Jamestown Church facts for kids

Exterior of the 1907 church (with graveyard in left foreground)

The Jamestown Church is a very old church in Jamestown, Virginia. It was first built with bricks starting in 1639. It's one of the oldest buildings still standing that was built by Europeans in the first Thirteen Colonies of the United States.

Today, the church is part of Historic Jamestown. It is owned by Preservation Virginia, a group that helps protect old places. Over time, several churches have stood on this spot. The church's tower is the only part still standing from when Jamestown was the capital of Virginia. The church building you see today is still used for services. Experts from the Jamestown Rediscovery project are studying the church ruins.

What is the Church of England?
How Many Churches Were Built in Jamestown?
Who is Buried at Jamestown Church?
- Burials Inside the Churches
- Burials Outside the Churches
How is the Jamestown Church Preserved?
Gallery
See also

What is the Church of England?

When the Jamestown colony was started, the main religion in England was the Church of England. This church had its own rules and ways of worship, found in the Book of Common Prayer. The settlers brought their religion with them to Virginia.

The Church of England was very important to the leaders of the London Company, who started the colony. All the men had to promise loyalty to King James before sailing. In the 1600s, religion and government were not separate, like they are today. Even though most colonists were expected to be part of the Church of England, archaeologists have found some Catholic items at Jamestown. This makes some people wonder if a few early settlers might have secretly been Catholic.

Church services at James Fort were held 14 times a week. Sermons were given on Sundays and one other weekday. There were also two prayer services every day from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, the minister taught a class called catechism in the afternoon. Later, in 1611, Deputy Governor Sir Thomas Dale made strict rules called Dale's Code. These rules said everyone had to go to church regularly. If you broke these rules, you could lose your food or even face serious punishment.

How Many Churches Were Built in Jamestown?

Digital model of the second church in relation to the current structure.

Experts from the Jamestown Rediscovery project have studied the area carefully. They believe that six churches were built in Jamestown. The first two churches were inside the original James Fort. Churches three through six were built nearby, on the same spot where the current church stands. The oldest part of any church still visible today is the brick tower, which was built in the mid-1600s.

The First Jamestown Church (1607)

Captain John Smith said that the very first church services were held outside. They used an old sail as a roof, tied to three or four trees. Soon after, in 1607, the settlers built the first church inside the fort. Smith described it as a simple building, "like a barn," made of wood, covered with straw and earth. This first church sadly burned down in a fire on January 7, 1608.

The Second Jamestown Church (1608)

Interior of the recreated second church

In 2010, archaeologists found where the second church was built. It was similar to the first one and built in the same spot. Since it was made of wood, it needed a lot of repairs. When Lord De La Warr became governor in 1610, he found the church in bad shape. He had it fixed up and made it look nicer inside. This is the special place where Pocahontas married John Rolfe on April 5, 1614. You can see a copy of this second church at Jamestown Settlement.

The Third Jamestown Church (1617-1619)

Between 1617 and 1619, Governor Samuel Argall had the colonists build a new church. It was 50 feet long and 20 feet wide. This wooden church was built near the old one. It had a foundation of cobblestones about one foot wide, topped with a single layer of bricks. You can still see these brick foundations under glass in the floor of the church today. This third church was very important because the first ever Representative Legislative Assembly met there on July 30, 1619.

The Fourth Jamestown Church (1639)

Remains of the brick tower (photographed c. 1900)

In January 1639, Governor John Harvey announced that he and other important people had helped pay for a new brick church in Jamestown. This church was a bit bigger than the third one. It was built around the old wooden church over the next few years. It wasn't finished until November 1647. Sadly, this church was burned down during Bacon's Rebellion on September 19, 1676.

The Church Tower

Around the same time the fourth church was built (sometime between 1639 and 1700), a brick tower was added to the church. It was built in two different stages. Once finished, it was about 46 feet high. It had a wooden roof, a bell tower, and two upper floors. In 1699, the church leaders asked Virginia's government for money to fix the tower and the church. A visitor in 1702 said the Jamestown church had "a tower and a bell." In the 1890s, the tower was made stronger after Preservation Virginia took care of it.

The Fifth Jamestown Church (c. 1686)

About ten years later, around 1686, a fifth church was being used. It probably used the walls and foundations of the fourth church. This church was used until the 1750s. Then, it was left empty because a new church was built about three miles away from Jamestown. The tower remained, but the rest of the building fell apart by the 1790s. Its bricks were then used to build the graveyard wall.

The Sixth Jamestown Church (1907)

The church building you see today, called the Memorial Church, was built in 1907. It was built by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. They used the original old tower as part of the new church. This new church was built just outside the old cobblestone foundations of the 1617 church and the brick foundations of the 1639 church.

The church was designed by Edmund M. Wheelwright. Its design was inspired by St. Luke's Church, another old church from 1682. The Jamestown Memorial Church was officially opened on May 13, 1907. Inside the church, you can see many plaques on the walls. These plaques remember important people from the 1600s, like Captain John Smith, Pocahontas, and John Rolfe.

Who is Buried at Jamestown Church?

Burials Inside the Churches

In July 2015, experts from the Jamestown Rediscovery and Smithsonian teams found the remains of four important early colonists. They were found in the main area of the first two churches. These four people are believed to be Reverend Robert Hunt (the first Anglican minister in America), Captain Gabriel Archer, Sir Ferdinando Wainman, and Captain William West.

Inside the brick church, there is a special headstone called the "Knight's Tomb." People think it might belong to either Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr or George Yeardley. A will from 1680 supports the idea that it belongs to Yeardley.

Burials Outside the Churches

By the early 1690s, the graveyard around the brick church covered about 1.5 acres. It even went through the ruins of James Fort. The earliest burial found here might be from the 1640s, and the latest known was in May 1807. There were probably hundreds of burials in the original graveyard. Another 50 or so people were buried in the area surrounded by the brick wall, which was built in the 1790s using bricks from the old, ruined church.

Another main burial ground is about 250 yards to the west. It's near a large wooden cross. There are probably about 300 graves there, likely from the very early days, but none of them have tombstones.

How is the Jamestown Church Preserved?

Information board at the church, 2014

The area around the church has been slowly cleared of trees and plants. This allows archaeologists to study the site better. A brick wall and iron gates in front of the church have also been removed. In 2010, archaeologists from Jamestown Rediscovery found the combined remains of the first and second churches.

A big project in 2013 and 2014 helped save the tower. Workers repaired, relaid, and sometimes replaced bricks. They used about 5,000 new bricks made by skilled workers at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. These new bricks were actually made on-site using local materials and old methods. This project was a team effort between Preservation Virginia and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to help run Historic Jamestowne.

In the summer of 2016, students helped at the Jamestown Rediscovery Lab. They uncovered old items from around the brick church site. In late 2016, archaeologists started digging inside the church. This was to get ready for the 400th anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly in July 2019.