This May marks the 414th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Long heralded as the first permanent English colony in America, Jamestown initially began as an English business venture. Though it ended up being a financial failure, it proved to be a win for human freedom. A straight line can be traced from its founding to the establishment of American democracy.

Though four centuries separate us from those events, Jamestown's fascinating past is brought to life at sites across Hampton Roads, including First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach and the Jamestown Settlement and Historic Jamestowne on the Peninsula. Each year, over three million tourists from around the world come to Hampton Roads' historical sites to experience the story of Jamestown.

That story began in December 1606, when a group of British entrepreneurs formed the Virginia Company of London to mine North America for the gold and other precious materials they believed could be found there in abundance. After James I, King of England, granted the company a charter for a massive parcel of land on the Eastern Seaboard, three ships-under the command of Captain Christopher Newport-were hired to sail a number of the hopeful entrepreneurs and their employees to the New World to set up operations.

On April 26, 1607, after three months at sea, this company of 105 English men and boys landed on a stretch of beach near present-day Shore Drive. Erecting a wooden cross on its sands, they gave thanks for a safe voyage and named the area Cape Henry, after England's prince. The company stayed in the area for two weeks, exploring the nearby woodlands and having several confrontations with the Chesapeake-the native people who had inhabited the area for centuries.
Today this area is First Landing State Park-the most visited park in Virginia. With Cape Henry's historic lighthouse in the background, a stone cross marks the site where the settlers first landed. More than 19 miles of hiking trails through protected salt marsh habitat, dunes, and cypress swamps give visitors a sense of what those first settlers experienced as they explored the region more than four centuries ago.

Leaving Cape Henry, the three ships sailed up the James River to find a permanent operations site. On May 13, 1607, they chose a small island as the location for a fort. Initially called James Fort in honor of England's king, the site was soon christened Jamestown.

"The site for the fort came with several advantages and several disadvantages-many of which would not become fully apparent until much later," Historical Researcher Simon Whistler explains. "The island was an easily defendable point because of the curve of the James River. Surrounded by water on three sides, it was a great place for a fort and was thankfully free of the local population. The bad news was that local natives had not settled on the island because of its poor soil quality, lack of suitable drinking water, swampy land, and the torrent of mosquitos that populated the area."

By June 15, the men had erected a triangular fort with a storehouse, a church, and several wooden houses. A governing council was then established, made up of seven men who had been secretly selected by the owners of the Virginia Company before the ships left England. One week later, Captain Christopher Newport set sail for England, intending to bring back supplies for the fledgling colony and settlers to bolster their numbers.

"In all likelihood, Newport must have had an air of confidence in Jamestown as the small fort disappeared behind him," Simon Whistler notes. "Sadly, life in the New World proved unspeakably difficult, and within just a few months, about 80 percent of those left behind had died."

The settlers' first job was to make a profit for the stockholders of the Virginia Company. Although they were disappointed that gold did not wash up on the beach and gems did not grow in the trees, they realized there was great potential for wealth of other kinds in their new home.

"When the first settlers reached the shores of Virginia, the thing that struck them was the unlimited extent of natural resources," Historian H. W. Brands explains. "They knew that the forest went back as far as anyone had ever been. They knew that there were fish in the rivers and enough land for generation after generation of farmers. The mindset of the English colonists changed. Until then, natural resources were a restraint. Now natural resources were a liberation."

Early industries that took advantage of Virginia's natural resources included glass manufacturing and pitch and tar production. Unfortunately, the settlers could not devote as much time to their financial responsibilities as the Virginia Company would have liked. They were too busy trying to survive.

"The first few months in Jamestown were nothing short of hellish," Simon Whistler says. "There were so many problems that it's difficult to even know where to start. Many of those who had sailed across the ocean were far from hardy adventurers. Most were upper-class Englishmen who, no doubt, probably knew how to carry themselves with great aplomb but knew next to nothing about farming or work of any kind for that matter. Some had brought servants with them who were equally unprepared for such tasks. Even if they had known how to farm, their efforts were hampered by two major obstacles. They arrived too late in the year to plant crops, and the area was experiencing its worst droughts in 700 years. Then there were rampant diseases that tore through the colony. At that point, the drinking water was being taken from the nearby river and swamp area, which invariably led to vomiting, swelling, and on many occasions, death."

"Ultimately, the goal was simple survival," Historian Aaron Sorkin explains. "This area was a wilderness, to put it mildly. The living conditions couldn't possibly have been worse. The colony barely survived."

"But there was some good news for these enthusiastic but inexperienced settlers," Simon Whistler points out. "The native population, which numbered roughly 14,000, joined together in a confederation under the control of Chief Powhatan. They proved to be more friendly than had been anticipated. The settlers had been greeted warmly with feasting, dancing, and tobacco ceremonies, and as the weather grew colder, food supplied by Powhatan proved vital in keeping the remaining settlers alive. The generosity of the native population toward the settlers was quite remarkable."

The initially good relationship between the Powhatan natives and the new English arrivals soon deteriorated, resulting in several attacks against the fort. The settlers survived, but only by the skin of their teeth.

When the first resupply ships arrived in January 1608, just over 30 settlers remained in Jamestown. This number was boosted by the arrival of 130 more settlers, but the higher number was an immediate problem because food was scarce. Things went from bad to worse for the settlers when, a few days later, a fire broke out in the fort destroying much of the supplies that had just been brought from England. Conditions quickly deteriorated with half the settlers perishing before more supplies and settlers arrived from England that October.