Each year on October 19, Yorktown Day commemorates the surrender of General Cornwallis’ British and German troops at Yorktown to General Washington’s Allied American and French troops in 1781 and recognize the sacrifices of those who fought to win American independence.

What did people in the 17th century do when they got sick? Join us at Jamestown Settlement to find out what an apothecary is and why he would keep a garden. Master science skills as you learn about how plants became medicines.

How did English settlers in Virginia get food in a strange land? Explore the importance of agriculture at Jamestown and learn why chickens, greyhounds and other animals lived in the fort – hint: not every animal was there to be eaten!

Are you washing your hands and clothes a lot these days? Laundry was much harder to do in the 17th century than with the washing machines of today!  Join us to discover the many steps English settlers had to take just to get their clothes clean. Find out who did the laundry in the Jamestown colony and what clothing displayed about a person’s status.

Have you ever had a tummy ache or the sniffles? Who’s the first person you go to when you do? Dr. Mom was the go-to person for help in the 18th century too! Join us to learn about 18th-century remedies for colonial ailments and find out what resources a farmer had on hand to cure you of headaches, indigestion or other unpleasantness.

18th-century baskets came in all shapes and sizes and were used for a variety of everyday chores on a colonial farm during the time of the American Revolution. Ever wonder how these beautiful baskets were made? Join our basket maker on the farm to learn the first steps in acquiring and preparing materials and getting started with weaving a basket.

What determines the shape and size of an 18th-century basket? How does it take shape and expand? How will the basket maker finish the basket? Join us as we continue to learn about the techniques and skills required to weave an 18th-century basket.

Tune in for a personal tour of Susan Constant, a re-creation of one of the three ships that brought the English colonists to Jamestown in 1607. Explore where the sailors and colonists lived, learn what they brought with them for the long voyage or to build the colony, and dive below to see spaces that are not normally open to the public.

What has a foot, earrings, and leeches? Don’t have a clew? We’ll teach you the sailor’s vernacular as you learn to set sail aboard one of Jamestown Settlement’s re-created ships.

What does it mean to navigate? What navigational tools were used to guide the ships to Jamestown in 1607? What is dead reckoning? Get the answers to these and more questions as we explore how the English navigated ships across vast oceans in the early 17th century.

Did you know that African Americans played important roles in the American Revolution? During the war, free and enslaved African Americans had difficult choices to make, and served in both the British and Continental armies. Join special exhibitions curator Kate Gruber at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown to learn about African Americans in the American Revolution.