Jamestown Maps

These maps of Jamestown, the original fort, island, and other locations of the first permanent English settlement are used in our Early Settlers Unit Study.

On the Other Side of the Atlantic Ocean

The trade winds provided the route across the Atlantic to Virginia and the West Indies.

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On the Chesapeake Bay

The first English settlement was on the island of Roanoke. During their explorations, the English determined the Chesapeake Bay would be a better location for a settlement due to its deep waters. The reason the first colonists were abandoned on Roanoke and the fate they met their continue to be debated and investigated.

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Here is the location of the first two settlements imposed over the modern states.

John Smith's 1612 Map

Smith's map is a bit hard for modern eyes to read with it's significant detail. The colors highlighted above show some of the important points for the Powhatan Confederacy as well as the location of Jamestown Island.

Our unit study students have the fun of searching for numerous fascinating details on this map. (Including the homes of chieftains, Smith's shallop, and a sea monster.)

Bermuda, the Sea Venture, and the 3rd Supply

The third English settlement at Bermuda is not part of the United States. It did, however, play an important role in the survival of Jamestown Colony.

Jamestown Island

Jamestown was located on a low, marshy island. With no fresh water, the island was a terrible choice. The fort they built, however, served them well in the years it was in use.

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Nearby locations were the site of numerous dramas; as the settlers explored and made friends and enemies of the natives who had lived along the Powhatan River for generations.

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The location of the walls of the fort which were only discovered in the last few years.

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Virginia First Legislative Assembly

The First Legislative Assembly of Virginia met in July and August 1619 as ordered by the new Great Charter of 1618. By this time there were eleven settlements who sent representatives and the percentage living in Jamestown was low. It was now referred to as James City (a name that did not stick) and was the site of this historic assembly. While the old fort and marshy island continued to diminish in importance after the first decade, it's palisaded walls protected its inhabitants in the 1622 massacre. Shortly after, the fort disappeared to historians until recently discovered.

Students participating in the unit study get to uncover old maps and exciting clues as they retrace the stories of the Jamestown settlement and the lost colonists of Roanoke.

Get the Early Settlers Unit Study

Explore scenes of native life, evaluate reasons for settling the new world, search for clues to the fate of the lost colonists, join the John Smith scavenger hunt on the 1612 Map of Virginia, sail with Strachey on the ill-fated Sea Venture, look for the location of old forts, and vote in the first legislative assembly.

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Clyde Bulla's Historical Fiction of Jamestown & the Sea Venture