Sunday, October 9, 2016

Thanksgiving and America's Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown in Virginia

I didn't grow up in America, so I only learned about American history after coming to the country in high school, but last Thanksgiving I visited the Greater Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle in Virginia, which consisted of three towns: Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Jamestown is the first permanent English settlement in America, so it has quite a significant place in history.

When we arrived, we went to visit the Jamestown Settlement. The Jamestown Settlement is a "living history museum" located near but not on the site of the real settlement. Walking through, you start out  at the earliest point of history: with the exhibit on the Powhatan Indians.
Jamestown
You can walk through the houses (the longhouses), and staff members were there preparing traditional foods.
Williamsburg

The Powhatans did a lot of featherwork and make them into fans, cloaks, and such.
Williamsburg
The English first came in 1607 on three ships. You can hop on the recreations of these ships at this museum as well. It had a nice idyllic view of James River.
Williamsburg
There was an exhibit on what the men would eat on the ships - these breads don't look particularly appetizing ...
Williamsburg
The best part about visiting the Settlement during/near Thanksgiving is because they prepare all the traditional foods the settlers would eat during that period, and dress up in period costumes. Sadly guests don't get to eat the food!
Williamsburg
This bizarre looking pie is called the "stargazy pie". Originally a Cornish pie, the settlers brought the recipe here. Yes, the fish are gazing upwards at the sky, hence the name.
Jamestown
The breads baked in the clay oven.
Williamsburg
Curing some pork! I wish they would let us eat it! Regardless, it was fun to see the kinds of food they would eat back then.
Williamsburg
The second day we went to visit the Historic Jamestowne, which is the original site of the first permanent English Settlement in America.
Williamsburg
The most prominent figure from Jamestowne is Captain John Smith, which is also one of the first figures I heard about early American history growing up in Indonesia - because, you know, Pocahontas.
Williamsburg
When you visit, I would recommend going on the tour (included), as the guide will give you a lot of information and history. He told us about how John Smith gained influence, showed us some burial sites and what they found there during the archaeological excavations.
Williamsburg
The church, built in 1639. This actually had replaced the first church which was destroyed by fire.
Williamsburg
Between the Powhatans and later on fighting the British, John Smith and the settlers certainly had a lot on their hands. There were internal conflicts as well, which were both religious in nature and a struggle between the lower and upper classes of society.

Later, I did a segway tour in Historic Yorktown with Patriot Tours. It was actually my first time on a segway, so I was a little nervous but it was pretty easy once I got used to it.
Williamsburg
Yorktown was more of a quaint little beach town, but also houses some historical sites. I didn't visit the Yorktown Battlefield, but enjoyed strolling around the sandy beach and cute boutiques.
Williamsburg
The beach looks out onto York river, but this is pretty close to where the river opens up to the bay.
Williamsburg
The Historic Triangle in Virginia was not originally a destination on my bucket list, but it was great and educational to spend a few days here, especially during Thanksgiving. I learned quite a bit about US history and enjoyed exploring the towns. Black Friday was a great time to walk around as it was not as crowded - most people spent the day at the nearby outlet!

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