Memories of Jamestown

One year ago today was the final day of the Jamestown Quadricentennial celebration. An exhilarating week of storytelling, meeting great men from both the present and past, and most of all exulting in God's mercy and faithfulness was finally coming to a glorious finish, literally ending with a bang. An incredible fireworks display finished off the event, coming right after the the play depicting the Marriage of Pocahontas.

Looking back on the event, here are some of the highlights that stood out to me: Hearing inspiring songs from Charlie Zahm, such as Dixie and the Blacksmith of Brandywine, stirred us to greater heights of courageous manliness. I also got to shake the hands of great men who spoke and taught at the Jamestown Quadricentennial, like Mr. Phillips, Dr. Morecraft, and Col. Eidsmoe. As they took me back into history I also got to "meet" the great men and the Christians of the past. Two characters from history (John Smith and President Theodore Roosevelt) were wonderfully brought back to life by the skilled reenactors who illustrated them so well. I had the privilege of meeting and shaking the hand of Mr. Harrison Tyler, the grandson of the 10th President of the United States, John Tyler.

The J400 treasure hunt added an extra element of excitement to the event and had practically all of Fort Pochahontas and Williamsburg crawling with treasure hunters.

All in all it was one of the most exciting weeks of my life, and one that I will look forward to telling my children about. Lord willing, I would be there for Jamestown's Quincentennial!

By Noah Botkin