As I entered the village, the juicy Cornish hen roasting over the spit at the center of the encampment sent me into a salivating frenzy! I told the Indian girl, with the strange European accent, that I would return the furry hat to her in exchange for one of the legs off of her hen. The Indian girl said “No deal.” I then offered to return the hat to her for a meager strip of deer meat that was smoking on the fire next to the bird. She again said “No deal”. She then added that if I didn’t return the hat to her she would simply call the park police. I decided that avoiding police was a pretty good deal in itself. When I left the Indian village a few minutes later, I left with no hat and no food.
Inside Fort at Jamestown Colony
When I finally reached the confines of the fort, I was delighted to see a couple of reenactors making pork sausages right before my very eyes. They had two very fat, decapitated pigs on a large table in the middle of the fort. Behind them was a fairly large camp fire with sizzling links smoking merrily away in a cast iron pan.
A Pig at Jamestown Colony enjoying his last meal.
I walked right up to the table where a colonist was busy stuffing raw pork material into a casing.
“How does a God-fearing Englishman score a sausage around here?” I asked him directly.
“Sorry Sir”, the man replied, “this food is for staff members only. However, there is a cafeteria for the public located near the gift shop at the Visitor’s Center.”
The Visitor’s Center at Jamestown Colony
I thanked the man and walked away; but I wasn’t ready to just give up yet. I thought about our early settlers and asked myself, “Would John Smith have just given up the first time his crops failed, abandoned his destiny, and simply sailed back to Merry Ole’ England?” Of course not! He would have done whatever necessary to stay the course and put some food in his belly!”
Captain John Smith – Founder of Jamestown Colony
I walked past two rows of thatched houses and around a corner until I arrived at the front of the blacksmith’s shop. Luckily there was a sword hanging from the rafters, along with a helmet and a coat of plated armor on a nearby bench. I wasted no time getting into the proper uniform and rushing back to the fire to claim my prized portion of pork. The costume seemed to have worked perfectly. Had I not gotten greedy, I probably would’ve completely gotten away with my heist. However, I was thoroughly famished by this point and that was by far the best sausage links I had ever eaten!
Making the sausage in Colonial Jamestow
I was on my fifth piece of pork sausage when security came and escorted me off the premises. They said they knew I wasn’t an actual staff member because of the ugly Christmas sweater protruding from my breastplate and the fact that I was still wearing New Balance running shoes. I told them they were stereotyping what a colonist was supposed to look like but they didn’t seem to care. After being physically removed from the premises, I waited in the car for about an hour while Rebecca and Noah continued the tour. Being exiled from Jamestown colony wasn’t all bad; the short nap I took in the car really did me some good. Next we headed off to Williamsburg where their historic taverns are well known for serving some great hard cider. Now, if I could just lay my hands on a petticoat and maybe a powdered wig.
Jamestown Colony – The Birthplace of America
Seriously though, if you ever make it to Virginia’s first colony, you can leave the Captain John Smith costume at home. The place is both and educational and entertaining icon of early American history. Thanks for reading my article on Big John’s Adventures in Travel. Feel free to explore other areas of my site, post a comment, and show some love on social media. I hope you visit my blog again real soon.