2012 Special Programs
Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown Victory Center

November 16, 2011 - August 15, 2012: “The 17th Century: Gateway to the Modern World” Special Exhibition, Jamestown Settlement – This exhibition organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in cooperation with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation explores developments that set in motion the transition from “old” world of the Mediterranean – the center of European commerce and diplomacy since ancient times – to a new globally connected world. Artifacts from European, Asian, African and American cultures are exhibited.

February 1-29: “From Africa to Virginia,” Jamestown Settlement – Gallery exhibits, a printed family gallery guide, guided tours of the museum’s outdoor living-history areas, and lectures on February 12 and 19 highlight the culture of the first known Africans in Virginia and the experience of Africans in 17th-century Virginia.

February 11: Community Day, Jamestown Settlement – Experience the museum in a whole new light with family tours of “The 17th Century: Gateway to the Modern World” special exhibition, children’s crafts and hands-on activities.

March 17-18: Military Through the Ages, Jamestown Settlement – Re-enactment groups depicting centuries of military history join forces with modern-day veterans and active units to demonstrate camp life, tactics and weaponry. The event features a Saturday children’s parade and Sunday military pass-in-review.

May 12: Jamestown Day, a jointly sponsored event at Jamestown Settlement & Historic Jamestowne – Maritime demonstrations, military drills, archaeology and programs on English and Powhatan Indian contact, exploration and discovery mark the 405th anniversary of the 1607 founding of Jamestown, America’s first permanent English colony. Separate site admission.

June 1-30: “Seed to Stalk,” Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown Victory Center – Explore American agriculture of the 17th and 18th centuries during an interpretive theme month with hands-on activities. Throughout the month, visitors help tend and water plants and learn about the many practical uses of herbs, vegetables and field crops.

July 3-4: Liberty Celebration, Yorktown Victory Center – Tactical drills, military exercises and role-playing demonstrations salute the anniversary of America’s independence. Visitors can see in museum galleries a rare broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence dating to July 1776.

August 1-31: “Pastimes of Colonial Virginia” Theme Month, Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown Victory Center – Games, storytelling and other diversions of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia are shown through hands-on activities and interpretive programs. Visitors can play corncob darts, ninepins, quoits, mancala and nine-men’s morris.

October 20-21: Yorktown Victory Celebration, Yorktown Victory Center – Military life and artillery demonstrations mark the 231st anniversary of America’s momentous Revolutionary War victory at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. To experience Continental Army life firsthand, visitors can enroll in “A School for the Soldier” to drill with wooden muskets, apply tactical skills in mock combat, and learn about soldiers’ provisions and sleeping quarters. October 19 events feature commemorative programs and a parade in historic Yorktown and Yorktown Battlefield.

November 22-24: Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia, Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown Victory Center – Colonial Virginia foodways are featured during this three-day event beginning on Thanksgiving Day. At Jamestown Settlement, learn how food was gathered, preserved and prepared on land and at sea by Virginia’s English colonists and Powhatan Indians. At the Yorktown Victory Center, learn about typical soldiers’ fare during the American Revolution and trace the bounty of a 1780s farm from field to kitchen.

December 1-31: A Colonial Christmas, Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown Victory Center – Holiday traditions of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia are recalled through special interpretive programs. A Jamestown Settlement holiday film and guided tours compare and contrast English Christmas customs of the period with how the season may have been observed in the difficult early years of the Jamestown colony. At the Yorktown Victory Center, hear accounts of Christmas and winter in Revolutionary War encampments and glimpse holiday preparations on a 1780s farm.

2012 Public Lectures

February 12 and 19: “From Africa to Virginia” Lectures, Jamestown Settlement – February 12: “Exploring 17th-Century Virginia: Legislating Boundaries and Creating Culture,” Lauranett L. Lee, Virginia Historical Society African American History Curator. February 19: “In the Cause of Liberty: Shaping the American Ideal of Freedom,” Christy S. Coleman, American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar President. 2 p.m., Sundays, Robins Foundation Theater.

April 28 and May 19: “Virginia Economy in the 17th Century” Lectures, Jamestown Settlement – April 28: “How Tobacco Became a Commodity,” Marcy Norton, George Washington University Associate Professor of History and author. May 19: “Virginia Seeks a Crop,” Karen Kupperman, New York University Silver Professor of History and author. 7 p.m., Saturdays, Robins Foundation Theater.

June 9: “Captains, Monarchs, Philosophers, and Merchants: Picturing the 17th Century,” Jamestown Settlement – Twyla Kitts, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Literary and Teacher Programs Educator and curator of “The 17th Century: Gateway to the Modern World” special exhibition, investigates the dramatic changes in 17th-century technology and philosophy that set the stage for the modern world. 7 p.m., Saturday, Robins Foundation Theater.

September 22, October 6 and 27: Revolutionary War Lecture Series, Yorktown Victory Center – September 22: “Patriots Claim A New Destiny: Loyalists Defend Their Heritage in the United States of America,” Sarah Meschutt, Yorktown Victory Center Senior Curator. October 6: “Battle of the Capes,” John A. Tilley, East Carolina University Associate Professor of History and author. October 27: “Origins of the Constitution,” Abner (Woody) Linwood Holton III, University of Richmond Professor of History and American Studies and author. 7 p.m., Saturdays, Richard S. Reynolds Theater.

Admission: In 2012, a value-priced combination ticket to both museums is $20.00 for adults and $10.00 for ages 6-12. Admission to Jamestown Settlement is $15.50 for adults and $7.25 for ages 6-12. Admission to the Yorktown Victory Center is $9.75 for adults and $5.50 for ages 6-12. An annual pass to both museums is $35.00 for adults and $17.50 for ages 6-12. Children under 6 are free. Special programs included in admission.

Operating Hours: Museum hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily year-round (until 6 p.m. June 15-August 15). Both museums are closed on Christmas and New Year’s days.

Location: Jamestown Settlement is located on State Route 31 southwest of Williamsburg, and adjacent to Historic Jamestowne. The Yorktown Victory Center is located on Route 1020 in Yorktown, near Yorktown Battlefield. The museums are separated by a 30-minute drive along the Colonial Parkway, a National Scenic Byway.

General Information: Call (888) 593-4682 toll-free or (757) 253-4838, or visit www.historyisfun.org.

Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center are administered by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia accredited by the American Association of Museums.

1/2012