INSIDE JYF SUMMER 2022 ISSUE

INSIDE JYF SUMMER 2022

from the

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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elcome to another issue of INSIDE JYF, where we celebrate the year’s success and share enriching stories and programs awaiting guests to our museums.

Inside, discover intriguing stories behind new artifacts on display at Jamestown Settlement, most notably the conservation of a rare 1600s jack of plate, an Elizabethan flak jacket, and its replication to better understand its construction and effectiveness.

This issue heralds our dedicated volunteer sailing crew and a reignited program to maintain our three re-created ships – the “official fleet of the Commonwealth” – and to sail the Godspeed to regional ports of call for education programs and community events. Examine the centuries-old techniques of Powhatan dugout canoe technology and ways historical interpreters engage museum guests in learning about agriculture in early America.

Read about how our museum team is collaborating with museum institutions, both across the nation and throughout the state, to exchange methods in teaching history and engage new audiences.

You won’t want to miss our robust calendar full of great experiences – the popular Director’s Series that runs through fall, and programs to commemorate Juneteenth and the Fourth of July. You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at planning for our upcoming special exhibition, “Reign & Rebellion.”

If what you read inspires you, I encourage you to join many others by making a gift to the Annual Fund. Your gifts help ensure these pivotal stories of America’s past are shared with every person who walks through our museums’ doors, tunes into an online program or is inspired in a classroom!

Warmest regards,

Christy S. Coleman Executive Director

INSIDE JYF

MORGAN CULBERTSON TRACY PERKINS Editors JOAN HEIKENS JANET KANE Production Management HOLLAND WINSLOW Designer STAFF CONTRIBUTORS Cindy Daniel Lisa Lucas Constance Graham Cathy Fox Rawlins Jamie Helmick Deana Ricks Heather Hower Meghan van Joosten Erin Koch STAFF WRITERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Felicia Abrams, Anne Marie Baker, Chris Daley, Cindy Daniel, Katherine Egner Gruber, Heather Hower, Janet Kane, Hank Moseley, Steven Prokopchak, Katie Schinabeck, Eric Speth, 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 2, No. 2 – printed May 2022 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

jyfmuseums.org

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table of CONTENTS About the Cover

Hearty leaves of Nicotiana rustica, a type of tobacco cultivated in the 1600s by many Indigenous tribes in North America, including the Powhatan people, adorn patches of fields and gardens at Jamestown Settlement. Inside, discover how historical interpreters maintain these crops and grow this historic interest among visitors.

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Powhatan Dugout Canoe Technology 1,000-year-old technology that still floats today.

JYF Partners with Made By Us Explore new efforts to engage younger generations in civics education.

What’s ‘Olde’ is New Again Trendsetting pieces with historical flair.

Learn about the global roots of some trendy items in our Museum Shops.

JYFMUSEUMS.ORG

Jack of Plate

A 16th-century jack of plate, acquired for Jamestown Settlement through generous gifts to the Annual Fund, is a protective garment lined with rows of small, overlapping square iron plates.

Regarded as a “secret doublet of defense,” the jack of plate was utilized by English settlers into the 17th century, as a flexible garment more suitable for protection than stiff plate armor. Examine efforts to conserve the garment for public display and methods to replicate it to better understand its strength in defense.

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Ships Crew & Volunteers Make Preparations for Getting Underway Set sail with our dedicated staff and volunteers, returning to ports across the Chesapeake Bay.

Student Groups Return to JYF Museums for Hands-On, Experiential Learning Educators work to challenge students, making the past relevant to today.

‘Having Fun by Doing Good’ Donor and Staff Spotlight Norm and Barb Fuss share how they are giving back and helping the museums move forward.

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‘Secret Doublet of Defense’ An international story told through multi-disciplined and modern-day lens

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t the center of a new Jamestown Settlement exhibit on the 1622 Powhatan military offensive on the Jamestown colony is a rare 16th-century defense known as a jack of plate.

It’s one of only 16 known survivals of these uniquely British garments, most of which are in the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, England. Only one other in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York is recorded in the United States.

Jacks of plate were known as “secret doublets” because, while taking the form of a man’s close-fitting jacket, they were lined with rows of small, overlapping square iron plates that were quilted between layers of fabric using crossbow twine. The hidden protection afforded by the metal-lined garments was viewed as audacious “privy armor” and a threat when used off the battlefield, leading to a 1579 proclamation in England against wearing jacks of plate in public, especially “within Her Majesty’s Court.”

Plated jacks were cheaply constructed by “Jackmakers” for English and Scottish foot soldiers beginning in the second quarter of the 16th century. They were effective protection for bowmen but their production ceased by the end of the century with the increased use of firearms on European battlefields.

Even so, archaeological evidence from excavations at James Fort at Historic Jamestowne reveals that the use of armored doublets continued in Virginia into the 17th century. The first Jamestown colonists brought outdated jacks of plate with them, knowing that they might have to face Indigenous foes who were highly skilled with a bow and arrow. Some breastplate fragments found in the fort showed signs of being cut into plates for jacks suggesting that the colonists found the flexible garments more suitable for protection than stiff plate armor.

After the 1622 Powhatan surprise assault, the colony was woefully short of arms and armor to defend itself or to mount a counterattack. King James I agreed to grant a “princely and free gift” of weaponry from the royal armory described as “unfit for any modern service” in England. Among those arms were 40 jacks of plate and, although considered obsolete for the European battlefield they were highly suitable for skirmishes with the Powhatan. Old-fashioned body armor was not an indication of military ineptitude or of the English “just making do” with antiquated stuff. It was a practical solution to warfare in early Virginia.

– Bly Straube, Ph.D., FSA Senior Curator

Jack of Plate, linen, wool and iron. England, c. 1580-90.

Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, JYF2018.10.

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Jack of Plate, continued

Why are the iron jack plates yellow?

Senior Scientist Lucia Burgio of the Victoria & Albert Museum Conservation Department used optical microscopy to determine that an unusual yellow corrosion product that covers most of the visible plates is iron oxalate di-hydrate. Burgio speculated that during early conservation efforts the fabric of the plated jack received a once-accepted oxalic acid treatment to reduce rust staining.

This theory was confirmed by an experiment that used oxalic acid to saturate iron plates sandwiched, like the jack of plate, between three layers of linen and one of wool.

Garment Replicated and Put to the Test The period garment offered JYF team members the opportunity to examine it across disciplines to further understand its construction, use and effectiveness.

Chris Daley and Samantha Bullat, tailors in historical clothing, and Fred Scholpp, who specializes in fashioning armor and chainmail in the re-created fort, worked to replicate the multi-layered garment. Once complete, the reproduction garment’s strength was tested against a bullet fired from a matchlock musket and an arrow from a Powhatan-style bow.

Conservation of an Elizabethan Flak Jacket JYF acquired the jack of plate at a London auction in December 2017. Simon Metcalf, the Queen’s Armourer at the National Collection Trust, had kindly looked it over for us before we bid and declared it as “honest,” but as a 16th-century garment, it was in dire need of conservation to make it stable enough to exhibit, let alone cross the Atlantic. After winning our “secret doublet,” we arranged for its treatment by the conservation department of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Conservator Jacquelyn Peterson cleaned the textile and stabilized the garment with cotton underlays, re-stitching, and an overall cover of sheer color matched nylon netting. Today, the jack of plate is displayed under controlled lighting in a specially designed case that keeps the weight of the JYF Registrar Jane Hohensee prepares a mount to display the metal plates from causing further structural damage to jack of plate in a special light-controlled case. the textile elements.

A ballistic test showed the damage of a musket ball driven through the jack of plate and the impact of an arrow.

View the full video at jyfmuseums.org/jackofplate.

Period Armorer Fred Scholpp and Historical Tailor Samantha Bullat examine the 16th-century jack of plate as they collaborated to replicate the garment.

Historical Interpreter Sammy Haskell tends to a young stalk of corn, planted in a mound just as the Powhatan people taught the English colonists.

Weeding, Watering and Worms Fields & Crops Charm Museum-Goers in Discovery of Early Agriculture

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alking along the path toward Jamestown Settlement’s re-created James Fort, museum guests are drawn to the fields of corn and tobacco and raised beds overflowing with vegetables and herbs.

“I’m really starting to believe that farming is becoming trendy again,” said Historical Interpreter Sammy Haskell, wiping his brow with one hand and holding a garden hoe in the other. “The fields draw families.

They’ll completely encircle the field, and you don’t quite know where to interpret, but you just start and keep going. And the kids will line up to help.” Haskell often has extra tools to share with visitors who want to lend a hand.

Although the colony at Jamestown began as a military and commercial one, the story of its success is all about agriculture. When the English arrived in 1607, they brought seeds to plant their traditional crops, including grains such as wheat and barley, but had mixed success in the new climate.

They looked to local Powhatan tribes, who had been farming the land for centuries, for guidance and even adopted some of their planting practices and their crops. The English continued to experiment with agriculture in the early years of Virginia, attempting to grow grape vines, mulberry trees, indigo and hemp, but nothing was as successful as the tobacco seeds that John Rolfe brought from Trinidad in 1610.

Today at Jamestown Settlement, historical interpreters in Paspahegh Town and James Fort tend fields that highlight these past events with as much accuracy as possible, starting with heritage seeds. Historical Interpreter Cameron Garrett takes the lead in the Paspahegh Town’s field, where traditional native crops of corn, beans and squash are grown every year using a variety of tools and techniques.

“You have to find what you can that gets as close to what historically would be there as possible,” Garrett said.

“The nice thing about some seeds is that you see them in archaeological examples. The others are close, at least on a descriptive level, to what they grew.”

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Jay Templin, supervisor of James Fort, holds tiny seeds of Nicotiana rustica, a type of tobacco cultivated in the 1600s by many Indigenous tribes in North America, including the Powhatan people.

Seeds are saved from year to year whenever possible, including the incredibly tiny tobacco seeds. Smaller than a grain of sand, the seeds are started in a separate bed, and plants are moved to the field later. Just like 400 years ago, tobacco is still a labor-intensive crop, and between the weeding, watering, and suckering, historical interpreters keep a watchful eye out for tobacco worms. Thankfully, they usually have luck in recruiting the passing visitors to help with the chores. “It’s such a big part of our story,” Haskell stressed. “This was the profitable commodity the English sought. I’m so glad we’re able to showcase it out here!”

Historical interpreters also use agricultural demonstrations to discuss science, math and the human labor used to produce tobacco as a valuable commodity, including indentured servants and later enslaved people to tend large crops in the Virginia colony.

Between size constraints and marauding squirrels, the museum’s fields tend not to produce in abundance, so what makes all of the hoeing in the hot sun worthwhile? “Just letting the kids help in the fields and gardens and then seeing them come back one more time before they go,” Haskell said.

Volunteer Mike Cecere assists in harvesting Nicotiana tobaccum, a variety of tobacco that English cultivated at Jamestown and close to the Oronoco strain cultivated by the Spanish. John Rolfe introduced this blend, which is native to the Caribbean with the Spanish carrying it to Central and South America.

“I often have a mom who will bring them back to say, ‘He wanted to come back one more time to see if he could help you make another hill in the garden.’ It’s little things like that that make it special. We are memory-makers, all of us are in our own little way. I feel like we’re making memories for the next generation of visitors that will come here and bring their children one day.”

And, there will be a garden hoe waiting.

– Cindy Daniel, Living History Events Manager

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BURNING AND SCRAPING:

Powhatan Dugout Canoe Technology

“Trust the technology,” stressed Frank Hardister, supervisor of Jamestown Settlement’s Paspahegh Town, while burning and scraping a Powhatan-style dugout canoe. “It worked 1,000 years ago, why wouldn’t it work now?”

In the Powhatan kingdom, dugout canoes were used for fishing, trade, war and traversing from place to place along Tidewater Virginia’s rivers and streams.

After a tree is felled, dugout canoes were manufactured using fire as a power tool, a method still used quite effectively today by Paspahegh Town historical interpreters to show the centuries-old technique to visitors. Small fires burning along the bottom and inside of the log canoe are controlled by using protective layers of clay over thin edges, and oyster shells and other stone and bone tools are used to scrape out the burning ashes to shape the vessel.

“If you are taking a log and turning it into a boat, it [may] sound simple, but you are figuring it out,” he said. “In the back of your mind, you are thinking ‘How did they do it?’”

By studying surviving examples and original descriptions, “you have to retro-engineer it.”

Crafting dugout canoes by hand is a source of pride for Hardister, who wants to reproduce them as faithfully as

In Jamestown Settlement’s Paspahegh Town, visitors can see how the canoe is burned and then use an oyster shell to help shape a Powhatan-style canoe. Online Video: Frank Hardister, shown at right, explains the process of burning a dugout canoe at jyfmuseums.org/dugoutcanoe.

possible. It's also important for historical interpreters to find the right balance between teaching and shaping the canoe while interpreting this burning-and-scraping method to the public. “We take the visitors on the journey with us…let them into our stream of thought in how to solve the problem,” he said.

Paspahegh Town interpreters have tested the buoyancy and effectiveness of dugout canoes by launching them into the James River and also have used them for interpretive demonstrations, including navigating to the ships’ pier to “trade” with sailors on one of the re-created ships.

Once in the water, Hardister explained that a dugout canoe is a different experience than contemporary boats.

“A modern canoe is the same thickness everywhere, and with a dugout canoe, the bottom is heavier, which helps with the stability,” he said. “When I stand up, it’s a little wobbly, but once you find your balance it’s not bad.”

He noted historical references and depictions of Powhatan in dugout canoes. “We see pictures of them standing and paddling or spear fishing, and you can do that.”

–Lara Templin, Gallery Experience Supervisor

JYFMUSEUMS.ORG

“The men fish, hunt, fowl, go to the wars, make the weirs, boats, and suchlike manly exercises and all labors abroad…”

– William Strachey, English settler at Jamestown, 1609-1612

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In Stitches:

Fashioned in

History Clothing

CONFERENCE Returns to

Jamestown Settlement

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amestown Settlement’s “Fashioned in History” conference returned June 3-5, drawing nearly a hundred historical tailors, researchers and enthusiasts to the museum to explore the art of re-creating 16th- and 17th-century historical clothing.

Developed by JYF Historical Tailors Chris Daley and Samantha Bullat, the sold-out conference returned in-person this year after it was cancelled in 2020.

Under the theme “From Research to Re-creation,” scholars, historians and independent researchers from around the world presented lectures and workshops on methods of interpreting primary source material to re-create historical clothing in the 21st century with topics ranging from Indigenous clothing and regalia to buttons and needle lace.

Jamie Helmick, Director of Community Engagement, is dressed in upper class 17th-century English attire.

Participants were treated to virtual program from the UK’s The Tudor Tailor on the social history of dress with practical tips on reconstructing historical clothing, and an opportunity to showcase their own period fashion during an evening reception in the museum’s re-created fort.

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Teens With a Purpose – The Youth Movement performs spoken-word art and poetry at several events this summer at JYF Museums as part of a new Civic Season Series: “What Freedom Means,” held in partnership with Made by Us.

JYF Museums Partner with Made By Us

to Engage Younger Generations in Civic Education

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he Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation is presenting a series of civics-themed programs in June and July to engage teens and young adults in the role of American democracy and civic participation.

Under the theme “What Freedom Means,” JYF Civic Season programs at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are held in partnership with Made By Us, a national coalition of more than 130 history museums, sites, archives and youth-focused civic education organizations dedicated to engaging, empowering and educating younger generations with a primary focus on high school students, Generation Z (ages 18-30) and millennials.

“We are excited to be working with Made By Us on this initiative as we look toward the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” said Felicia Abrams, JYF student programs manager, noting the opportunity to develop new, relevant opportunities for the community.”

The Made By Us annual Civic Season is traditionally bookended by Juneteenth and the Fourth of July holidays, and designed to mobilize youth to connect with their past,

take action in the present and shape the future with activities and events in our neighborhoods, cities, towns and social spaces.

JYF programs kickoff June 12 at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. “An Afternoon of Civic Engagement” for teens and young adults feature art, live music and performances, including special paint-and-take workshops led by regional artist Lisa Reid-Williamson.

Audiences ages 21 and up can join an evening of civics trivia June 12 with Williamsburg drag artist Robert Kyle appearing as “Aria Ova’here.”

The “What Freedom Means” theme continues during Juneteenth programs a day early on June 18 at Jamestown Settlement, with a range of performances by Atumpan Dance Theatre, Teens With a Purpose, Odysseus, Rico Robinson and Sylvia Tabb Lee and James Cameron.

The Civic Season Series concludes July 4 during Liberty Celebration at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown with programs exploring the important role of citizenship in shaping and preserving American democracy.

More details about JYF Civic Season Series and Made By Us are available at jyfmuseums.org/civicseason.

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What’s ‘Olde’ is New Again

Trends, whether in pop culture, decorating, fashion or food, are considered cyclical.

To those of us who study history, trends seem more like waves that ebb and flow from the past to the present.

Several trends making national headlines this year have global roots reaching back hundreds, even thousands, of years. And, these are among the many items available at both JYF Museum Shops.

MEAD Take mead, for example. The number of meaderies in the United States making this honey wine has more than tripled in the past decade. Ten years ago, there were around 150 meaderies compared to nearly 500 today, with 200 more awaiting federal license approval.

The surge in meadery popularity parallels the growth of microdistilleries and microbreweries. In 2020, nearly 60 licensed distilleries were operating in Virginia, making over 175 different types of whiskey, rum, gin, brandy, vodka and other spirits. Just six years prior, there were only six. Similarly, the number of craft breweries has grown from just a handful a few years ago to more than 200 today.

Mead has existed for thousands of years in cultures across the globe.

•N eolithic China - The earliest recorded evidence dates from 7,000 B.C.E., where archaeologists discovered pottery vessels from the Neolithic village of Jiahu in Henan province of China that contained the chemical signatures of honey, rice and compounds normally associated with the process of fermentation.

• F irst Century Rome - The Hispanic-Roman naturalist Columella gave a recipe for mead in “De re rustica,” around 60 B.C.E. “Take rainwater kept for several years, and mix a sextarius of this water with a [Roman] pound of honey. For a weaker mead, mix a sextarius of water with nine ounces of honey. The whole is exposed to the sun for 40 days, and then left on a shelf near the fire. If you have no rainwater, then boil spring water.”

• 1 3th-century Wales - The Brythonic writings of the Welsh poet Taliesin (who wrote the “Kanu y med” or “Song of Mead”) described mead as the drink of kings and thanes.

• In the Old English epic poem “Beowulf” set in Scandinavia, Beowulf comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Heorot has been under attack by a monster known as Grendel.

•T ej in Eithiopia is a honey-wine of Ethiopian and Eritrean origin. Like its mead cousin, it, too, is made of honey, water and yeast. Where it differs is in its use of gesho as a bittering agent. Gesho is a spice-like substance derived from the bark of the gesho tree.

It serves as a bittering agent in much the same way that hops are used in beer.

Want to try mead? The founders of Silver Hand Meadery, makers of the mead featured in our JYF Museum Shops, offer this thought: “Though mead is an old drink, we are not attempting to re-create what it once was. Our rediscovery of mead seeks to reimagine and reinvent mead, to bring it into current times, and make it relevant for today.”

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BLUE and WHITE Ceramics Galleries in both of our museums feature blue-and-white ceramic pieces from the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation collection.

Originating in China in the Tang dynasty, blue-and-white ceramics were produced and shipped throughout the Far East and, later, to Europe, Africa and the Americas. The items were copied and re-created by makers worldwide, becoming one of the most well-known and enduring products in the history of Chinese porcelain.

This blue-and-white chinoiserie – appreciation for the beauty of Chinese design – is an enduring design trend that is in the spotlight, taking center stage in stationery and gift items, as well as kitchen linens and home décor.

CALLIGRAPHY The art of beautiful handwritten lettering seems to be more treasured than ever as it inspires wedding invitation and greeting card designs, as well as logos and other branding elements used in product packaging.

Although calligraphy has been around in some form for roughly 3,000 years, the term wasn’t used until around the mid-15th century after the introduction of printing in Europe. A clear distinction emerged between normal handwriting and more elaborate forms of script or lettering. One may assume that the creation of printing ended the tradition of handwritten books, but according to Britannica, publications such as musical scores, scientific notation and other specialized works continued to be handwritten well into the 19th century.

BEESWAX CANDLES Candles have been used as a source of light and to illuminate celebrations for more than 5,000 years, yet little is known about their origin.

The National Candle Association offers a backstory. “The earliest use of candles is often attributed to the Ancient Egyptians, who made rushlights or torches by soaking the pithy core of reeds in melted animal fat. However, the rushlights had no wick like a true candle.

While the Egyptians were using wicked candles in 3,000 B.C.E., the ancient Romans are generally credited with developing the wicked candle before that time by dipping rolled papyrus repeatedly in melted tallow or beeswax. The resulting candles were used to light their homes, to aid travelers at night, and in religious ceremonies.”

Early settlers at Jamestown received honeybees as ships’ cargo in 1622, allowing them to use bees to produce honey and wax, including to make candles to light the night.

Jamestown Settlement’s

Ships Crew & Volunteers Make Preparations for Getting Underway

Volunteer sailing program crew members Mike Hill and Ken Robinson are joined by ships historical interpreters Jared Sapp and Lukas Hagele in furling the main sail aboard the Discovery during an April sail training session.

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t’s quite an undertaking to ready a wooden square-rigged ship at Jamestown Settlement, where a dedicated maritime and volunteer crew work year-round to keep the fleet of three re-created 17th-century vessels afloat.

After three years, the maritime crew is returning to normal operations and preparing to relaunch its volunteer sailing program and head back on the water to reach ports across the Chesapeake Bay for community and education events.

Veteran volunteers are learning the ins and outs of operating a square-rigger with 1600s technology, and a handful of new volunteers are eager for their first opportunity to sail.

Volunteer sailing program crew members Jeannie and Toby Kinnett and Pete Moxon work together to brace, or turn, the Discovery’s main yard and sail.

Jamestown Settlement’s Godspeed is scheduled to return this year to the Norfolk Harborfest® on June 10-12, featuring a prominent role in the event’s Parade of Sail. In the fall, the Godspeed is slated to join in the Sultana Downrigging Weekend Festival in Chestertown, Md., October 28-30, and the Urbanna Oyster Festival on November 4-5.

Jamestown Settlement sailing volunteers exemplify the motto “Ship, Shipmate, Self.” When operations were anything but normal during COVID-19 shutdowns, a cadre of volunteers safely cared for the three ships by working in small teams each day to ensure social-distance protocols and accomplish a minimum level of routine maintenance.

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Shaped Timbers of Live Oak Support Ship Repairs The Maritime Services team coordinated with Historic Fort Monroe to acquire several pieces of live oak compass timbers, or curved timbers, and a pine crook which were from matured trees Volunteer sailing program crew members Toby Kinnett and Jim Eppes tie a rope gasket in place while furling the Discovery’s mizzen sail.

In an average year, sailing crew members contribute more than 8,500 volunteer hours to support the three-member maritime maintenance staff with laborious tasks to sustain and sail the ships. The three ship re-creations moored along the James River are now decades old and require ongoing upkeep, with the Susan Constant built in 1990, the Godspeed in 2006 and the Discovery, 2007.

Behind the scenes, the volunteer sailing crew works to tar ropes and lines for rigging, and scrape, sand, paint and varnish masts and yards, climb into the rigging to readjust sails and secure lines on the main deck, and assist with engineering and electrical work.

taken down inside Fort Monroe.

Pieces are being prepared for storage, with a plan to use this material for Susan Constant repairs. While the material is "seasoning" or drying, one piece is being used at the ships’ pier

In order to be eligible to sail and earn their “sea legs,” volunteers must complete introductory volunteer training, contribute a minimum of 32 hours of maintenance on the ships, and complete another 32 hours of ship-specific training. Special volunteer sailing crew weekends consist of Saturday training days and Sunday maintenance days, and volunteers also can assist with weekday maintenance.

shelter for maritime interpretation

Jamestown Settlement ships welcome thousands of visitors each year at the museum who climb on board to learn about the 1607 English voyage to Virginia. Beyond efforts at the museum to preserve the ships for interpretation, volunteer sailing crew members are needed throughout the year to support a busy training season and to serve on outreach voyages as ambassadors for the official fleet of the Commonwealth.

times for shipbuilding in America

Want to join the JYF volunteer sailing crew? Contact Volunteer Services at ovs@jyf.virginia.gov.

– Hank Moseley, Marine Maintenance Technician

to explain to the public how these unusually shaped timbers were harvested and used in colonial

and England.

– Eric Speth, Director of Maritime Services

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They’re Back!

Student Groups Return to JYF Museums for Hands-On, Experiential Learning Sounds of eager student groups are echoing once again through the museum spaces at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, where groups are ready for a fascinating excursion into America’s past.

Student groups are back and returning in droves to the museums for a range of hands-on and experiential learning adventures, with an estimated 76,000 students anticipated by the end of June.

That’s a whopping number of students based on the current education staffing levels as the JamestownYorktown Foundation moves further into recovery from the pandemic, and much larger number than the team initially anticipated for the year.

comparisons between the past and today while discovering diverse stories of the people who experienced these historic events. Students take part in Powhatan techniques of scraping a deer hide using an oyster shell, using lead line to determine the depth of the water at the ships’ pier, transforming flax fibers into usable materials at the Revolution-era farm, and enlisting in the Continental Army.

Educators challenge students to think critically about primary sources as they make discoveries together through facilitated discussions that make the past relevant to students today.

– Felicia Abrams, School Programs Manager

Group educators assist student groups during a typical museum visit to cover content related to the Powhatan Indians, English and West Central African cultures, and how these cultures adapted, overcame challenges and the relevance and impact of these interactions in society today.

Many student groups have already discussed these general topics in their classrooms through an outreach program before arriving at the museums.

Once here, group educators don’t just talk about the past, they engage students in active learning through questions, student engagement and hands-on activities that draw

Teacher Appreciation Summer

Pack up the car or jump on a plane and take a trip to the past during Teacher Appreciation Summer at Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. School teachers and educators have been through a lot in recent years. As a thank you, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation is offering free admission to both museums this summer for classroom teachers and one guest during June 1-August 31, 2022. Educators MUST show visitor services a valid school identification from the past year to receive free admission, along with a small bag of teaching objects to take back to the classroom. jyfmuseums.org/learn

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Virtual Teacher Workshops Reach Teachers Nationwide Teachers from as far away as New York, South Carolina and California are joining Virginia educators in learning about America’s beginnings from the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.

Jessica Pedrick, digital curriculum specialist, was among the educators who presented virtual teacher workshops on early American history.

For the past two years, teachers from across the country have dedicated one evening each month to explore early American history and learn teaching strategies.

Approximately 80 teachers attended six virtual teacher workshops this academic year. JYF educators and curators explored a range of topics, from Powhatan culture and Virginia Indians today, the first recorded West Central Africans at Jamestown and the transatlantic slave trade, to propaganda during the American Revolution and the role of women during the war.

Each 90-minute program is formatted to provide historical context coupled with a conversation on how these topics can be presented in the classroom. During a session on espionage during the Revolution, teachers not only learned about various spy techniques, but tried their hand at cracking a virtual spy code specifically created for the session. Participants were eager to share the interactive activity with their students.

Following each session, teachers are provided with additional resources to facilitate further research, digital resources for their classroom, and a certificate of participation they can submit for recertification points.

These virtual offerings will continue in the upcoming school year and will be joined by similar opportunities to dive deeper into specific aspects of the history and cultures that connect us all.

– Anne Marie Baker, Teacher Programs Manager

Virginia History Day

Jamestown Settlement hosted the Virginia History Day Regional Competition for District 6 in March, with 108 students registering for the competition.

Under the theme “Debate & Diplomacy,” student projects featured exhibits, documentaries, websites and historical papers on a variety of topics. JYF education staff augmented the experience with an interactive learning station that demonstrated how science can inform understanding of the past.

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STAFF AND DONOR SPOTLIGHT: For Norm and Barb Fuss, their passion for teaching at and Norm and Barbara Fuss giving back to the museums all relate to supplying students

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hen Norm and Barbara Fuss retired from their positions as a chemical engineer and a healthcare patient representative more than 20 years ago, they had no idea that they would soon be leading groups of schoolchildren around our living-history museums, answering relentless questions about American history.

with the edge they need to “think outside the box.”

At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, Barb often asks students if they would indeed have the courage to

Yet, it’s not just the students they teach who are learning. Since 2001, the Fuss’ have served as museum educators at JYF, and delight in how they are the ones who have “learned more and more every day.”

“The best part is when that light bulb goes off,” said Barb, as her face lit up while relating stories about a recent tour. “It really makes it worthwhile.”

The Fuss’ have given JYF not only their time and talent, but their treasure as dedicated donors since 2004.

When asked about their loyal giving, Norm shared that they donate because they believe in the purpose of the institution. In fact, when Norm noticed that the reproduction items that museum educators use on tours to bring history to life for students were becoming worn, he took it upon himself to donate his own hand-made bone needles and fish hooks.

It was a project, Barb noted, that proved to be a rather smelly job.

In another vein, Norm also constructed a working Revolutionary War redoubt model to use for educational programs, consulting his own library of 18th-century engineering manuals to bring this aspect of history to life.

Visitors may see him at popular events, such as Liberty Celebration and Yorktown Victory Celebration, demonstrating the importance of these fortifications in military strategy and defense.

join in signing the Declaration of Independence, noting all that was at stake. “Older kids are great because you can really challenge them,” she said, explaining that many students’ perceptions about history and how these events impacted people’s decisions are transformed when they look at them through a different lens.

The couple’s enthusiasm for the museums is palpable the second you sit down with them. An ad in the paper for a part-time museum job changed their lives as they subsequently became among JYF’s most loyal supporters, Norm explained. “We’re having fun by doing good.”

Join Norm and Barb in giving to the JYF Annual Fund to support our education programs with a variety of giving options to make history happen for students today. Learn more at jyfmuseums.org/donate.

– Morgan Culbertson, Director of the Annual Fund

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Learning in the Trenches Norm Fuss, shown at right, constructed a miniature Revolutionary War redoubt, complete with trenches, woven gabions and tiny soldiers, to illustrate the importance of these fortifications in military strategy and defense at the Siege of Yorktown. Using his own library of 18th-century engineering manuals, Fuss developed the model as a hands-on learning tool to bring this aspect of history to life for visitors of all ages during special events, such as Liberty Celebration in July and Yorktown Victory Celebration in October.

Now on Display: John Smith’s ‘Generall Historie’

For those planning a trip to North America in the 1600s, Captain John Smith’s “The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles” was regarded as one of the primary sources for those who had never been to the continent. Now on display at Jamestown Settlement, the book remains one of the most important surviving records of the early English colony and of the Indigenous people of Virginia.

First published in 1624, Smith’s “Generall Historie” was so popular that it was reprinted five times by 1632. It contains Smith’s accounts of the founding of Jamestown in 1607, his capture and rescue through the intervention of Pocahontas, observations of the time he spent in Virginia in 1606-1609, and explorations of the New England coast in 1610-1617. This rare 1627 edition, acquired through private funds to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc., features four fold-out plates, including a map of Virginia with five vignettes from Smith’s adventure, a map of Virginia illustrating the Jamestown settlement and principal Indian towns, a map of the Summer Isles (Bermuda), and a map of coastal New England. It also features the bookplate of Benedict Leonard Calvert, second son of the 4th Lord Baltimore, who served as Governor of Maryland in 1727-1731. Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, JYF 38463.

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Remember, Remember the 5th of November...

‘Reign & Rebellion’ Double Exhibition to Explore

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n November 5, 2022 the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation will open two special exhibitions which jointly explore the legacies of the Stuart monarchs on the evolution of early Virginia.

Curators, educators and outside content experts have been hard at work honing the exhibits formerly known as “Stuarts! The Dynasty That Won & Lost America” into a more impactful and place-based story. Under the new moniker of “Reign & Rebellion,” the special exhibitions now shift your gaze away from the royals themselves and focus more clearly on the struggles and determination of those who lived in the colony during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Importantly, the exhibits consider a timely question—what can we learn about our present by looking at our shared past?

From 1607 through 1776, royal appointees, immigrants, Indigenous Virginians, and enslaved and free Africans and their descendants navigated a complex web of religion, politics and power that came together in Virginia, both because and in spite of Virginia’s shared history under the Stuarts. In creating a new government, Founding Fathers did much to rid themselves of Stuart-era legacies, prioritizing the separation of church and state, religious freedom for all, and no taxation without representation.

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the Stuart Monarchs’ Impact on Virginia Yet, Founding Fathers did not untangle Virginia from the slave trade and dependence on the institution of slavery, which became a codified part of society in the Stuart era.

Ideas about racial inequality and the unfair treatment and attempted cultural genocide of Indigenous Virginians continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Religious freedom and the function of government, the separation of church and state, and our ongoing reckoning with racial injustice and social inequality are all legacies of the Stuart era which continue to impact Virginia today.

Virginia—with all of its complexities—is a product of its Stuart-era past. Even the Commonwealth’s nickname,

The Old Dominion, hints at the Stuart monarchy’s role in Virginia history.

It’s only fitting that the museums explore this shared past as we look toward commemorating America’s 250th anniversary of declaring independence from Great Britain— an act which can be said to have had its roots in Virginia’s relationship to the Stuart monarchs. This year, remember, remember the fifth of November, and join us at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown to explore our intricate heritage in “Reign & Rebellion.” ­– Katherine Egner Gruber, Curatorial Manager

Weaving is a visual element in the special exhibition’s bold design used to connect the past to the present. Exhibition planners envision Virginia under the Stuarts as a tapestry, woven of many distinct fibers, both a part of and separate from each other, seemingly complete on the surface but underneath tangles, holes and patches evidence a work in progress. “Reign & Rebellion,” supported in part by James City County and York County, is being designed by The PRD Group with fabrication by Capitol Museum Services.

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THE REACH

Collaborating Across Museum Communities & Institutions

Staff members at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation are collaborating with museum organizations and professionals across the country – sharing ideas, sharpening skills and shaping new ways to engage audiences in ways that are meaningful and relevant.

A myriad of professional partnerships and memberships among the JYF team extend from the national level with the American Alliance of Museums and American Association for State and Local History to synergy statewide with the Virginia Association of Museums and Virginia Forum.

And, there are opportunities to exchange scholarship on a range of disciplines and specialties, from ships to sheep.

As part of the American Association for State and Local History’s efforts to deepen the conversation around Reframing History, JYF Executive Director Christy Coleman is co-hosting a Reframing History Podcast. JYF is represented on the Virginia Association of Museums’ Governing Council, and several staff members are working toward a VAM Certificate in Museum Management.

With the approach of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commemoration in 2026, JYF is partnering with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Colonial National Historical Park and Jamestown Rediscovery to develop

community programs, share resources and establish longer-term initiatives to support regional organizations.

This past year, Curatorial Services staff took part in Colonial Williamsburg’s 74th annual Antiques Forum and presented a lecture on Catholic iconography. Staff has engaged with the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture in scholarship about Virginia’s Indigenous people, as well as participated in episodes in “Ben Franklin’s World” podcasts.

A historical interpreter in Jamestown Settlement’s re-created fort presented a session this past spring at the Art of Armor Virtual Conference, hosted by History Live!

North East, alongside scholars from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Wallace Collection in London.

American Revolution Museum at Yorktown farm interpreters attended the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in May to not only obtain fleeces and natural dye ingredients, but to explore the management and care of sheep to study the feasibility of introducing a heritage breed at the museum.

JYF is expanding its reach and impact at the museums through these vital collaboration efforts. Engage with JYF at jyfmuseums.org or (757) 253-4838.

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JYF WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Board of Trustees recently welcomed new and reappointed members from the Virginia House of Delegates during its semi-annual meeting May 4.

DELEGATE AMANDA E. BATTEN Del. Batten represents the 96th District. First elected in 2019, she serves as caucus chair of the House Republicans. She is a member of the House Commerce and Energy, Rules, Education and Public Safety committees, as well as the Commission on Civic Education and the Governor’s Aerospace Advisory Council. She is a James City County Ruritan member and serves on the boards of the Virginia Symphony Society and the Colonial Virginia Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

DELEGATE GLENN R. DAVIS, JR. Del. Davis represents the 84th District, currently serving as chair of the House Education Committee. He is a current member of the House Appropriations, Public Safety, and Communications, Technology and Innovation committees. During his tenure, he has earned numerous awards, including Virginia Chamber of Commerce Freshman Legislator of the Year, the Small Business Advocate Award, Champion of Free Enterprise Award, and the Advancement of Innovation and Technology Award.

DELEGATE HYLAND F. "BUDDY" FOWLER, JR. Del. Fowler represents Virginia’s 55th House District, serving as vice chair on the House Finance Committee.

He is a member of the General Laws Committee and the Agriculture, Chesapeake and

Natural Resources Committee, and an appointed member of the Virginia Board of Veterans Services, Joint Sub-committee on Block Grants, History of Enslaved African Americans in Virginia, and the Volunteer Firefighters and Rescue Squad Workers’ Service Program.

DELEGATE M. KEITH HODGES Del. Hodges represents the 98th District. Elected in 2011, Hodges is chair of the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee, and serves as a member of the Health, Welfare and Institutions, Communications, Technology and Innovation, and Appropriations committees. He owns Gloucester Pharmacy and is a volunteer pharmacist at the Gloucester-Mathews Free Clinic.

DELEGATE DELORES L. MCQUINN Del. McQuinn represents the 70th District and currently serves as the Minority Caucus Sergeant at Arms, and a member of House Appropriations, Transportation and Education committees. Rev. McQuinn, a former member of the Richmond School Board and Richmond City Council, is an associate minister with the Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Richmond.

DELEGATE KENNETH R. PLUM, CHAIRMAN OF JYF BOARD OF TRUSTEES Delegate Plum represents the 36th District and is the chairman emeritus for the House Democratic Caucus.

He currently serves as chair

The semi-annual joint meeting of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Board of Trustees and Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors in May welcomed new members at a social reception at Jamestown Settlement in advance of regular business meetings. At right, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a new ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees, toured gallery exhibits, including a section on the history of government and leadership in early Virginia. Photo by Janel Sears.

of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee. In addition, he is a committee member on Appropriations, Communications, Technology and Innovation, Public Safety committees, as well as the Joint Legislative Audit Review Committee and Joint Commission on Technology and Science.

DELEGATE PHILLIP A. SCOTT Del. Scott represents the 88th District. First elected in 2021, he serves as a member of House committees on Health Welfare and Institutions, Privileges and Elections, and Counties, Cities and Towns, as well as the Disabilities Commission and the Rappahannock River Basin Commission.

DELEGATE LUKE E. TORIAN Del. Torian, who previously served on the JYF Board of Trustees, represents the 52nd District. First elected in 2009, he is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, serving as chair in 2020-2022, the General Laws Committee and the ABC/Gaming Subcommittee. He is chair of Virginia’s Minority Business Commission and vice chair of the Major Employment and Investment Project Approval Commission. He is a minister at the First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries.

Gubernatorial appointment applications to serve on the JYF Board of Trustees are available at commonwealth.virginia.gov/va-government/ boards-and-commissions.

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on this date in

JYF HISTORY October 16, 1957

On October 16, 1957, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II addressed nearly 40,000 people on the mall at Jamestown Festival Park as part of a visit to Virginia in honor of the Commonwealth’s 350th anniversary celebration of the founding of Jamestown. Queen Elizabeth II, along with her late husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, toured Jamestown Festival Park in 1957 to view new museum exhibits and outdoor settings depicting America’s first permanent English colony. Their 1957 visit also included a tour of Jamestown Island and events at the College of William & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg.

The royal couple returned to Jamestown Settlement, formerly known as Jamestown Festival Park, on May 4, 2007 for the 400th anniversary of Jamestown’s founding, with military salutes and dramatic presentations. Developed in partnership with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the program chronicled the four centuries of history connecting Britain and America and enduring legacies.

2022 marks Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in celebration of her historic reign as the first British Monarch to mark 70 years of service.

The Royal Palace celebrated the milestone with a Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend on June 2-5.

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Ways To Give Planned Giving Creating a legacy to benefit our museums for years to come can be done either directly or through a gift model that can provide tax benefits and even income. Contact a member of our Development team to learn more about: • Bequests • IRA Rollover • Beneficiary Designation Gifts

Annual Fund Your gift goes to work immediately to help us meet our educational mission. The Annual Fund serves our most immediate needs. There are a variety of ways to make your gift today: • Send a check in the enclosed envelope • Make a gift online at jyfmuseums.org/donate • Stocks and Securities • Donor Advised Fund

Make your impact today. Contact us at giving@jyf.virginia.gov or (757) 253-4139.

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calendar of EVENTS

Juneteenth

JUNE 18 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT, celebrate Juneteenth a day early with a special 90-minute program featuring music, dance, spoken word performances and dramatic presentations. Atumpan Dance Theatre will open the event with a drum call and traditional African libation ceremony followed by a variety of performers who will take the stage to interpret the theme “what freedom means” and showcases poets and spoken-word artists from Teens With a Purpose, including Virginia’s rising youth poet laureates.

Liberty Celebration

JULY 4 AT AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM AT YORKTOWN, salute the 246th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence through immersive gallery exhibits, films, special interpretive programs and artillery demonstrations.

Director’s Series: Dr. Keisha Blain

JULY 27 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT, join Executive Director Christy S. Coleman and Associate Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh Dr. Keisha Blain to explore Black freedom struggles and their impact on American history and culture. Fourth in the six-part 2022 Director’s Series offering enlightening conversations with some of the nation’s prominent scholars and public figures, a separate ticket is required and must be purchased in advance online to attend this thought-provoking evening program.

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First Africans Commemoration

AUGUST 20 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT, take part in an afternoon of reflection, artistic expression and community conversation at Jamestown Settlement honoring the first recorded Africans brought to Virginia in 1619.

Permanent gallery exhibits and films chronicle the first African arrival, development of the transatlantic slave trade and the evolution of a new African American culture.

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Yorktown Victory Celebration

OCTOBER 15 AT AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM AT YORKTOWN, explore Revolutionary War exhibits, interpretive programs and artillery firings to mark the 241st anniversary of America’s momentous victory at Yorktown.

Director’s Series: Winona LaDuke

SEPTEMBER 21 AT JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT, join Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Executive Director Christy S. Coleman and internationally renowned activist Winona LaDuke to explore efforts to deploy Indigenous techniques to stem climate change. Fifth in the six-part 2022 Director’s Series offering enlightening conversations with some of the nation’s prominent scholars and public figures, a separate ticket is required and must be purchased in advance online to attend this thought-provoking evening program.

MORE 2022 EVENTS & PROGRAMS Family Frights • October 21 & 22 | “Reign & Rebellion” Special Exhibition • Opens November 5 Museums open year-round 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Tours and ticket information available at jyfmuseums.org/visit or call (757) 253-4838. Check out the complete calendar at jyfmuseums.org/events.

YOUR GIFT HELPS GROW OUR FUTURE. Make your gift today at jyfmuseums.org/donate.