Fort and the Revolution-era farm.
Originating in South and Central America, sweet potatoes were domesticated by Native Americans at least 5,000 years ago. They became popular in Europe, Asia and Africa once they were introduced to the Old World by explorers. Boiled, broiled, roasted, stewed and baked, sweet potatoes became part of main dishes, side dishes and desserts. At first, they were much more popular in England than “white” potatoes, so historical recipes often only note “potatoes” but really mean sweet potatoes.
– Lara Templin, Assistant Interpretive Program Manager
See this 17th-century sweet potato recipe and other historical dishes at jyfmuseums.org/recipes, and enjoy “Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia” on November 26 and 27 (see page 44).
To make Potatoe Fritters (Pancakes) Boil, and then mix the Pulp with Milk, Cloves, Cinnamon, and Loaf Sugar powdered. To this put minced Apples, and fry them as common Fritters, in Hog’s Lard. – Adam’s Luxury and Eve’s Cookery, 1744 2-3 s weet potatoes (boiled, skinned and mashed, making about 2 cups) 1-2 tart apples (peeled and minced, about 1 cup) 1 Tbsp milk ¼ tsp cloves ½ tsp cinnamon 2 Tbsp sugar (either brown or granulated) 1 cup flour Butter, oil or lard to grease the skillet
These are really pancakes rather than modern fritters. Mix the ingredients into a thick dough and spoon onto a greased skillet over medium to medium-low heat, turning to cook through. It is common for 18th-century cookbooks to forget to mention flour since its use is “obvious” to the trained 18th-century cook. Many modern cooks will prefer to fry with oil or butter rather than lard. Try these with maple syrup for breakfast!
Traditional African Palates:
Ugali
At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, farm historical interpreter Sarah Raiford prepared Ugali, a traditional West and Central African soft, starchy side dish also known as fufu, for a JYF Museums YouTube video earlier this year on enslaved foodways. Lending a hand for the cooking program were farm historical interpreter Julie Fox and Christy Coleman, our executive director who is no stranger to historical interpretation. “Since people from these regions were brought to the new world through the slave trade, it is likely they adjusted their cultural recipes for what was readily available to them,” Sarah explained. Ingredients could have been made of cassava flour, white or yellow yams, plantains or semolina flour (or any combination thereof). They used a corn-based variant for this recipe, likely used in the Chesapeake Bay region, and it’s a perfect side dish for greens, stews and proteins. Many enslaved people who lived in the Chesapeake region descended from the Igbo culture from Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. This Ugali recipe is from Imma Adamu of Immaculate Bites, a California-based food blogger from Cameroon.
Ugali (Corn Fufu) Cook Time: 25 minutes 4 cups or more water 2 cups fine cornmeal ½-1 teaspoon salt Add about 4 cups of water to a heavy large saucepan. Add ½ teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil, remove about a cup and set aside. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal, until you have added the whole thing in the pot, a little bit at a time and keep stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent any lumps. Remove the saucepan from the heat while trying to get rid of lumps and to prevent burns. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens. Then add the remaining boiled water, reduce heat and cover, cooking for about 10 minutes or more.
ONLINE VIDEO: Visit our YouTube channel to catch Recipe Rewind and see another recipe for Okra Soup. youtube.com/c/JYFMuseums.
(Note: Be prepared to do some stirring to get a smooth paste. Be mindful that cornmeal hardens as it cools down, so if you want really soft Ugali, add more water.) Turn off the heat. Scoop out balls of Ugali in a small bowl; shake and form a ball by rolling around in the bowl.
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Back to School
As school bells rang and signaled a return to learning this fall, JYF educators geared up to offer meaningful experiences for teachers and students in a still-changing school environment. Outreach teachers dusted off their mobile kits of reproduction artifacts to wheel into Virginia classrooms. Distance Learning educators revved up video conferencing equipment. Digital education specialists penned new curriculum and lesson plans to share relevant content with teachers and school children. JYF educators redesigned museum field trips and classroom lessons with safety in mind, following Virginia health guidelines and CDC recommendations. Virtual programs remain popular and help expand access to JYF’s education programs. An array of digital resources at jyfmuseums.org/ athome — videos, interactives, images, blogs, biographies, essays, lesson plans and activities — serve as valuable tools to complement lessons in early American history. JYF continues to offer a number of in-person experiences to underserved schools free of charge, thanks to the generous support of donors.
From California to Virginia and Georgia to New York, teachers this school year are learning about espionage and propaganda during the American Revolution, West Central Africans and the transatlantic slave trade, and women’s experiences during the 18th century. Within these 90-minute virtual sessions, teachers explore content that helps them build a strong foundation for their history lessons. At the end of each session, teachers discuss strategies to incorporate what they have learned in the classroom.
Education programs will continue to evolve to meet changing learning needs throughout the 2021-2022 academic year and beyond.
Teacher Professional Development: A New Digital Age Children are not the only ones being taught American history at JYF. For a number of years, JYF has offered immersive learning experiences for teachers during its Summer Teacher Institute and at workshops in Virginia schools. With the recent launch of Distance Learning, JYF has opened its virtual doors to educators to experience a myriad of online teacher professional development opportunities. Since 2020, teachers from across the country have taken part in virtual workshops on a variety of topics—learning about Powhatan Indian culture, African Americans in the American Revolution, and how to integrate science, math and history to create multidisciplinary lessons for their students.
Thanks to the generous support of donors, JYF’s education efforts are enlivening history for teachers – and, in turn, their students – for years to come. Want to book a virtual teacher workshop? Visit jyfmuseums.org/teacherworkshops to learn more. – Anne Marie Baker, Outreach Education Manager
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Immersed in History Summer Teacher Institute Inspires Teachers
Judith Hasty joined 18 of her fellow Virginia teachers for a four-day adventure into America’s past at JYF’s Summer Teacher Institute on July 12-15 at Jamestown Settlement. Judith works as a fourth-grade teacher from Carrsville Elementary School in Isle of Wight County. She and her colleagues jumped into the action—bending poles to construct a framework for a Powhatan yehakin, practicing wattle-and-daub building techniques of the English colonists, learning how to start a fire, tasting traditional dishes, working the sails on the re-created Godspeed, and developing their bartering skills while learning about trade between the Powhatan Indians and the English in the re-created Paspahegh Town. “My understanding of America’s birthplace and my appreciation for the three cultures that converged there deepened tremendously,” she shared. “This was professional development at its finest.” Prefaced by online coursework in the spring, the hands-on activities were designed to give teachers a deeper understanding of 17th-century events at Jamestown and the interactions between English settlers, West Central Africans and Powhatan Indians. The teachers—hailing from 16 Virginia public school districts and two private schools—interacted with costumed interpreters, toured the Want to help support next year’s Summer Teacher Institute? Contact the Development Office at (757) 253-4139 or at giving@jyf.virginia.gov.
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museum galleries, engaged in period activities, learned historical skills, and attended interactive lectures to broaden their knowledge of early America. The 2021 Summer Teacher Institute was supported by Charlie and Mari Ann Banks and The Charles S. and Millicent P. Brown Family Foundation. The experience gave these educators in-depth history content and pedagogical techniques to take back to their classrooms. This fall, the teachers are sharing how they have expanded their history lessons and used what they learned over the summer to inspire their students. Most of all, Judith and her fellow teachers returned to their schools from this 17th-century adventure with an abundance of enthusiasm for teaching history. – Heather Hower, Assistant Director, Outreach Education & Digital Media Services
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A 20th Century Look at Virginia Indian Education
A Story in the FOCUSED Special Exhibition In Jamestown Settlement’s “FOCUSED: A Century of Virginia Indian Resilience” special exhibition, one of the compelling stories about Virginia Indians’ 20th-century past relates to public education. Like many parents today, Virginia’s Indigenous people value a solid education for their children. In the 1600s, their ancestors resisted English attempts to force upon their children a Christian education and convert them to English ways. Colony leaders planned to establish a school for Virginia’s Indigenous children near the falls of the James River until the second Anglo-Powhatan War broke out in 1622 and eliminated the project. The College of William & Mary opened a grammar school in the 1690s for young Virginia Indian boys, technically for those from tribes still under treaty with the colony, but other tribes sent their children as well. In the 18th century, the number of attendees waned. At the end of the 19th century, Virginia Indians began to seek an education for their children. In 1924, the Virginia Racial Integrity Act got in their way. The act, which acknowledged only two races in Virginia, White and Black, denied Virginia Indians of their heritage and reinforced racial segregation. Although the act was rescinded in the 1960s, its consequences angered, embarrassed and oppressed Virginia’s Indigenous people. Virginia Indian parents seeking an education for their children could not send them to White schools, and they
staunchly opposed the state’s option of sending them to schools for Black children, which would essentially categorize them as “Black.” Parents pushed for a third set of schools. Indigenous people living on the two state reservations, the Pamunkey and Mattaponi, received state-supported reservation schools. Various counties established schools or funded teachers so that some non-reservation tribes, such as the Chickahominy, Rappahannock and Upper Mattaponi, could develop schools. Other tribes struggled on their own, some receiving church mission support. While Baptist churches ran most mission schools, one group of Nansemond had a Methodist mission church and school, and the Episcopal Church served Amherst County’s Monacan people. At first, Virginia Indian schools generally educated children through the seventh grade. Since secondary schools for Indigenous people did not exist in Virginia, many students attended either church-run schools out of state, such as the Bacone Indian School in Oklahoma, or federal Indian boarding schools in Kansas, South Dakota and North Carolina. The trip to Bacone, Oklahoma, took 22 hours by train or bus, and children rarely came home, even for Christmas. Some Monacan children attended a private high school in Maryland. At boarding schools, children could complete high school and the equivalent of a community college
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“My goal is to educate our youth to the end that we must be able to take part in our society. Education is the key to that goal.” –Marvin Bradby, Eastern Chickahominy
Through the lens of personal and professional photography collections, Virginia Indian education in the 20th century comes into focus. Shown from left: Pamunkey Indian School, Pamunkey Indian Reservation, King William County, 1937, Courtesy of the Library of Virginia; Group of students at Indian Mission School (Monacan) and Interior Indian Mission School, Falling Rock, Jackson Davis, Papers, 1906-1947, Accession #3072, #3072-a, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA 22903; second row from left: Group portrait of Rappahannock children in Indian Neck, Virginia, 1919, Frank Speck photograph collection, N12679, National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution; Indian Mission School, Falling Rock, Jackson Davis, Papers, 1906-1947, Accession #3072, #3072-a, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
degree, equipping them to return to Virginia primarily to teach in Indian schools. After 1950, some Virginia Indian schools provided a 10thgrade education, but parents still sent children away to complete high school. While the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education legally ended segregation, Virginia’s Indigenous people did not receive total access to public education until 1963. When Virginia’s Indian schools finally closed in the 1960s, children began attending state public schools. Moreover, some Virginia tribes hold classes in their tribal culture and traditions, passing them on to their children. – Nancy Egloff, Jamestown Settlement Historian
“FOCUSED: A Century of Virginia Indian Resilience” is on exhibit at Jamestown Settlement through March 25, 2022. Read more about Virginia Indian education in the 17th century on jyfmuseums.org/blog.
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Human Resources = Human Resources at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation restructured this year, forming one umbrella for all functions of the agency’s workforce – employees, volunteers and training services. When Coy Mozingo took the helm as new director of Human Resources and Professional Development in April, he was fully on board with the vision for the department and opportunities for the state agency that fosters 142 full-time employees, 85 part-time staff and more than 300 core volunteers.
One of our goals in Human Resources is retention and engagement. If you want to retain employees, you want to give them the training they need to continue to develop in their field, which will also keep them engaged. It just makes sense to have all of those tools in the same place now. –Coy Mozingo,
“If you think of Human Resources as ‘talent management,’ volunteers and interns are all part of that talent pool and shouldn’t be treated any differently than employees,” said Mozingo, noting practices in other public and private sectors, including training and professional development. “So putting those together really made a lot of sense.” Mozingo, who returned to JYF from the City of Newport News, is no stranger to JYF employee engagement and development. He interned in Human Resources while finishing his master’s degree and worked part time in housekeeping until a job opportunity opened in Human Resources. By working in various departments, he credits these experiences with giving him a better sense of JYF. Mozingo is not alone in his zest for JYF and raising the bar to embolden staff and volunteers.
Lee Ann Shelhorse, Volunteer and Intern manager, and Chas Ritinski, Training and Development manager, took on their new roles in June. Like Mozingo, they both have years of experience working in multiple JYF departments to support Director of Human Resources and both museums, including On-Site Education, Interpretation, Visitor Services Professional Development and Human Resources, as well as Development telefunding and administrative support. The trio also have supported special events, including donning costumes for Jamestown Settlement’s annual Family Frights. “I’ve been all over!” Shelhorse said with a laugh, noting her range of experiences. “You know it’s easy to get tunnel vision when you only see what’s happening around you, but when you work with other departments you really start to get a bigger picture.” These broader experiences have shaped Ritinski’s viewpoint, which he hopes will serve as a bridge in training. “We’re a team, and all of us have very essential roles,” he said, stressing the importance of working collectively to advance the agency. Like Mozingo, Ritinski spent some time away from JYF in Human Resources at William & Mary before being drawn back. “I just really relate to the message of JYF,” said Ritinski. “Teaching this inclusive history of the founding of America in an engaging and interactive way is just such a good mission. In terms of my role, I can use my HR skills to teach people how to be managers, but at the same time, look at ‘What historic content classes do we need?’ or ‘What methodology classes do we need?’ So it’s this hybrid role that allows me to work in both the history and HR fields, which is honestly pretty great.”
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Talent Management
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Restructured Team Grows to Serve Employees, Volunteers & Training
Human Resources is comprised of 9 members – shown, from left, are Nancy Coffey (HR Operations Manager), Sue Lau (HR Assistant and Wellness Coordinator), Natalie Clevenger (Volunteer Assistant), Alexis Becker (HR Training and Database Specialist), Raeven Chatman (Volunteer Coordinator), Katie Ewell (Volunteer Supervisor), Coy Mozingo (HR Director), Lee Ann Shelhorse (Volunteer and Intern Manager), and Chas Ritinski (Training and Development Manager).
Shelhorse is energized about the team collaboration and opportunities for growth. “The thing that really excites me about this is that there is so much opportunity between volunteers, interns and Human Resources and the way that it’s all going to work together,” she said. “We have a lot of opportunities to increase our diversity and inclusivity at the Foundation by reaching out to a broader community through volunteering, as well as providing some wonderful internship opportunities down the road. If ever there was a department that was fertile ground for taking us forward, I think this is it.” Training remains the bedrock of Human Resources, Mozingo stressed. “From basic management and supervision training to professional development opportunities to
career growth trainings, we are providing staff with the tools that will empower them to make decisions and do things on their own,” he said, explaining that it would allow time for HR to train and develop the JYF workforce. “It all comes from training, so that’s what I’m most excited about.” The new Human Resources team is ready to take JYF – and its talent pool – to the next level. Learn about opportunities at JYF at jyfmuseums.org/employment. – Cindy Daniel, Interpretive Program Manager
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on this date in
JYF HISTORY
Afghan Student Group Visits Jamestown Festival Park in 1963 In August 1963, a student delegation from Afghanistan visited Jamestown Festival Park, the predecessor to Jamestown Settlement. The background of the black-and-white photograph in the JYF media archives and the circumstances of their visit remains unclear, but it reflects a time in the 1960s when Afghanistan was a neutral country and there was a strong emphasis on diplomatic relations with America. The date closely coincides with a September 1963 special visit by King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, the first Afghan Head of State to visit the United States, with his wife Queen Homeira, who were met with fanfare by President John F. Kennedy.
According to a government film from the Kennedy Library, King Zahir Shah and his wife arrived at Langley Field, greeted by Afghan students, before arriving in Washington, D.C., for a state dinner and parade at the White House. During the 12-day visit to America, they toured the U.S. Capitol and the United States, including stops to Mount Vernon in Virginia, Disneyland in California and the Empire State Building in New York City. The film shows their visit to the United Nations General Assembly with statesmen from more than 100 countries. It was noted that “Afghanistan has proved over the years to be one of the strongest supporters of the United Nations.”
ANNUAL REPORT ON FISCAL YEAR 2021 JAMESTOWN-YORKTOWN FOUNDATION, INC.
Jamestown Settlement & the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown Despite a challenging year, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation committed to fulfilling its educational mission, whether at its museums or online. Safety and social-distancing measures allowed visitors to experience gallery exhibits and outdoor living-history areas. Museum interpreters and educators reached thousands of students, teachers, and families online with a significant expansion of distance learning, the launch of the JYF Museums YouTube channel and the development of new web-based resources. Jamestown Settlement welcomed visitors to its special exhibition, “FOCUSED: A Century of Virginia Indian Resilience” and related programming. Both museums presented a full calendar of public programs that commemorated historical events, educated audiences, celebrated the holidays, and engaged adults and children with the stories of America’s founding from diverse cultural perspectives. Private funding from JYF’s generous community of donors supported these efforts. Found in the 1980s in the Netherlands city of 's-Hertogenbosch, this rare bone object was acquired by JYF as a strikingly similar parallel to an object excavated from a c.1608-1610 James Fort cellar at Historic Jamestowne. One side of the four-inch-long object is engraved in the manner of the Dutch artist Jacob de Gheyn, with the figure of a soldier carrying a shield and a sword. Unlike the James Fort example, the soldier’s back is to the viewer and his face depicted in profile. He wears a beaver hat, slashed doublet, neck ruff, Venetian breeches and slip-on shoes. Research with the Royal Armouries in Leeds, England, has determined that the object is likely inlay from the stock of a late From the 16th- or early 17thArtifact Collection century firearm. The object serves as an Early 17th-century example of the material bone plaque with an culture of the English at engraving of a soldier James Fort and depicts holding a sword. in detail the clothing of a 17th-century soldier. Jamestown-Yorktown Acquired in FY21 with Foundation collection. support from the Annual Fund, it will advance interpretive themes in future exhibit installations in Jamestown Settlement’s permanent galleries.
The special exhibition, “Stuarts! The Dynasty that Won and Lost America,” (working title) is coming in November 2022! Both museums will host the exhibition, linking the 17th and 18th centuries in a continuous narrative for the first time Stuarts! in JYF history. In this The Dynasty that multi-site exhibition, the Won and Lost America Stuart monarchs provide a Opening November 2022 backdrop to the struggles and determination of Virginia Indians, free and enslaved Africans and African Americans, and European immigrants, highlighting how the Old Dominion, from early colonization through the Revolution, is a product of its Stuart-era past. In FY21, gifts and grants from James City County and the Robins Foundation supported the exhibition’s planning and design. Painting of King William III by Franz van Stampart (1675-1750), JamestownYorktown Foundation, JYF2007.1
Want to support the “Stuarts” exhibition?
Sponsorships are still available at $25,000 to $250,000. Contact the Development Office at (757) 253-4139 or at giving@jyf.virginia.gov.
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FY21 MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS
Corn Planting #2/Denise Lowe Walters
“FOCUSED: A Century of Virginia Indian Resilience” A Special Exhibition at Jamestown Settlement January 29, 2021 – March 25, 2022 In collaboration with Virginia Indian tribal communities, Jamestown Settlement continues to present “FOCUSED,” an exhibition featuring the photography collections of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, images from anthropologist Frank Speck in the 1910s to 1930s, the work of award-winning Baltimore Sun photographer A. Aubrey Bodine in the 1940s and 1950s, and portraits by contemporary American Indian photographers. A turkey feather mantle hand-woven by a leading member of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe in the 1930s is among the featured objects in the exhibition, which continues through Credit: Frank Speck photograph collection, N12730 National Museum of the March 25, 2022. Related programming has featured an American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution. ongoing series of lectures, workshops and arts events at Jamestown Settlement. “FOCUSED” is supported by a grant from James City County.
Credit: Tracy Y. Roberts
Indigenous Arts Day on May 8, 2021, and the American Indian Heritage Celebration on October 10-11, 2020, honored American Indian history and celebrated native culture through demonstrations of music, dance and traditional and contemporary art.
U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate and the first American Indian to hold the position, spoke to a public audience on the theme of resilience at Jamestown Settlement on June 5, 2021.
Donors Support Museum Events & Programs Public programs and events at Jamestown Settlement were supported in part by James City County and the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission, and events at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown were supported by the York County Arts Commission. Gifts to the Annual Fund also made possible museum events and public programs.
As part of the Talking History public lecture series linking historical storylines with the present day, Diana Gates (Nottoway) and Tracy Y. Roberts (Occoneechee) explored a variety of topics in March and May 2021. Lectures and demonstrations continue this fall with quilter artist Denise Lowe Walters (Nottoway) on October 14 and photographer Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) on November 18.
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MUSEUM EVENTS AND PROGRAMS At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, Liberty Celebration on July 4, 2020, and Yorktown Victory Celebration on October 17, 2020, saluted important anniversaries of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and America’s decisive Revolutionary War victory at Yorktown. Families enjoyed Family Frights on October 23 and 24, 2020, at Jamestown Settlement, adapted for safety.
They celebrated holiday festivities and traditions during Foods and Feasts of Colonial Virginia on November 27-28, 2020, and Christmastide in Virginia on December 19-31, 2020, at both museums.
On March 20-21, 2021, Military through the Ages returned to Jamestown Settlement with a chronological display of military history. Visitors learned how uniforms, weapons and tactics evolved through the centuries.
Credit: Mike Keeling
MUSEUM LECTURE SERIES The Past to Present Lecture Series and Talking History Lecture Series welcomed Dr. Lucy Worsley, OBE, one of British television’s leading public historians, military historian Patrick K. O’Donnell, Williamsburg-based historical interpreter Mark Schneider, and JYF’s own curators and staff experts, who enlightened audiences at both museums and online this past year. Members of the public and JYF donors enjoyed a live, virtual lecture by Dr. Lucy Worsley on Sept. 4, 2020, based on her book, “If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home,” as part of Jamestown Settlement’s “From Past to Present” lecture series.
Jamestown Settlement hosted two special events featuring African American history, arts, culture and community conversation in the winter and summer of 2021, including After Angelo on February 27 and Juneteenth on June 19.
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MUSEUM EDUCATION HISTORY GOES VIRTUAL Over the past four decades, JYF has delivered award-winning history education programs—including student field trips and outreach to Virginia classrooms—inspiring more than 250,000 children each year with stories of early America. Through a partnership with the majority of Virginia’s 132 public school districts, students participate in museum history programs that reinforce Virginia’s Standards of Learning. JYF also hosts history summer camps, programs for homeschooled children and provides opportunities for teacher professional development, including our annual Summer Teacher Institute. The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted the way we reach students. School closures severely curtailed program participation beginning in 2020 and into 2021. Despite these obstacles, JYF museum educators rose to the challenge. Thanks to our generous donors, JYF invested in distance learning, offered virtual education to Virginia schoolchildren and—for the first time—reached children and adults across the country and around the globe. During the 2020-2021 school year, JYF taught more than 50,000 students about Jamestown and the American Revolution, reaching more than half of them through virtual programs. JYF also launched an online professional development series for teachers, webcasts to engage students at home and enhanced its social media platforms, including a JYF Museums YouTube channel. And with safety measures in place, the museums continued to welcome students, families and teachers to get inspired by the stories of the many cultures and events that contributed to the founding of our nation. Summer Teacher Institute, July 12-15, 2021 at Jamestown Settlement
Fall into History & Spring into History Family Programs, November 9-20, 2020 & March 13-28, 2021
Thanks to the generosity of the Charles S. and Millicent P. Brown Family Foundation, and Charlie and Mari Ann Banks, 19 teachers from 16 Virginia school districts and two private schools engaged in hands-on history, enhanced their knowledge of early America, and honed their pedagogical skills during the most recent Summer Teacher Institute. Read the full story on page 9.
In response to the pandemic, JYF Museums launched new family programs, welcoming 2,306 local children and their parents to both museums to explore 17th- and 18th-century Virginia history with a blend of in-person educational programs, virtual learning and access to a guided tour with a museum educator.
Virtual History Summer Camps, Summer 2020
JYF summer history camps went virtual in 2020, with the launch of a new “Digital Explorers” program that offered summertime fun for families online with crafts, activities, stories and live learning opportunities for one hour each week, June 24 to August 19, 2020.
Homeschool Program Days, September 2020
Both museums opened their doors to 4,707 family members for “Homeschool Program Days” September 5-20, 2020, an annual opportunity for homeschooling families to explore history with a blend of in-person educational programs and new virtual learning activities.
Broadside Summer History Camp, June and July 2021
Broadside summer history camps for children in preschool through 5th grade got children engaged in history, with opportunities for education and enrichment. The program was supported in part by the Junior Woman’s Club of Williamsburg.
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Distance Learning
Reaching new audiences online—in Virginia, across the United States, and even internationally—has been the “silver lining” in the storm caused by the pandemic. During the 2020-2021 school year, JYF museum educators taught 27,355 students in Virginia and across the nation through virtual programs, a 141% increase from the previous school year. Museum educators delivered virtual education programs to students and teachers in Virginia, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Thanks to the help of private donors, the education team outfitted two new temporary studios in order to meet the demand of digital programming requests from teachers and the expansion of virtual programming to reach new audiences. Distance learning was funded by the Charles S. and Millicent P. Brown Family Foundation and the Camp family foundations. Virtual programs for disadvantaged students were supported by gifts and grants from The Huston Foundation, Wells Fargo, Mrs. Carolyn T. Condon, as well as the Brown Family Foundation.
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Teacher Professional Development
JYF created and delivered online professional development to 162 teachers, broadcasting these programs from its distance learning studios. Topics included an exploration of West Central African culture and the beginnings of the slave trade, women in the American Revolution, and an analysis of propaganda during the Revolutionary period. Read more on page 8.
JYF Museums YouTube Channel
JYF launched its own YouTube channel – JYF Museums (youtube.com/c/JYFMuseums) to engage public audiences with American history and raise awareness of its museums (see story on page 40). Staff developed 79 videos during the past year, ranging in length from 1 to 25 minutes, exploring topics related 17th-and 18th-century American history, including: • The First Documented Africans in Virginia • An Introduction to the Powhatan Language, or Virginia Algonquian • Primed and Loaded | 17th and 18th Century Weapons • Getting Dressed: Clothing for a 17th Century Mariner • Recipe Rewind | Fufu & Okra Soup | 18th Century African-Influenced Cuisine • Strategies and Tactics of the American Revolution | The Battle of Bunker Hill Donors’ gifts also supported the creation of 116 live educational webcasts for children and adult audiences. View recorded webcasts at jyfmuseums.org/webcasts.
Education by the Numbers 52,541
students reached through JYF education programs, both at JYF Museums and online
25,186
students educated in-person at JYF Museums, 2020-2021 school year
27,355
students educated online from 64 Virginia school districts and 24 states, 2020-2021 school year
4,707
attendees, Homeschool Program Days, Fall 2020
2,306
attendees, Fall into History & Spring Into History programs, 2020-2021
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teacher participants, Summer Teacher Institute, July 2021
162
teachers given online professional development, 2020-2021 school year
79
YouTube channel content creators produced more than 90 videos with 45,000 views this year
116
educational webcasts created for children and adults, FY21
298,001
paid visitors to both JYF Museums, FY21
Help Us Reach More Students!
Our distance learning and virtual program needs continue to grow. We are looking to meet the increasing demand for virtual education. To learn more, contact the Development Office at
(757) 253-4139 or giving@jyf.virginia.gov.
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Financial Overview and Philanthropy Report Financial Overview: Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2021
The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that coordinates private fundraising to benefit the programs of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, a Virginia state agency that operates two history museums—Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Audited financial statements are available at jyfmuseums.org/aboutjyfinc. The FY21 audited financial statement for JYF, Inc., including the auditors’ opinion, will be published on this site when it is available.
Philanthropy Report: July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 Private support ensures that JYF can carry out its mission as an educational institution. The JYF, Inc. gratefully acknowledges the individuals, corporations, agencies and foundations whose contributions are supporting our museums and programs. Information on the sources and uses of private funds is provided below.
Sources of Funds Raised
Purpose of Funds Raised
Individuals $1,329,812 Foundations & Organizations $111,178 Corporations $112,089 Local Government / Municipalities $373,000
Unrestricted COVID-19 Impact Funds Special Exhibitions Endowment Educational Resources, Programs & Events Planned Giving Expectancies Other
$952,658 $161,500 $220,000 $408,542
Total
$1,926,079
Total
$1,926,079
$107,744 $50,000 $25,635
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’Tis the Season for Giving! Give the gift of history this holiday season Support the JYF, Inc. Annual Fund
How does your gift to the Annual Fund bring history to life?
• $60 could sponsor a child’s summer camp experience
• $125 could underwrite a virtual educational program for a student classroom
• $250 could provide a pair of shoes or moccasins to clothe a historical interpreter
• $1,000 could purchase a new reproduction 17th-century compass
• $2,000 could purchase a reproduction musket to use in firing demonstrations
• And so much more!
Visit jyfmuseums.org/donate, or contact the Development Office at (757) 253-4139 or giving@jyf.virginia.gov. Make your Annual Fund gift today!
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THE ANNUAL FUND OUR MUSEUMS’ FOUNDATION
The Annual Fund ensures the delivery of daily museum operations and programs. In FY2021, the Annual Fund raised $914,000 in cash and in-kind gifts from nearly 2,700 donors. The Annual Fund provides vital support for artifact acquisitions and collections care, special exhibitions, living-history interpretation, curatorial services, public programs and events, museum educational programs for students, outreach to Virginia public schools, distance learning and virtual education, volunteer recruitment and retention, and maritime education. Your gifts to the Annual Fund advance JYF’s educational mission and its commitment to preserving and conveying American history to broad audiences. The 1607 Society is the premier annual giving society and the cornerstone of the Annual Fund. With gifts of $1,607 and above, members share a dedication for passing on the lessons of our nation’s history. For more information about The 1607 Society and other Annual Fund donor clubs, contact the Development Office at (757) 253-4139 or giving@jyf.virginia.gov.
JYF, Inc. donors Shelby and Randy Hawthorne and Marc and Wilma Sharp at Jamestown Settlement.
DONOR EVENTS
In early 2021, donors were invited to join a series of webcasts featuring JYF’s own museum experts speaking on a variety of topics: a session on the “Stuarts” special exhibition, projects in the historical clothing department, and a panel discussion on the making of the original JYF play, “Mother Tongue.” On June 15, 2021, members of The 1607 Society and The Mathews Legacy Society were invited for an exclusive event exploring the creation of the “FOCUSED” special exhibition at Jamestown Settlement, which included an in-depth Q&A session with senior leadership.
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Mrs. Carolyn T. Condon
Championing History Education in Virginia “It was important to us that the Foundation had a strong focus not just on the history, but on teaching history.” – Carolyn Condon Carolyn and her late husband, Bob, shared over their life together a love of history and a deep commitment to educating young people about America’s past. The couple retired to Williamsburg in 2007 and made their first Annual Fund gift in 2011. Soon after that, Bob and Carolyn jumped at the opportunity to help children in Roanoke public schools when the district needed support to offer JYF’s enriching outreach program to their fourth-grade students. The couple quickly became Bob and Carolyn Condon champions of history education and loyal supporters of JYF’s educational efforts, bringing stories of Jamestown and the 2013, including children who benefited from virtual American Revolution to children in low-income schools in education last school year. Carolyn’s generosity continues Virginia, including Roanoke schools. to make an impact on the educational experiences of disadSince Bob’s passing in 2014, Carolyn’s loyalty in supporting vantaged students, passing on her passion for history and under-served Virginia children has continued to grow—the inspiring the next generation. Condons have given $175,000 over the past decade. This Join Mrs. Condon and give the gift of history to Virginia’s past spring, Carolyn donated $20,000 to the Annual Fund underprivileged schoolchildren. Virginia students are still and to provide education programs for Virginia public schoolchildren, who will take part in programs at no cost to in need of sponsors for the upcoming school year. Funds will be used for field trips, outreach to classrooms, and virtual them, their families, or their schools. education for children in Virginia’s high-poverty public school Thanks to Carolyn and Bob, over 6,300 students in Roanoke districts. Contact the Development Office at (757) 253-4139 have been inspired through JYF’s history programs since or at giving@jyf.virginia.gov to learn more.
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THE MATHEWS LEGACY SOCIETY Building the Endowment
The JYF, Inc. manages endowed assets that benefit the Foundation’s museums and educational programs. As of June 30, 2021, these endowments amounted to $25 million. For FY21, the endowments’ expendable earnings supported core museum activities and programs including living-history interpretation, outreach education, special exhibitions, maritime education and artifact acquisition. The Mathews Legacy Society honors friends of JYF Museums who have established planned gifts to JYF, Inc., thereby growing its endowments.
A Tribute to Roxie Houff White Although she passed away four years ago, Roxie Houff White’s legacy at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation lives on. Born in Weyers Cave, Virginia, within the Shenandoah Valley, Roxie spent her early career as a congressional aide in Washington, D.C., most notably for the late U.S. Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia. In the 1970s she moved to Williamsburg to manage the Fort Magruder Inn, then owned by her family. In 1982, she married Robert E. White. Upon his death in 1995 and the sale of the hotel, she took over management of her husband’s limousine business.
Williamsburg Landing.
“It was a great pleasure to work with my friend, Roxie Houff White, for many years in support of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. JYF never had a better friend, and never has there been a more patriotic citizen. Roxie was a generous and joyous donor. She always responded to support the mission of the Foundation to help future generations remember the sacrifices made to give birth to America at Jamestown and Yorktown. She left us a great legacy of philanthropy.” - Mr. H. Benson Dendy III, JYF Chairman Emeritus
She devoted her retirement to community service, volunteering as a board member of the Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce, the Williamsburg Community Hospital and
Education, history and the arts were some of her passions, which were reflected in her philanthropy to many local organizations. Roxie was a charter member of The 1607 Society and one of JYF’s most loyal donors during her lifetime—she gave to the Annual Fund for more than two decades, from 1995 to 2016, never missing a year. In December 2020, JYF received a generous planned gift from Roxie’s estate, which now supports JYF endowments and helps to meet our museums’ greatest needs. Roxie’s profound loyalty to JYF, her commitment to history education, and the legacy she leaves behind is truly a gift from the heart to future generations.
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Leave a Legacy to Future Generations JOIN THE MATHEWS LEGACY SOCIETY
Members of The Mathews Legacy Society participated in a guided tour of Jamestown Settlement’s special exhibition, “FOCUSED,” in June 2021. Members enjoy exclusive, behind-the-scenes opportunities like these to experience the museums.
As the holidays approach and we near the end of 2021, you may be thinking about your legacy.
Include JYF in your estate plans so you can ensure that future generations will learn the stories of America’s founding and that our history will be shared with the next generation of Americans. By making a planned gift, you will become a valued member of The Mathews Legacy Society. Named in honor of the late Nick and Mary Mathews who donated land for the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, The Mathews Legacy Society honors friends of the museums who have included JYF, Inc. in their estate plans. There is no minimum gift requirement. All gifts are appreciated and will help grow JYF’s endowment and sustain its museums for years to come. To explore how a planned gift can provide benefits to you, your family and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, visit jyfinclegacy.org, contact the Development Office at (757) 253-4139 or giving@jyf.virginia.gov. Your inquiry will remain confidential and without obligation.
Today, leave your mark on history for tomorrow.
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Jared Sapp, Historical Interpreter All Hands On Deck
As an interpreter of the re-created ships Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery at Jamestown Settlement, Jared was one of the museum staff helped by donors’ gifts to the COVID-19 Impact Fund. Jared began as an historical re-enactor of the French and Indian War at Fort Loudoun State Park in Tennessee and later moved with his wife to Virginia Beach. He began working as a part-time interpreter at JYF in August 2018, on a seasonal schedule. Although he was furloughed during the museums’ closure in the spring of 2020, he returned soon after the museums opened again to the public in June. “I was impressed by how quickly Jamestown Settlement re-opened, and how safely,” he shared. Visitors were prepared before they even arrived at the ships—they knew what to expect. JYF required masks indoors and encouraged people to wear them outdoors. Interpreters spaced out on the upper deck of the Susan Constant, the lower deck was closed to visitors, and a limited number were allowed aboard at a time. All these measures created a safe environment for both museum guests and staff. Jared couldn’t wait to get back to interacting with visitors, or “nerding out” on history, as he calls it. “People in the 17th century were not that different from us, they were smart and knew exactly what they were doing with the technology they possessed,” he said. “One of my favorite things Jared Sapp, aboard the Godspeed, a re-creation of one of the three ships that brought to talk about is navigation and how America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607. sailors at the time had almost everything we have in our phones, just laid out manually with more moving parts.” “It was nice to know I had a Jared is motivated to share his excitement about history with each and every visitor. He place to come back to.” believes each person deserves an engaging experience, whether they are the first visitor of – Jared Sapp
the day touring the museum, or the last.
And he was happy to share that he recently accepted a full-time position as a JYF interpreter, becoming a permanent member of Jamestown Settlement’s maritime crew. Look for Jared during your next visit!
COVID-19 Impact Fund: Sustaining Our Staff In FY21, $161,500 was raised for JYF’s COVID-19 Impact Fund from private donors. Thanks to these generous supporters and those who gave in FY20, JYF was able to sustain many of its museum staff, including historical interpreters and outreach educators.
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Board and Staff Leadership Jamestown-Yorktown Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors Foundation Board of Trustees During Fiscal Year 2021
During Fiscal Year 2021
Mrs. Carolyn S. Abbitt Ms. Bentley R. Andrews Mrs. Mari Ann Banks, Secretary Mrs. T.J. Cardwell Mrs. Donna P. Chapman Ms. Helen Zadarlik Cousins Mr. Brian T. Fields Mr. R. Allan Finger Mr. B.K. Fulton Mrs. Sue H. Gerdelman, President (beginning August 31, 2020) The Honorable John H. Hager,* President (through August 23, 2020) Mr. Terry E. Hall, Vice President Mr. Herbert V. Kelly, Jr. Delegate Kenneth R. Plum, Chairman, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Board of Trustees Dr. James W. Rawles, Jr. Mr. Brian K. Skinner Mr. David Stephens Mrs. Alexis N. Swann, Treasurer Mrs. Frances P. Sykes Mr. Thomas H. Tullidge, Jr.
Mr. A. Marshall Acuff, Jr. Chief Stephen R. Adkins, Sr. Mrs. Anedra W. Bourne Delegate Betsy B. Carr The Honorable Stuart W. Connock,* Chairman Emeritus Delegate M. Kirkland Cox Mr. H. Benson Dendy III, Chairman Emeritus Lieutenant Governor Justin E. Fairfax Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn Ms. Suzanne O. Flippo Delegate Hyland F. Fowler, Jr. Mrs. Sue H. Gerdelman, Secretary; JYF, Inc. President Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. Delegate C. E. Hayes, Jr. Attorney General Mark R. Herring Ms. Daun S. Hester Mr. A.E. Dick Howard Senator Janet D. Howell, Vice Chairman Professor Ervin L. Jordan, Jr. Ms. Connie Kincheloe
Delegate Barry D. Knight Ms. Diane Leopold Senator Mamie E. Locke Senator L. Louise Lucas Senator Monty Mason Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, Treasurer Delegate Michael P. Mullin Dr. Cassandra L. Newby-Alexander Senator Thomas K. Norment, Jr. Governor Ralph S. Northam Delegate Kenneth R. Plum, Chairman Secretary of Education Atif M. Qarni Ms. Susan R. Swecker Mr. Fred D. Thompson, Jr. Delegate Luke Torian Mr. Jeffrey B. Trammell Delegate R. Lee Ware, Jr. *deceased
Staff Management During Fiscal Year 2021 Christy S. Coleman, Executive Director Mariruth Leftwich, Senior Director of Museum Operations & Education (since March 2021) Peter J. Armstrong, Senior Director of Museum Operations & Education (through December 2020) Glenda H. Turner, Senior Director of Marketing and Public Relations (since February 2021) Susan K. Bak, Senior Director of Marketing & Retail Operations (through September 2020) Julie Westhafer Basic, Senior Director of Development Frank M. Stovall, Deputy Executive Director of Administration
The JYF, Inc. Welcomes New Members to its Board of Directors Terms began July 1, 2021 Mr. Mark R. Sobol
Mark serves as CEO of Longwave Partners, LLC. For nearly 40 years, he has been a trusted advisor to the senior leaders and governing boards of American public institutions and American and international technology, energy, financial services, health and manufacturing businesses in over 50 countries throughout North and South America, the Caribbean, United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. He is the author of numerous publications on organizational leadership.
Ms. Adria Vanhoozier
Adria serves as hospital president for Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg. She provides oversight for the entire hospital as well as Riverside’s acute services in Williamsburg, including the Riverside Diagnostic Center and Riverside Doctors’ Surgery Center. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 2010, she moved to Richmond to earn her master’s degree in Health Administration from the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. Adria and her husband, Jake Lambert, are deeply involved in the Williamsburg community. They are Annual Fund donors and have been enthusiastic members of The Revolutionaries since 2018.
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SERVICE AWARDS JYF Honors Staff, Volunteers for Achievement & Service
JYF came together in late August to celebrate service milestones and merits of achievement among its employees and volunteers who operate Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. A total of 39 employees, both full-time and part-time, reached state service milestones in 2020, ranging from 5 to 25 years. Four retirees were honored for their dedicated tenure at JYF. Another 28 volunteers were recognized for giving 100 hours or more and cumulative benchmarks of service to our museums.
MERIT AWARDS
Merit awards for outstanding performance in 2020 were presented to Annual Fund Program Manager & Administrative Officer Erin Koch (Gold Employee of the Year), Museum Interpretive Site Supervisor Don Reimert (2020 Silver Employee of the Year), Museum Historical Interpreter Greg Schneck (2020 Gold Customer Service Award), and Museum Historical Interpreter Sammy Haskell (2020 Silver Customer Service Award). Erin Koch
Don Reimert
EMPLOYEE SERVICE AWARDS FULL TIME 25 Years: Outreach Education & Digital Media Services Assistant Director Heather Hower. 20 Years: Senior Director of Development Julie W. Basic, Outreach Education Scheduler
Elizabeth Baum, Accounting Operations Manager Patricia Beck, Gift Shop Supervisor Pamela Brooks, Exhibit Fabricator Senior David Edquest, Senior Sales & Promotions Manager Joan Heikens, Museum Historical Interpreter Vincent Petty, Outreach Education Supervisor Sally Stook. 15 Years: Museum Education Specialist Duane Baldwin, Housekeeper Lead Timothy Cooke, Museum Interpretive Site Supervisor Kaia Moseley, Museum Interpretive Site Supervisor Don Reimert, Utilities Technician Blain Rothenberger. 10 Years: Housekeeper Lead Morris D. Canaday, Annual Fund Program Manager & Administrative Officer Erin Koch, Marine Maintenance Technician Hank Moseley. 5 Years: On-Site Education Manager Felicia Abrams, Assistant Registrar Lisa Bishop, Housekeeper Senior Reginald Blow, Senior Budget Analyst Chanin Consoer, Exhibit Services Assistant Manager Michael Grenz, Museum Historical Interpreter Sammy Haskell, Senior Retail Operations Manager Janet Kane.
PART TIME 25 Years: Survey Data Collector Holly LaBelle. 20 Years: Museum Program Assistant and
Greg Schneck
Interpreter Glenn Bittner, Outreach Education Instructor Gloria Crone, Group Educator Barbara Fuss, Group Educator Norman Fuss, Group Educator Susan Harris. 10 Years: Museum Program Assistant and Interpreter Donald Waldmiller, Group Educator Keith Egloff, Museum Program Assistant and Interpreter David Hanna, Museum Program Assistant and Interpreter James Kladder. 5 Years: Group Educator Angela Claude, Group Educator Eric Ely, Group Educator Laurie Mosier, Group Educator Carol Edlow, Warehouse Supervisor Vincent Pletnick.
RETIREES
Susan K. Bak, Robert W. Jeffrey Jr., Bonnie May Kersta, Pat Leccadito.
VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS
9,000 Hours: George “Dick” Turner. 8,500 Hours: Dennis Dicus and Frank Ruiz. 6,500 Hours: Charles Reusing. 2,500 Hours: John Dunn. 2,000 Hours: Kathleen Wotring. 1,500 Hours: Robert Donnelly and Jeffrey Rowell. 1,000 Hours: Charles Haines and John Little. 500 Hours: Brian Bergh, Toby Kinnet, Thomas Rettie, Ken Robinson, Louis “Cris” Simmons. 100 Hours: Michael (Patrick) Britti, Emma Callanan, Kathleen Eckels, Arthur Edlow, Kenneth Foley, Justin Grabowski, Henry McCullough, Ethan Phelps, Richard Schauffler, Madelyn Sisson, Anna Lynn Thornsberry, Mia Tutone, Joshua Wartofsky, Barry Yang. Sammy Haskell
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In Honoring Yorktown’s Momentous 1781 Victory, Yorktown Immersive Museum Exhibits & Films Turn 5
P
eering from gilded gold frames across period-perfect blue walls, the eyes of King George III and Ayuba Suleiman Diallo have kept watch over the thousands of visitors who have walked past their portraits in the opening exhibition gallery at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. The museum commemorated the 240th anniversary of the British surrender to allied American and French forces on October 19, with a prelude of weekend events in the town where American independence was won. Celebrations on October 16 not only saluted Yorktown’s momentous victory 240 years ago – booms of artillery, fifes and drums, sing-alongs and interpretive programs, the milestone event also signaled a special anniversary for the museum, marking its five-year anniversary since the museum exhibits debuted in 2016 – in advance of a grand opening in 2017. Through immersive exhibits, interactives and award-winning films, visitors have embraced the stories of ordinary people living in extraordinary times as the nation was founded, from the twilight of the colonial period to the dawn of the Constitution and beyond. The milestone is one more step in telling the evolving story of America. “We've been able to help visitors better understand our shared past, and the complications and fragility of America's experiment in democracy,” said Katherine Egner Gruber, interim director of Curatorial Services, who reflected on her work as part of the team to develop exhibits, storylines and films. “Our relationship with history changes constantly, and our interpretation changes, along with the need to integrate more personal stories, more perspectives, new research, to tell a more complete story of the 18th century. Our work continues.” The museum, which first opened as the Yorktown Victory Center for the 1976 Bicentennial, is now turning an eye to the American Revolution 250 observance in 2026.
TAKE A VIRGINIA HISTORY ROAD TRIP Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are among eight iconic historical attractions featured in a six-day Virginia history road trip itinerary that encourages visitors to “immerse yourself in our nation’s history as you travel across Virginia.” As part of a Virginia Tourism Corporation recovery marketing leverage program, the “Travel Through History – A Virginia Road Trip” promotes visits to our museums, as well as Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestowne,
Monticello, Montpelier, Mount Vernon and James Monroe’s Highland. The program also offers discounts on tickets and products at these historical sites, including a 10-percent discount on the America’s Historic Triangle ticket that provides seven consecutive days of unlimited admission to Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown Settlement, American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and Yorktown Battlefield. Plan your trip at vahistoryroadtrip.com.
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Make way for the
Lord of Misrule!
The Lord of Misrule, here depicted by Brian Beckeley, fort assistant supervisor, is flanked by his rabble, historical interpreters Derek Johnson and Sam Miller.
It’s not Christmas at Jamestown Settlement without an encounter with the “grand captain of all mischief” and his rabble.
Along with their friends and relatives in England, the Englishmen who came to Jamestown in 1607 considered Christmas to be one of the most special times of the year. In England, the season lasted about two weeks, from December 25 to Twelfth Day, January 6. During this period, festivities abounded and little work was accomplished.
While the first Christmases at Jamestown were likely quite bleak, “Christmastide in Virginia” programs in the museum’s re-created fort in late December give visitors a glimpse into the culture that the first English settlers would have been immersed in at home.
According to Nancy Egloff, Jamestown Settlement historian, the Christmas season evolved from the mid-winter Germanic festival of Yule and the Roman Saturnalia, in which drinking, gaming and general revelry took place, homes were decorated with greens, presents were
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exchanged and people dressed up in costumes. The English Christmas festivities of the 17th century resulted from the imposition of the Feast of the Nativity upon the pagan midwinter festivals; Christian and pagan rituals were intermixed. In preparation for the season, many towns designated a Lord of Misrule, who, with 20 or more chosen “lusty guts,” decked themselves in yellow and green scarves, ribbons, laces, rings and jewels, and proceeded through the town on Christmas Day. In the late 16th century, Philip Stubbes, of puritanical leanings, related how this “heathen company” marched “towards the church and churchyard, their pipers piping, their drummers thundering, their stumps dancing, their bells jingling, their handkerchiefs swinging about their heads like madmen, their hobby-horses and other monsters skirmishing amongst the rout.” Stubbes and others argued for an end to the licentiousness and revelry often associated with the Lord of Misrule and his mummers. This custom, however, was so ingrained in the minds of Englishmen of all classes, that even with the rise of Puritans to political power in the 1640s, attempts at controlling Christmas merriment often failed.
“We’ve turned Christmas into a very important family holiday,” Petty said. “Look at how much of our popular Christmas music is from that time frame: the Depression era, World War II up through the Korean War. It’s those men on the warfront wanting to be home, or their families wanting them home. That’s not Christmas in the 17th century.”
The English Christmas customs portrayed at Jamestown Settlement also highlight how different our Christmas traditions are today in America.
The Lord of Misrule appearances at Jamestown Settlement are interactive, engaging visitors in riddles and fun. “We tend to focus on the more family friendly aspects - the jokes, the games, the music,” said Templin. “I particularly enjoy the humorous aspects of it, with the puns sprinkled all the way through.”
Vincent Petty, a historical interpreter who often dons the mantle of the Lord of Misrule, explained that many of our modern Christmas traditions were shaped by the first half of the 20th century.
Jay Templin, fort interpretive site supervisor, agreed. “Four hundred years ago, the Christmas season is the one time of year in an agricultural society where you don’t have a lot of work going on, so it’s the one real vacation that most people get,” he said.
– Cindy Daniel, Interpretive Program Manager
Explore 17th-century and 18th-century Christmas traditions during “Christmastide in Virginia” December 18-31 at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
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REVOLUTIONARY
winter reads
From non-fiction works detailing historic military battles, to haunting ghost tales and delightful cookbooks, our Top 10 picks offer something for everyone.
The Indispensables: The Diverse My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed and Laura Kamoie. From the New York Times bestselling Washington Across the Delaware by Patrick K. O’Donnell. From the authors of America’s First Daughter comes bestselling author of Washington’s the epic story of Eliza Immortals and The Unknowns, an important new Schuyler Hamilton—a chronicle of the revolutionary woman American Revolution who, like her new heralding the heroism nation, struggled to of the men from define herself in the Marblehead, wake of war, betrayal and tragedy. Massachusetts. Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and Kamoie used Hardcover from thousands of letters and original Atlantic Monthly Press; 432 pages. sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s $28.00 never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a Founding Mothers: The Women Who scandal—but also as a founding mother Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts. who shaped an American legacy in her While much has been written about own right. the men who signed the Declaration Paperback from William Morrow; of Independence, 642 pages. $16.99 battled the British, and framed the Constitution, the Southern Biscuits & Quick Breads: Quick wives, mothers, Comfort with Reinvented Southern Classics sisters and daughters by Josh Miller. they left behind have This biscuit bible celebrates the been little noticed by humble and sacred art history. #1 New York Times bestselling of home baking with author Cokie Roberts brings us more than 75 easyto-follow, gorgeously women who fought the Revolution as photographed recipes valiantly as the men, often defending their very doorsteps. that you can trust to yield delicious results Paperback from Harper Perennial; every time. 384 pages. $16.99 Hardcover from 83 Press; 136 pages. $19.95
In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown by Nathaniel Philbrick. The thrilling story of the year that won the Revolutionary War from the New York Times bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower. Hardcover from Viking Press; 384 pages. $30.00 S tanding in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution by Judith L. Van Buskirk. The Revolutionary War encompassed at least two struggles: one for freedom from British rule, and another, quieter but no less significant fight for the liberty of African Americans, thousands of whom fought in the Continental Army. Because these veterans left few letters or diaries, their story has remained largely untold, and the significance of their service largely unappreciated. Standing in Their Own Light restores these African American patriots to their rightful place in the historical struggle for independence and the end of racial oppression. Paperback from University of Oklahoma Press; 312 pages. $24.95
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S usanna’s Midnight Ride: The Girl Who Won the Revolutionary War by Libby Carty McNamee. Winner of the 2020 Independent Publisher Award for Juvenile Fiction and a 2020 Pinnacle Book Award finalist for Historical Fiction, this TRUE story of revolutionary courage and conviction is sure to captivate readers of all ages. Paperback from Sagebrush Publishing; 230 pages. $14.99
averns of the American Revolution by T Adrian Covert. The first visual and narrative account of the American Revolution told through tales about the colonial-era inns, taverns and alcoholic beverages that shaped it, this one-of-a-kind compendium is equal parts history, trivia, coffee-table book and travel guide. Hardcover from Insight Editions; 192 pages. $24.99
Virginia’s Haunted Historic Triangle (Second Edition) by Pamela K. Kinney. This second edition goes deeper into the haunted history of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, spinning spine-chilling tales and sharing ghostly legends for a spooky-good read. Paperback from Schiffer Publishing; 192 pages. $19.99
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The Yorktown Victory Monument by Maria J. Hepner. The story of the development and preservation of The Monument to Alliance and Victory at Yorktown is a tangle of government, military, artists, historians and forces of nature. Local author Maria Hepner explores the story of this monument and the town that surrounds it. Paperback from History Press; 176 pages. $21.99 You'll find this selection of books (and many more) at the Museum Shop at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and online at shopjyf.com. Happy reading!
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featured ARTIFACTS
An Object of
Purr-fection
Cat Jug – One of 13 in World on View at Jamestown Settlement
S
tories of a cat and a man hanged for treason against the Virginia government in 1676 are intertwined in an exhibit in the Jamestown Settlement permanent galleries.
The cat is a rare delftware jug modeled as a seated tabby with striped cobalt and manganese fur while his solid manganesecolored tail curls coyly between his legs. Made in London circa 1670, the 6¼-inch-tall cat jug is one of only 13 intact examples known to exist. One is owned by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and others are in collections of the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England, and the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Archaeological fragments of three cat jugs have been recorded in Virginia, located on late 17th-century excavation sites at Historic Jamestowne, Yorktown and the Governor’s Land in James City County. It is the latter that relates sherds, or broken fragments, of a cat jug found at the house site of William Drummond, a gentleman of some wealth who was hanged after Governor William Berkeley accused him of being a prime instigator in Bacon’s Rebellion against the colonial government in 1676. The Jamestown Settlement cat jug is situated near a display of Drummond’s sword, on loan from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, found intact under a brick floor of his house, perhaps hidden by his wife Sarah. After Drummond’s death, all of his goods and property were confiscated by the governor and Sarah spent years petitioning the English courts for compensation for herself and for her five children. Drummond is among one of the elite residents of the colony who joined the disenfranchised poor to rebel against the Virginia government in the late 17th century. The uprising – fueled by rising discontent with leadership, taxes, elections, voting rights for all free men and a push to wage war with indigenous people – led to the burning of Jamestown, changing Virginia’s colonial capital forever. – Bly Straube, Ph.D., FSA, Senior Curator
Did you know? Thanks to generous donor support, JYF is using 3D scanning technology to digitize key objects in our collection, like the cat jug. Digital imaging is being used to make our museum artifacts more accessible to the public, assist in collections and offer opportunities for reproduction. Select objects, including an 18th-century Liverpool jug at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, have even been duplicated for sale in our museum gift shops. The circa-1670 cat jug is one such artifact being considered for future reproduction as a museum keepsake or souvenir.
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Cat jug, delftware, c.1670, London, England. Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, JYF38309. Acquired through private donations to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc.
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@JYFMuseums Content Experts Feed Social Media Channels
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ehind JYF Museums’ social media platforms are a wily crew comprised of marketing and ambassador staff who work hard in support of communications efforts to connect online audiences with our museums and stories of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia.
than 90 videos with 45,000 views this year on topics ranging from primary sources and period clothing to cultural foodways and flintlock weaponry.
Whether in a Powhatan-style dugout canoe on the James River or cooking over an open hearth at the Revolution-era farm, the JYF social media team represents all facets of the museum experience from historical experts to curators and educators, tailors and sailors, artillerists and armorists.
Timely, authentic and engaging content highlights historical events, personal stories, ongoing research, objects in the collection and the complexity of cultural interactions in early America. Featured links allow users to simply click and access jyfmuseums.org for more in-depth information, details on special programs, educational opportunities and much more.
As part of this year’s rebranding updates, Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown transitioned to @jyfmuseums on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest – where year-to-date the social team shared 295 original posts to a combined 170,000+ followers, exceeded industry average engagement and strengthened relationships with consumers to foster future visitation.
“Keeping our posts and content relatable is the key,” said Jamie Helmick, JYF manager of Special Projects and Programs for Museum Operations & Education and social ambassador. “Most people who use social media want to feel connected and making those connections between our modern world and the past is one of the best ways to provide relevant and meaningful content.”
Also new in 2021 is a refreshed @jyfmuseums YouTube channel, where dedicated content creators produced more
Connect with us @jyfmuseums.
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Angolan Ambassador Visits Jamestown Settlement In June, H.E. Ambassador Joaquim do Espirito Santo of the Republic of Angola to the United States and a small delegation visited Jamestown Settlement. Luke Pecoraro, former director of Curatorial Services, led the group on a tour of permanent gallery exhibits and outdoor living-history areas. Among the experiences, the group was fascinated with exhibits showing the Angolan homeland of the first recorded Africans to Virginia in 1619 and the story of the circumstances surrounding their arrival to Virginia.
Meetings & Private Events at the Museums Take Hold Planners of family reunions, small meetings and private events can now look to spaces at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown for special occasions. “The museums are a wonderful addition for meeting attendees to experience the beginning and the end of colonial America at their leisure during the day and for an after-hours event with their group,” said Joan Heikens,
senior sales and promotions manager for the JamestownYorktown Foundation. Imagine a Jamestown Settlement reception on the ships’ pier along the James River with views of re-creations of the three English ships that came to Virginia in 1607, or an evening dinner in the re-created 1610-14 fort. Indoors, the Robert V. Hatcher, Jr. Rotunda and Great Hall offer possibilities for after-hours events with access to the exhibition galleries and, if weather permits, groups can gather on an adjoining patio under the stars. At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, popular private event packages feature an artillery kick-off to an evening reception on the event lawn or dinner in the Zadarlik-Sogoloff Victory Hall. The Gerdelman Family Mezzanine, overlooking the main lobby and York River, also offer spaces for small board meetings or a VIP reception. Learn more at jyfmuseums.org/privateevents or sales@jyf.virginia.gov.
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1777 EPIDEMIC
Washington Inoculates the Continental Army
A look inside the surgeon's quarters in the Continental Army encampment at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
Of the many problems facing the newly formed Continental Army around Boston in the summer of 1775, the most vexing was how to keeping the men healthy. Beyond ways to feed, clothe, arm and train these new recruits, it was essential to prevent the spread of diseases in the encampments. Every European army during this period had to deal with the usual gamut of infectious camp illnesses such as typhus, typhoid, dysentery as well as other sickness caused by scabies and malaria. However the disease that was the most deadly and that struck fear everywhere was small pox. This highly contagious virus had been around for centuries and seemed to occur in two forms, one much more virulent that the other. The most dangerous cases occurred when someone inhaled airborne particles from an infected person.
Anyone who had contracted small pox and survived however, acquired a life-long immunity. The death rate among previously unexposed populations could reach as high as 20 to 30 percent. British soldiers who were sent to America at the start of the War for Independence were primarily older, experienced men, often veterans of European campaigns. Many had encountered small pox by the time they were adults and, having survived, were now immune. On the other hand the vast majority of the young men now joining George Washington’s army outside Boston had seldom travelled more than a few miles from their rural villages and farms. As a result, almost none of them had acquired immunity to the “dreaded pox.” If the epidemic could not be contained Washington’s army could be devastated and even the civilian population threatened.
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There was one possible remedy, but it was risky, uncertain, and possibly dangerous. Since early in the 18th century a few Britons and Europeans had experimented with a process call inoculation, which provided some immunity from the pox. Learned from medical men in the eastern Mediterranean, inoculation involved making a small incision in someone’s arm and deliberately introducing pus or other material from someone who had a “mild” case of the virus. The person was then isolated until the disease had run its course and they had recovered. As opposed to catching the pox the “natural” way (through the lungs by inhalation), the death rate from inoculation was reduced to less than two percent. While aware of inoculation, many colonists felt it still was controversial and distrusted, counter-intuitive to deliberately infect someone with this deadly virus – and worry if it escaped and spread. By the winter of 1776-1777 at Morristown, New Jersey, Washington was urged to take measures to prevent small pox from decimating his fledgling army. He himself had survived the pox as a teenager with only a few scars on his face to show for it. In January 1777, he made the risky, brave, but ultimately crucial decision to inoculate all the soldiers in the American army. Done during the off-campaign winter season, the inoculated men were kept in strict quarantine while they were recovering and to prevent spreading the virus to the civilian population. By the spring, Washington could be assured
that the pox would not rage through his army, possibly killing as many as a third of his men. Throughout the remainder of the Revolution, Washington made sure new recruits were inoculated for small pox before they were mixed in with his seasoned veterans. By 1800, Edward Jenner, an English doctor, had discovered that exposing people to cow pox, a mild infectious disease, gave them a lifelong immunity to small pox. From this time on, riskless “vaccination” became the common way to protect people from dying of small pox. By taking this bold action in early 1777, Washington displayed his unmatched leadership abilities, knowing when to be cautious and when to be daring. – Edward Ayres, Yorktown Historian
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calendar of EVENTS Protective protocols ensure a safe and enjoyable event experience.
FOCUSED: A Century of Virginia Indian Resilience
Courtesy of Visit Williamsburg
THROUGH MARCH 25 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT, witness a century of change through the lens of personal and professional photography collections, traditional crafts and oral histories in collaboration with Virginia Indian tribal communities. View work from anthropologist Frank Speck, Baltimore Sun photographer A. Aubrey Bodine and contemporary American Indian photographers that captures Virginia Indian resiliency from the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 to federal recognition today. Online: View personal stories of contemporary Virginia Indians at jyfmuseums.org/focusedstories.
Talking History Lecture: Matika Wilbur
NOVEMBER 18 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT, join documentary photographer Matika Wilbur, whose work is featured in the FOCUSED special exhibition, to examine “Changing the Way We See Native America: Dismantling Native American Stereotypes” during a free public lecture at 7 p.m. Limited capacity with advance online registration required.
Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia
NOVEMBER 26-27 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT & AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM AT YORKTOWN, indulge in a two-day event dedicated to demonstrating centuries-old culinary practices and cooking techniques. Dig into historic foodways and discover how early Virginians gathered, preserved and prepared period dishes from an open fire in clay pots to an open hearth in iron kettles. Food preparation is for demonstration purposes only.
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Museum Store Sunday
NOVEMBER 28 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT & AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM AT YORKTOWN GIFT SHOPS, enjoy a special one-day-only discount offer on total in-store purchases. All sales help support the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, its mission and educational programs. Open during museum operating hours, admission is not required to visit our gift shops.
Christmastide in Virginia DECEMBER 18-31 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT & AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM AT YORKTOWN, explore the historical holiday traditions of 17th- and 18thcentury Virginians and experience festive entertainment, period musical performances, seasonal activities, interpretive programs and special demonstrations from Christmastime in colonial America.
2022 Director’s Series
LAUNCHES JANUARY 19 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT with Executive Director Christy S. Coleman engaging in lively conversations with some of the nation’s prominent scholars and public figures. Programs take place at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every other month, beginning January 19 with Dr. Jason Herbert, a scholar who explores the social, political, demographic and ecological transformation of Southeastern American Indians, Europeans and Africans in Florida in the 18th and 19th centuries. His popular multimedia experience, “Historians at the Movies,” connects popular cultural influences on the public’s understanding of history and American culture. 2022 EVENTS & PROGRAMS After Angelo • February 26 | 2022 Director’s Series • March 16 | Military Through the Ages • March 19-20 Jamestown Day • May 14 | Indigenous Arts Day • May 14 Museums open year-round 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. Tours and ticket information: jyfmuseums.org/visit or call (757) 253-4838. Check out the complete calendar at jyfmuseums.org/events.
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