JAMESTOWN — Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation has expanded its online
reference collection, reaching over 200 artifact pages as of February.
The Foundation has reached its goal that was set at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This initiative has been in progress for several years, but the pandemic really spurred it on,” Director of Collections and Conservation Michael Lavin said. “The need for virtual engagement has never been more important than it is today.”
Throughout 2020, the Foundation’s curatorial staff looked for new ways to engage visitors through a virtual platform, which included expanding and improving access to Jamestown’s collection online.
Through efforts from across the Foundation, the Jamestown staff has created more than 50 new websites over the past two years.
“We were all very excited by this project,” Curator Leah Stricker said. “Whether you’re an elementary student, a researcher, or simply a lifelong learner, the discoveries made at Jamestown are universally important. Providing access to our finds, both in person and online, is a critical part of our work.”
Jamestown’s Collections and Conservation Department care for an archaeological collection of materials that includes botanicals, ceramics, faunal material, glass and metals, human remains and textiles.
Ongoing excavations have revealed millions of artifacts, sometimes discovered to be thousands of years old.
Artifacts recovered from the 1607-1624 James Fort site include its military features, religious and secular structures, wells, ditches and trash pits, helping to shed light on the people and events of life at James Fort 400 years ago as well as the Virginia Indian presence centuries before the English arrival.
The selection of artifacts can be found on the Foundation’s website.
