1608 Church

Excavations here unearthed the remains of the first substantial Jamestown church, built in 1608. The large post-in-ground building was identified by the spacing of several major structural posts matching the dimensions recorded by Secretary of the Colony William Strachey in 1610. Four burial shafts have been identified in what would have been the church's chancel, where the most prominent individuals would have been buried. This church was the scene of one of the most significant weddings in American history, when Chief Powhatan's favored daughter, Pocahontas, married planter John Rolfe in April of 1614. Their union marked the beginning of a time of peace between the English and the Powhatan Indians.

Virginia · United States