Founded May 13, 1607, old “James Towne” was the first permanent English settlement in America. It saw the beginning of many of the nation’s institutions, including representative government, and it was the Capital of Virginia until 1699. This part of Jamestown has been owned and preserved since 1893 by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the APVA grounds and the Jamestown section of Colonial National Historical Park embrace all of Jamestown Island.