Visit Americas Historic Triangle
America’s Historic Triangle in Virginia
The corners of Virginia’s Historic Triangle mark major events in the story of colonial America. Linked by the scenic 23-mile Colonial Parkway, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown were important stops on our nation’s journey from the first English settlement to the final battle that secured liberty and independence for the citizens of the new nation.
In 1606, England’s King James I granted a charter to a group known as the Virginia Company, whose mission it was to establish an English settlement in the Chesapeake region of the New World. In 1607, three ships landed at Cape Henry, Virginia, and proceeded up the river to establish the first permanent English settlement in America. To honor the king who sent them, the explorers named the river the James, and the settlement Jamestown.
British cannon at Yorktown with the engraving "Surrended by the capitulation of Yorktown Oct. 19, 1781"
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In 1699, the capital of Virginia colony moved to Williamsburg, a city that became the capital of Great Britain’s largest and richest colony. It was here that patriots such as Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington pursued lives of public service, and the idea of a free and independent country began.
The Declaration of Independence signed in 1776 eventually led to a revolution that ended with the Battle of Yorktown, where, in 1781, the Continental Army defeated British General Cornwallis and his Redcoats in the last great engagement of the war, ending King George III’s tyranny over the 13 original colonies and fulfilling the promise of July 4, 1776.
Today, in Virginia’s Historic Triangle, visitors walk along the path of freedom and linger in the footsteps of the ordinary men and women – black, white, and Native American; conquered, slave, and free – who created a new country. In Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown Settlement, Colonial Williamsburg, the Yorktown Battlefield, and the Yorktown Victory Center, we revisit the birthplace of our nation.
Church tower in Historic Jamestowne
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Historic Jamestowne
Historic Jamestowne offers many activities for exploring the first permanent English settlement in North America. Take a guided walk of the New Towne area along the James River; visit the reconstructed 17th century Memorial Church and share the moment of discovery with archaeologists at the 1607 James Fort excavation and watch costumed glassblowers demonstrate the production of 17th-century glass. The visitor center includes an introductory film, a museum store, and exhibits. The National Park Service and APVA Preservation Virginia jointly administer Historic Jamestowne.
Learn more: Historic Jamestowne
Recreation of the interior of a Powhatan hut at the Jamestown Settlement
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Jamestown Settlement
At Jamestown Settlement, you’ll enjoy a unique blend of indoor exhibits and outdoor re-creations depicting the fascinating story of Jamestown. Board replicas of the original ships to learn what 17th-century explorers endured on their passage to the New World. Discover the world of Pocahontas and the Powhatan Indians in a re-created Indian village. A comprehensive indoor museum and film document the colony’s birth and growth in rich detail. At the Yorktown Victory Center, you can trace America’s struggle for independence form the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of a new nation through thematic exhibits. In two re-created areas, a Continental Army encampment and a 1780s farm, costumed interpreters demonstrate what it was like to live in the Revolutionary period.
Learn more: Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center
The Moore House in Yorktown
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Yorktown
A Yorktown Battlefield visit begins at the visitor center with the 16-minute film “Siege of Yorktown.” View George Washington’s military tents and artifacts from the siege, and take a guided tour of the battle area and 18th-century Yorktown and the Nelson House. Drive a seven-mile battlefield tour along American and French siege lines and see where the surrender took place. The National Park Service administers Yorktown Battlefield.
Learn more: Yorktown Battlefield
The Colonial Parkway in the spring
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Colonial Parkway
Colonial Parkway is a 23-mile scenic roadway stretching from the York River at Yorktown to the James River at Jamestown, connecting Virginia’s historic triangle – Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown and operated and maintained by the National Park Service.
Learn more: Colonial Parkway
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