Frank Speck photograph collection, N12730; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
In 1919, Pamunkey Indian couple Nannie and Paul Miles, along with an unidentified child and Union Ottaway Collins holding a dog, posed on the front porch of a house on the Pamunkey Reservation in Virginia.
Less than three hours from Alexandria, you can visit Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown. The museums are following safety protocols for COVID-19 (see more information about that at the bottom of the story) and also offer a number of online offerings for students and anyone interested in Virginia history.
Opening Jan. 29 is a new exhibition, FOCUSED: A Century of Virginia Indian Resilience, a contemporary look at the resiliency of Virginia’s Native American population. It includes photographs from collections held by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, images from anthropologist Frank Speck and Baltimore Sun photographer A. Aubrey Bodine, and portraits by contemporary American Indian photographers. Additionally, the exhibit will feature objects from the permanent collection of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, like a turkey feather mantle hand-woven in the 1930s by Mollie Adams, a leading member of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe in the 1930s.
Other special events coming up in spring 2021:
- Feb. 27: After Angelo, Jamestown Settlement – Celebrate African-American culture and heritage with a day of music, song and storytelling honoring the legacy of Angelo, the first African woman named in Jamestown’s historical record. https://www.historyisfun.org/events/after-angelo/
- March 20-21: Military Through the Ages, Jamestown Settlement – Military re-enactors and modern-day units show how uniforms, weapons and military tactics evolved through the centuries. https://www.historyisfun.org/events/military-through-the-ages-2/
- May 9: Jamestown Day, Jamestown Settlement – Mark the 414th anniversary of the 1607 founding of Jamestown with interpretive programs and artillery firings. Climb aboard a Jamestown Settlement ship and see one sail, and take part in archaeological programs at Historic Jamestowne. A jointly sponsored event at Jamestown Settlement & Historic Jamestowne. https://www.historyisfun.org/events/jamestown-day-2/
History at home
If you're looking to add to your family's educational offerings, especially during the pandemic, check out these webcasts, lesson plans and more:
Tune in Wednesdays at 10 a.m. for educational webcasts about Virginia in the 17th and 18th centuries, on how and why the Powhatan tanned deer and other animal hides, and find out about officers’ individual possessions carried in their haversacks. Also, check out the museum’s other at-home offerings, which include curatorial blogs, videos, hands-on demonstrations such as how to make a twined basket, interactive activities like colonial cooking recipes and online quizzes, and, for schools, virtual classes and museums tours.
For a full list of all the museums online resources you can visit https://www.historyisfun.org/at-home/. While for all the Virtual Learning Experiences you can visit https://www.historyisfun.org/learn/virtual-learning/
Discounts and combo tickets
You can visit this page to see all the ticket options offered by the museums. Virginia residents can buy the American Heritage Annual Pass, that grants one year of unlimited admission to Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown from date of activation. The America's Historic Triangle combo ticket (limited to this winter only Jan. 2-March 15) includes all Colonial Williamsburg sites, Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown for seven consecutive days.
Safety protocols in place include:
- Masks are required indoors and encouraged in outdoor public spaces.
- Social distancing, of at least 6 feet, is encouraged between guests, individual family groups and staff.
- In the outdoor living-history areas, open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., capacity in the re-created buildings and structures, including access to one of the three ships, will be limited to a certain number of visitors at a time. Signage will indicate the number of visitors allowed at one time.
- In the indoor exhibition galleries, including our museum theaters and films, are open with limited capacities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Plexiglass shields have been placed in front of registers and public-facing counters and cash registers in the visitor services areas, gift shops and museum cafes.
- Additional hand-sanitizing stations are available throughout museum to supplement handwashing.
- Increased efforts to disinfect high-touch areas include surfaces, doorknobs and stairwells, in both the exhibition galleries and outdoor living-history areas.
More information on the museums safety protocols and social distancing procedures are available here: https://www.historyisfun.org/welcome/.
