A popular account of how the archaeological work of the last generation has given us a new understanding of the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia. I'm not as impressed as some people but Kelso does tell the story of his work on the site with great verve. ( )

As my mom likes to tell the story, back in 1994 archaeologist Bill Kelso addressed a small audience to introduce his plans for the Jamestown Rediscovery project. The lack of interest arose from the notion that all that could be learned about the early days of the settlement had already been discovered. It was popularly believed that the remains of James Fort had been eroded by the James River.

Bill Kelso proved them wrong.

Jamestown, the Buried Truth by William M. Kelso tells the story of 12 years of excavation and discovery at Jamestown. The remains of the triangular fort from Jamestown's early period 1607-1624 were there to be found, and the was just the beginning. The archaeologists uncovered remnants of the monumental effort to build a new colony in an unforgiving country fighting diseases, weather, starvation and conflicts with the native population of Tsenacomacans. The material record tells stories undocumented in the colonists records and early histories. The archaeological team may even have uncovered the remains of Bartholomew Gosnold, an early leader of the colony.

Kelso emphasizes that despite their flaws and mistakes, the Jamestown settlers were far from failures and Jamestown was not a fiasco but in fact successfully the first permanent English settlement in North America. Much to my pleasure, Kelso writes a chapter on the long, often overlooked period of Jamestown after initial settlement. From 1619-1699 Jamestown was home to the first popularly elected governmental body and served as the capital of the Virginia Colony. Kelso traces the development of that government through the traces of the five structures that served as the State House.

I'll be traveling to Virginia in a couple of weeks for the 400th anniversary of Jamestown's settlement. It should be an exciting event and a big party. More information at Jamestown 2007 and Jamestown 400. Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne (National Park Service), and Historic Jamestowne (Association for the Preservation of Antiquities) are always worth a visit, in person or online.

Other Jamestownia worth reading:

The cover story in the May 2007 edition of National Geographic is all about America in 1607.

A January 9, 2007 article in the Boston Globe about archaeological discovery of seeds, Jamestown seeds reflect survival efforts.

If you like a little fiction in your history, there's Secret Histories: The Jamestown Colony in Postmodern Fiction at The Millions (A Blog About Books). ( )

Dr. Kelso has done dug up the real Jamestown! Here is his report in a highly readable book with tons of photos from the dig. This book should be at the top of the list for anyone interested in reading about Jamestown. ( )

Dr. Kelso has done dug up the real Jamestown! Here is his report in a highly readable book with tons of photos from the dig. This book should be at the top of the list for anyone interested in reading about Jamestown. ( )

Interesting read about Jamestown. Obviously a lot of speculation based on what the archeologists have dug up around there. But it is interesting to speculate what life was like for the colonists and the trials they faced. Although I expected a bit more from it but oh well. It was an interesting read. ( )