The highlight for me this summer was going on a trip with 40 other teachers to the Colonial Williamsburg area. We left on a Friday and spent most of that day traveling. Saturday we went to Jamestown settlement and Jamestown NHP. I was super excited about the National Park part because I have a National Parks Passport and I got 3 stamps in it. It was also really cool because it was the 1st permanent English settlement in the "New World". The settlement was a recreated settlement the historical society did for the Queen's visit in 2007. I didn't realize it but when she visited in 2007 it was the 1st time an English monarch had visited the 'New World". Crazy! Jamestown park had a lot of archaeological digs going on which were really cool. I even saw where the 1st Protestant Church in the America's was located. It gave me chills. Sunday through Tuesday we spent time in Colonial Williamsburg. It is a really interesting place with all kinds of artifacts. We got the best part of the place because we were teachers - they gave us all kinds of materials to use with our students and we participated in some cool activities like a dance, witch trial, and the army (I am NOT cut out for the army!). We had some good food while we were there too. My favorite place even gave us the recipes for their sweet potato muffins and rum cream pie (DELICIOUS!). Wednesday we went to Yorktown National Park (more stamps for me!) and I saw where the US was officially born. This is where Cornwallis surrendered to Washington to end the Revolution.
Our theme for the upcoming year is the Civil War and our summer field trip will be to various battlefields (national parks and more stamps!). I am SUPER excited about this one because the Civil War is my favorite era!
My camera was acting up on the trip but here are some pictures, mostly from Jamestown.
This is a plaque about common law that was in a church at Jamestown - this will be one of the basic arguments in the Declaration of Independence
The original foundation of the church where John Rolfe and Pocahontas were married
The court house in Colonial Williamsburg
A mansion in Colonial Williamsburg
A recreation of one of the original ships to enter Jamestown
A map of the voyage of the ships from England to the Americas
Recreation of the church where John Rolfe and Pocahontas were married
The site of the 1st Protestant Church in the Americas (it was covered up because it was supposed to rain that weekend)
