WINTER 2015
DISPATCH
Newsletter of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational institution of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Midpoint Milestone
With Move to New Building, Yorktown Victory Center is Midway
in Transformation into American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
With the completion of an
establishment of a national government,
80,000-square-foot building – a distinctive
and across time to today.
new Yorktown landmark – the Yorktown
Next to the theater is a 5,000 squareVictory Center has reached a midpoint
foot-space for future special exhibitions.
milestone in its transformation into
A timeline corridor leading to the
the American Revolution Museum
museum’s outdoor living-history areas
at Yorktown.
borders a 22,000 square-foot space where
As of late winter, visitors are welcomed
construction of permanent gallery exhibits,
in a spacious two-story entrance lobby. On
planned to open by late 2016, is underway.
opposite sides of the lobby are a museum
The corridor provides a visual journey
gift shop and a café. Before entering the
from the 13 British colonies in the 1750s
ticketed area, visitors can watch a new
to westward expansion of the new United
Yorktown Victory Center orientation video
States in the 1790s. A short video at the
and find information about other area
end of the corridor introduces visitors
attractions.
to the museum’s outdoor re-created
In a 170-seat theater, until the preContinental Army encampment and
miere of new introductory film in 2016,
Revolution-era farm.
The main entrance of the new museum building directly
three films will be shown on a rotating
While work continues on the new
faces the approach to the Yorktown Victory Center.
basis, each prefaced by a 60-second preview
galleries, special visitor participatory
of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. The Road to
experiences will be offered in the corridor and nearby classrooms and
Yorktown, which debuted with the opening of the Yorktown Victory
on an outdoor event lawn. Periodic topics include military tactics,
Center in 1976 during the national Bicentennial, and A Time of Revolunationalities represented at the Siege of Yorktown, espionage, choosing
tion, shown daily since 1995, focus on the 1781 Siege of Yorktown and
sides during the Revolution, enlistment in the Continental Army, and
events that led up to it, with emphasis on the perspectives and personal
military medicine.
stories of those involved. Liberty’s Call, a new film produced by the
A section of the new museum building serves as a venue for
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation’s video production team to be added to
dynamic, interactive learning experiences for student groups as well as
the rotation this spring, combines period images with present-day interthe general public. A separate entrance provides direct access to
views to explore the American ideal of liberty from its inception to the
group check-in and five classrooms that support segments of curriculum-based structured educational programming and other museum
special programs.
A spacious entrance lobby
The building was designed by Westlake Reed Leskosky of
provides access to the gift shop,
café and exhibit areas. A statue
Cleveland, Ohio, and built by W.M. Jordan Company, Inc., of
of Nike, Greek goddess of victory,
a symbolic expression of the great Newport News. W.M. Jordan also is construction manager for new
parking areas and removal of pre-existing structures. In addition to
military victory at Yorktown in
1781, will be placed on the
public spaces, the new building houses support functions – a meeting
pedestal in the center.
and special event space with a panoramic view of the York River, staff
offices, library, historical clothing workshop,
exhibit preparation and collection storage, and
building and grounds maintenance. The 1976
museum building will be demolished this spring
after the transition to the new building is complete, making way for construction of outdoor
amenities and an expanded Continental Army
encampment and Revolution-era farm. Learn
more about the American Revolution Museum
at Yorktown at www.historyisfun.org. n
An illustrated timeline chronicles the American Revolution
period from the 1750s to the 1790s.
1
Building a Revolutionary Experience
Completion of New Museum Building Makes Way
for Development of Outdoor Areas
By Jim Holloway, Director of Museum Education Services and Operations, and Martha Katz-Hyman, Curator
As operations transition into a new museum building at the
Yorktown Victory Center, and fabricators are hard at work building
permanent exhibits for the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, exciting things are happening in the outdoor areas as well.
Designed by Guernsey Tingle Architects of Williamsburg, the outdoor
project encompasses new interpretive structures, a transitional pavilion,
and visitor amenities including restrooms, benches, pathways and water
fountains.
Enlarged Encampment
Artist’s renderings
depict the future
Continental Army
encampment
artillery demonstration area and
Revolution-era farm.
The Continental Army encampment, which will be the first site
visitors come to when they leave the building, will be significantly
larger and will include a separate drill field for hands-on tactical demonstrations and a separate artillery area with tiered seating. From the
outside, the artillery area will look like a redoubt, and as visitors step in
they will enter an amphitheater for large-scale demonstrations that can
serve more than 250 people.
New Research Supports Farm Storyline
In addition to crop fields and a kitchen garden, the farm will
include an expanded and more accurate farmhouse, a larger kitchen,
and a work shed, tobacco barn and corncrib. New to the farm will
be quarters for enslaved Africans, comprised of a small – about 10 by
12 feet – log house, swept yard and small garden, and an area to keep
chickens.
In order to plan the farm and ensure consistency in the buildings
and furnishings, the 18th-century York County family of Edward
Moss (c. 1757-c. 1786) was identified to serve as a frame of reference.
Edward was a fourth-generation member of the very large Moss family
that first settled in York County in the mid-17th century. He grew up
as an orphan; his father, James, died when Edward was about five years
old. He had a series of guardians and as a teenager was apprenticed to
his own brother, John, to learn the wheelwright trade.
Edward inherited five slaves from his father, and by the time of
his death he owned six enslaved men, women and children. This put
him in the top quarter of York County residents in terms of economic
status, by virtue of owning that many enslaved people, but in other
respects his life was very similar to that of his neighbors. He did not
own land but rather leased 200 acres from a wealthy cousin.
Between 1778 and 1782, Edward married Martha Garrow, the
daughter of one of his former guardians, and they had four children.
Edward Moss was about 30 years old when he died, the cause unknown. By the time his estate was finally settled, in 1797, his oldest
daughter was married, and his wife had remarried.
Though staff will not adopt the personas of Edward Moss or
members of his family, the story of his life will give historical interpreters the opportunity to talk about a range of topics including farm
life, the lives of enslaved African Americans, domestic life during the
American Revolution, and the meaning of family and friends in this
time period. n
2
While planning and construction of the new interpretive areas is
underway, the re-created Revolution-era farm and Continental Army
encampment are located temporarily side-by-side next to the new museum building. Historical interpreters present daily demonstrations of
herbal and military medicine, musket firings, farming and gardening,
and food preparation. Visitors will be handed army enlistment papers
as they head outdoors to the farm and encampment and may be invited to participate in military drills, join an artillery crew, take on the
role of a spy, weed and water crops, and play 18th-century games.
Philanthropic Gifts and Grants Support
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown,
Core Education Programs
The Garland and Agnes Taylor Gray Foundation, a supporting
organization of The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central
Virginia, has provided $150,000 for the American Revolution Museum at
Yorktown. With this grant, the Gray Foundation’s support for the project
totals $259,000. Private donations to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc., are supporting elements of gallery and outdoor exhibits and
educational resources for the new museum.
The Richard S. Reynolds Foundation of Richmond awarded $150,000
in support of the recent acquisition of a rare 1730s portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, one of the earliest known of an African who had been enslaved
in the British colonies that became the United States. The iconic portrait,
which will be exhibited in a section of the American Revolution Museum
at Yorktown galleries that examines life in the 13 British colonies prior
to the Revolutionary War, was secured in 2014 with an initial gift from
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Trustee Fred D. Thompson, Jr., and
undesignated private gifts to the Foundation, Inc.
The Robins Foundation of Richmond provided $25,000 for acquisition of artifacts for the new museum’s galleries. This is the fifth grant from
the Robins Foundation in support of artifact acquisitions and gallery exhibits for the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Previous grants
have supported acquisition of significant artifacts, including a June 12,
1776, Pennsylvania Gazette printing of the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
The Camp family foundations have renewed their support of the
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and Jamestown-Yorktown
Foundation educational programming with grants totaling $49,000.
Education programs, an ongoing priority, received additional gifts
and grants totaling $40,000, including $15,000 from Wells Fargo,
$10,000 from Mrs. Carolyn Condon and her late husband Robert,
The Richard S. Reynolds Foundation provided significant support for
the acquisition in 2014 of a rare 1730s portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo.
“As one of the two earliest known paintings in the world done from life of
an individual who had been enslaved in one of the British colonies that
became part of the United States, we thought this was an extremely
important acquisition for the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
and the state of Virginia,” said Richard S. Reynolds III, president of the
board of the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation.
$10,000 from the Huston Foundation, and $5,000 from Norfolk Southern.
Private funds ensure that Virginia students from all economic backgrounds
have equal access to on-site and outreach education programs. n
Redesigned Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Website Debuts
Easy navigation, integration of social media and responsive design are hallmarks of a new generation of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
website, www.historyisfun.org, launched in October. Historyisfun.org attracted 1.345 million visits in 2014, up 7.8 percent from 2013.
The home page and main sections of the new site feature a mosaic of images designed to engage consumers, educators, students and museum
supporters. Drop-down menus at the top and footer menus at the
bottom of every page provide ready access to site content, including
information about visiting Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown
Victory Center, special events and exhibitions, the forthcoming American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, educational curriculum materials,
donating in support of museum programs, and museum shopping.
Global navigation at the very top of site pages links to social media,
videos, events and ticketing, with additional pathways on main pages to
the museums’ Facebook page and All About the Revolution history blog
and to events and options for buying tickets and booking vacation
packages online.
Responsive design, which detects and accommodates the type of
device being used to access historyisfun.org, has eliminated the need for a
separate mobile site.
The new historyisfun.org site was custom-designed on a WordPress
platform by Ciniva Web Agency of Norfolk, working with a group of
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation staff. The project, overseen by a task
force comprised of members of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
and Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc., boards, was funded in
part by a Virginia Department of Transportation Enhancement
Program grant. n
3
Rare French Sword and Scabbard Acquired
for American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
An exquisitely ornamented 18th-century
French court sword and scabbard will be among
objects exhibited in a section of the American
Revolution Museum at Yorktown galleries
devoted to the French alliance that was crucial
to the winning of American independence. The
galleries are planned to open in late 2016.
The sword, complete with its scabbard
accessory, was acquired with private gifts to
the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc., at
the sale of a rare antique arms collection from
Geneva, Switzerland. The design and decoration reflects the quality of craftsmanship for
which French luxury goods of the period were
renowned. The sword’s steel hilt is gilded in gold
and chiseled with scenes, framed in scrollwork
reliefs, of birds and beasts engaged in combat.
Finely twisted silver wire encases the grip. Three
fleurs-de-lis on an azure ground, representing
the royal emblem of the kingdom of France, and
exotic birds are chiseled on the scabbard mount.
Two plain rings attached to the scabbard allowed
the weapon to be suspended from a sword belt.
The covering on the wooden scabbard – the
skin of brown spotted sand boa – prompted
special arrangements for importation into the
United States; the snakeskin had to be certified
as antique and in original condition, in compliance with the Endangered Species Act.
The sword, which likely belonged to a
French courtier because of the heraldic emblem
on the scabbard mount, has the classic form
of a functional smallsword – evolved from the
rapier – of the third quarter of the 18th century.
Wearing such a weapon was an indication of a
gentleman’s status or an officer’s rank as well as
accomplishment in fencing, a fighting exercise
described and popularized by the publication of
L’Ecole des armes in 1763. Its author, Domenico
Angelo, taught in Paris and London, where he
became fencing instructor to members of the
royal family. n
‘DIY History’ Debuts on HistoryIsFun.org
Television “do it yourself” shows are the inspiration for a new “DIY History” series
produced by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation’s outreach education and special services staff. Videos and accompanying activity pages explore the production of products in
17th- and 18th-century America and how those processes can be applied today.
The first two episodes, which
incorporate STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts,
are now on the roster of educational
videos on www.historyisfun.org.
Series host Patrick Teague discovers the importance of richly colored
clothing in colonial times and learns
how to use dye recipes from long ago
in Color to Dye For. He explores the
tea trouble Americans had during the
Revolutionary War and tries homegrown recipes for herbal brews in
Trouble Brewing.
A third episode, Sew Like a
Sailor, featuring sewing aboard 17thcentury ships, is in production. n
4
Guided by historical interpreters at the Yorktown Victory
Center, series host Patrick Teague tries out recipes for
clothing dyes and herbal teas in the first two episodes of
“DIY History.”
2019 Commemoration Steering Committee
Holds Inaugural Meeting
The newly formed 2019 Commemoration Steering Committee convened for the first
time December 9 at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. The Jamestown-Yorktown
Foundation, designated by the Virginia General Assembly as the official state agency for
commemorating the 400th anniversary of landmark events that took place in 1619, hosted
a welcome reception and subsequent meeting.
The event opened with remarks from Foundation Chairman H. Benson Dendy III,
Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, and Virginia House of Delegates Speaker
William J. Howell. Virginia Senator Thomas K. Norment and Virginia Delegate
M. Kirkland Cox, co-chairs of the Steering Committee, presided at the meeting, where
the agenda included discussions of overall commemoration themes, messaging, potential
partners and programming.
The 2019 Commemoration Steering Committee is successor to a task force appointed
in 2013 to identify initial goals and planning strategies of the commemoration. Members
of the Steering Committee, as of January 2015, are Chief Stephen R. Adkins, Sr.;
L. Ray Ashworth; Frank B. Atkinson; Dr. Warren M. Billings; Nancy N. Campbell;
Eric I. Cantor; Dr. John T. Casteen III; Stuart W. Connock; Anne Geddy Cross;
H. Benson Dendy III; Sue H. Gerdelman; Dr. James P. Horn; Senator Janet D. Howell;
Delegate S. Chris Jones;
Professor Ervin L. Jordan, Jr.;
Paul D. Koonce; Senator Mamie E.
Locke; House of Delegates Clerk G.
Paul Nardo; Dr. Cassandra NewbyAlexander; Clerk of the Senate Susan
Clarke Schaar; Delegate Christopher
P. Stolle; Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar M. Stoney; Senator John C. Watkins; H. Graham
Woodlief; and Jeanne F. Zeidler. n
Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe and Virginia House
of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell, flanked by 2019
Commemoration
Steering Committee
Co-Chairs M. Kirkland
Cox and Thomas K.
Norment, spoke at an
opening reception for
the inaugural meeting
of the Steering Committee, held December
9 at the Virginia State
Capitol.
Hampton Roundtable Expands Involvement
in Commemoration Planning
Hampton University Professor
Eric W. Claville and Norfolk
State University Professor
Cassandra Newby-Alexander,
a member of the 2019
Commemoration Steering
Committee, gave a
presentation on the “1619:
Making of America”
conference series.
The second in a series of 2019 Commemoration Planning
Roundtables took place at Hampton University December 2,
with 40 participants representing organizations such as Hampton
University, the City of Hampton, the Hampton Convention and
Visitor Bureau, the Fort Monroe Authority and Norfolk State
University. The first roundtable to gather public comments from
various groups to support planning efforts was held at the Virginia
Historical Society in October 2013.
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Executive Director Philip
G. Emerson opened the Hampton session with an overview of
the Foundation’s role in the 2019 commemoration. Norfolk State
University Professor Cassandra Newby-Alexander and Hampton
University Professor Eric W. Claville gave a presentation on the
“1619: Making of America” conference series continuing through
2019. Following facilitated small-group sessions, Hampton
History Museum Executive Director Luci Talbot-Cochran and
retired Hampton University Professor William B. Wiggins,
historian for Clio Sult Associates, reported on participant
comments.
For information about future 2019 planning events, contact
the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation executive office,
(757) 253-4493. n
Landmark Events
of 1619
• First representative legislative
assembly in British America, at
Jamestown.
• Arrival of the first recorded
Africans in Virginia.
• Recruitment of women to
settle in the Virginia colony.
• Thanksgiving precedent at
Berkeley Hundred.
5
Four Elected to JamestownYorktown Foundation, Inc., Board
T.J. Cardwell of Williamsburg and Terry E. Hall, Brian K. Skinner and Alexis Swann of
Yorktown have been elected to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors.
In support of the educational mission of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the JamestownYorktown Foundation, Inc., directs fundraising efforts for private gifts, manages an endowment,
assists with the acquisition of artifacts for the museum collections, and supports special projects and
programs.
Before retiring to Williamsburg, Ms. Cardwell served 33 years in the Senior Executive Service
with the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. She currently serves on the boards of
directors of the Bruton Parish Endowment, Muscarelle Museum of Art Foundation and Governor’s
Land Foundation. She is chair of the Muscarelle board Development Committee and co-chair of the
Muscarelle’s 2015 Wine & Run for the Roses.
Mr. Hall is chief compliance officer/senior vice president – government affairs at Ferguson
Enterprises, Inc., in Newport News, were he has worked since 1986. He is a member of the
American, Virginia and Newport News Bar Associations and serves on the Virginia Chamber of
Commerce Board of Directors, Colonial Williamsburg National Advisory Council, and William &
Mary Law School Foundation Board of Directors.
Mr. Skinner is president of TowneBank Peninsula/Williamsburg. He joined TowneBank in
2007 after 16 years in senior leadership positions with a national bank. He is chairman of the United
Way of the Virginia Peninsula Board of Directors; serves on the boards of the Hampton Roads
Economic Development Authority, Children’s Health System, Greater Peninsula NOW and An
Achievable Dream, Inc.; and is past president of the Virginia Living Museum Board of Trustees.
With more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Ms. Swann is the
Wells Fargo business banking manager for the eastern region of Virginia and Peninsula market
president. She is a member of the Christopher Newport University School of Business Advisory
Board, the Newport News Police Foundation board and Delta Sigma Theta, a public service
sorority. An advocate for youth and financial literacy, she is a volunteer and guest speaker at fairs,
schools and expos across the eastern United States. n
‘Military Through the Ages’ to Present
Centuries of Military History – and Music
Musical performances will be a highlight of Military Through the Ages March 21 and 22 at
Jamestown Settlement. The annual event attracts hundreds of re-enactors depicting soldiers from
the first to the 21st centuries.
The Federal City Brass Band (pictured), re-creating a Union Army regimental brass band
from the 1860s, is performing this year along with Ladies for Liberty, singing Andrews Sistersstyle music of the World War II era; folk musician Bob Zentz; Barry and Lynn Trott, with music
of the 17th century; David Gardner, performing 18th-century Scottish fiddle music; David and
Ginger Hildebrand, playing music of the American colonial period and the War of 1812; and the
Old Cigar Box String Band, offering songs from the American Revolution to the 20th century.
For details about Military Through the Ages, visit www.historyisfun.org. n
6
Governor Appoints Three
to Jamestown-Yorktown
Foundation Board
Nancy Robertson McNerney of McLean
was appointed by Virginia Governor Terence
R. McAuliffe for a term through June 2018 to
the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Board of
Trustees.
The governor reappointed JamestownYorktown Foundation Trustees Paul D. Koonce
of Richmond and Fred D. Thompson, Jr., of
Ashburn to the board, which is comprised of
General Assembly members, state officials and
gubernatorial and board appointees, for terms
through June 2018.
Ms. McNerney, a graduate of East
Carolina University, is co-founder of Baba’s
Pickles, a specialty food product available at
more than 20 retail outlets. She worked as an
accounts receivable manager prior to becoming a homemaker to five children and over two
decades served in numerous volunteer roles at
The Potomac School. n
Generous Gifts
to Annual Fund
Support Broad Range
of Museum Programs
Mr. and Mrs. Garland Gray II – through
the Garland & Agnes Taylor Gray Foundation, a supporting organization of The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and
Central Virginia – have renewed their membership in General Washington’s Council of The
1607 Society with a gift of $10,000 to the 2015
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc.,
Annual Fund.
Ferguson Enterprises, headquartered in
Newport News, renewed their corporate membership in General Washington’s Council with
a gift of $10,000 to the 2015 Annual Fund.
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation of
Flint, Michigan, awarded a grant of $10,000,
bringing their total grants to $20,000 for the
2015 Annual Fund.
The Annual Fund supports a variety of
museum and educational programs at Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory
Center. n
Spring Lectures Explore Varied Topics:
Royal Welch Fusiliers, Clothing of Common People,
Chesapeake Log Canoe, Lafayette’s Farewell Tour
A diverse range of topics will be
covered by four guest speakers at the
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation museums
this spring. Lectures are scheduled at the
Yorktown Victory Center on March 24 and
June 7 and at Jamestown Settlement on
April 7 and May 5.
Lieutenant General Jonathon Riley,
Ph. D, will speak at 7 p.m., Tuesday,
March 24, at the Yorktown Victory Center
on the subject of his book ‘That Astonishing Infantry’: The History of The Royal Welch
Fusiliers, 1689-2006. General Riley, who
earned a doctorate in Modern History from
Cranfield
University,
served in the
British Army
from 1973 to
2009 and in the
1990s was commanding officer
of the 1st Royal
Welch Fusiliers,
a regiment that
dates to the
17th century
and was present
at the Siege of
Yorktown in
1781. The NATO Meritorious Service Medal
and United States Legion of Merit for service
in Iraq are among General Riley’s numerous distinctions, and he continues to work
as a military technical advisor and visiting
professor. He is the author of 19 books, most
recently The Last Ironsides: The English
Expedition to Portugal, 1662-1668.
Stuart Peachey will speak at
7 p.m., Tuesday, April 7, at Jamestown Settlement on “Clothing of
the Common People in Elizabethan
and Jacobean England.” A historian
specializing in the English Civil War
and the history of food and clothing,
Mr. Peachey is director of Historical
Management Associates in Bristol,
England, a living-history consultancy
and publisher. His lecture title is from
a recently published 35-volume series
based on examination of surviving
garments, paintings and period documents. Mr. Peachey has been affiliated
with an array of television and radio
programs, including BBC’s “Tales from
the Green Valley,” a 12-part series on
farm life in 1620 filmed
at a restored historical
landscape.
Lyles Forbes, chief
curator at The Mariners’
Museum and Park, will
present “The Chesapeake Log Canoe” at
7 p.m., Tuesday, May
5, at Jamestown Settlement in connection with
the special exhibition
“Working and Racing
on the Bay: The Chesapeake Log Canoe.” The
exhibition, at Jamestown
Settlement through September 8, traces the evolution of the dugout
canoe from the 17th to the 20th centuries and
features objects from The Mariners’ Museum
collection. Mr. Forbes, who spent
much of his youth on or near the
water and developed an affinity for
sailing and boating, worked at the
Peabody Essex Museum in Salem,
Massachusetts, before joining The
Mariners’ Museum in 2000. He has
served as chief curator since 2007.
Alan Hoffman will present
“Lafayette and the Farewell Tour:
Odyssey of an American Idol”
at 1 p.m., Sunday, June 7, at the
Yorktown Victory Center. Mr.
Hoffman, who has practiced law
in Boston for 40 years, translated
and published in English Auguste
Lavasseur’s Lafayette in America in 1824
and 1825, a firsthand account of Lafayette’s
Farewell Tour of America, when he visited
all 24 states and Washington City as the last
surviving major general of the Continental
Army. The lecture will explore the full extent
of Lafayette’s extraordinary reputation based
on his military record in the Revolution, his
friendship with George Washington, and
his continued support of American interests.
Mr. Hoffman is president of the American
Friends of Lafayette and of the Massachusetts
Lafayette Society.
Admission is free to the lectures, and
advance reservations are recommended by
calling (757) 253-4572 or emailing
[email protected]. n
Detail from “Meeting of Washington and Lafayette at Yorktown,”
Georges-Jules-Auguste Cain, circa 1890, Jamestown-Yorktown
Foundation collection.
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Dispatch
Volume 29, No. 1 – printed March 2015
The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational institution of the
Commonwealth of Virginia accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, fosters through its living-history museums – Jamestown Settlement
and Yorktown Victory Center – 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.
Philip G. Emerson, Executive Director
P.O. Box 1607, Williamsburg, VA 23187
(757) 253-4838 (888) 593-4682 toll-free
www.historyisfun.org
Editor: Debby Padgett Contributing Writers: Jennifer Daley, Jim Holloway,
Martha Katz-Hyman, Sarah Meschutt, Grace Van Divender
Designer: Holly Winslow
7
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
P.O. Box 1607
Williamsburg, VA 23187-1607
Dispatch
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Yorktown, VA
Permit No. 2441
Address Service Requested
Winter 2015
What’s inside …
Midpoint Milestone.....................1
Developing the New
Encampment and Farm .............2
Grants Benefit
Museum Programs.....................3
New Website Debuts..................3
French Court Sword...................4
DIY History..................................4
2019 Steering Committee...........5
Board and Donor News..............6
Four Lectures This Spring..........7
Calendar
Through September 8, 2015
“Working and Racing on the Bay: The
Chesapeake Log Canoe”
Jamestown Settlement
Special exhibition curated by The Mariners’
Museum traces the evolution of the dugout
canoe, from the watercraft of the Powhatan
people 400 years ago to multi-log trade vessels
and work and racing boats.
March 21-22
Military Through the Ages
Jamestown Settlement
Hundreds of re-enactors spanning centuries of
military history demonstrate camp life, tactics
and weaponry. Weekend highlights include
performances of music from the 17th to 20th
centuries. See story on page 6.
March 24, 7:00 p.m.
“‘That Astonishing Infantry’: The History of
the Royal Welch Fusiliers”
Yorktown Victory Center
Lecture by Lieutenant General Jonathon Riley,
Ph. D., British Army veteran, author and
former commanding officer of the 1st Royal
Welch Fusiliers. See story on page 7.
April 7, 7:00 p.m.
“Clothing of the Common People in
Elizabethan and Jacobean England”
Jamestown Settlement
Lecture by food and clothing historian
Stuart Peachey, director of Historical
Management Associates in Bristol, England.
See story on page 7.
May 5, 7:00 p.m.
“The Chesapeake Log Canoe”
Jamestown Settlement
Lecture by Lyles Forbes, chief curator at
The Mariners’ Museum and Park.
See story on page 7.
May 9
Jamestown Day
A jointly sponsored event at Jamestown Settlement
and Historic Jamestowne
A day of fun and discovery marks the
408th anniversary of the 1607 founding
of Jamestown, America’s first permanent
English colony, with programs on Powhatan
Indian and English interactions, military
and maritime displays, family-friendly
activities, and traditional music
and entertainment.
June 1-30
“Fashion in Colonial Virginia”
Theme Month
Jamestown Settlement &
Yorktown Victory Center
Discover methods and materials used to
construct garments and how clothing styles
reflected an individual’s occupation and
status. “A Stitch in Time” weekend at
Jamestown Settlement on June 27 and 28
includes a 17th-century fashion show and
tailor demonstrations.
June 7, 1:00 p.m.
“Lafayette and the Farewell Tour:
Odyssey of an American Idol”
Yorktown Victory Center
Lecture by Alan Hoffman, translator
of Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825
and president of the American Friends of
Lafayette. See story on page 7.
Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission to special programs during operating
hours is included with museum admission. Visit www.historyisfun.org for a calendar of upcoming events.
8