JAMESTOWN — Jamestown Rediscovery will host programming throughout September reflecting on the anniversary of Bacon’s Rebellion.
Throughout September, Jamestown Rediscovery said historians will reflect on the rebellion, which peaked on the night of Sept. 19, 1676, when Nathaniel Bacon and his rebels marched on the capital and burned it to the ground.
They were attempting to overthrow the government of Sir William Berkeley, a wealthy planter who was seen as too accommodating to Indigenous tribal nations as European colonists pushed further west, according to the organization. After Bacon’s death, the rebellion fizzled, but its impact would be felt in the courts and the further entrenchment of slave labor in Virginia, and 150 years after the rebellion, American patriots looked to the events of 1676 as a harbinger of the power of the common man, it adds.
Walking Tours
Every Saturday in September, public historian Mark Summers will lead an in-depth walking tour of the most important sites of Bacon’s Rebellion at Jamestown, with a deeper look at the causes and impacts of the year-long rebellion, the foundation said, exploring Jamestown politics in the latter half of the 17th century.
The Bacon’s Rebellion Walking Tour is included with admission to the Preservation Virginia portions of Historic Jamestowne.
Special Events on Saturday, Sept. 20
On Saturday, Sept. 20, Jamestown Rediscovery notes it will bring the events of almost 350 years ago to life with two immersive living history programs, walking tours and historic trades demonstrations.
Schedule:
11 a.m. — Before the Rebellion
Public historian Mark Summers will discuss the events, in both England and Virginia, which led to the conflict that tore Virginia apart between 1675 and 1677. The lecture will examine the many sides of the conflict, including Virginia loyalists, indentured servants, enslaved Africans, Virginia Indians and those who switched sides. This program will lead directly into “The Burning of Jamestown,” an immersive walking tour led by Thomas Mathew, on whose property the rebellion began and may have played both sides of the fight.
Noon — The Burning of Jamestown
Merchant and planter Thomas Mathew tells his story of how Bacon’s Rebellion began with the murder of his herdsman and ended with the torching of “James Cittie.” Along the way, the foundation said he’ll introduce visitors to other residents who were for or against the rebellion, including a powerful story of an enslaved man who joined Bacon because he promised freedom to enslaved people. Mathew will make plain the high cost of the failed uprising, the foundation said.
3 p.m. — “Forst upon the Stadge:” The Interrogation of Lady Berkeley
Sit in on the “jury of inquiry” as one of the most prominent women in 17th-century Virginia, Lady Francis Berkeley, is challenged to defend her late husband’s actions by the widow of William Drummond, a rebel who was hanged for his part in Bacon’s Rebellion. Drummond’s widow, Sarah, brought suit in an attempt to recover losses from her late husband’s estate. The foundation said the special program will expose contradictions, interrogate legacies, and invite visitors to personally and powerfully engage with shared history.
All events on Saturday, Sept. 20 are included with admission to the Preservation Virginia portions of Historic Jamestowne. More details can be found at historicjamestowne.org.
