Jamestown in James City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

First Africans In Jamestown

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 17, 2016

1. First Africans In Jamestown Marker

Inscription. The first documented Africans in mainland English America arrived at Point Comfort (in present-day Hampton) late in Aug. 1619. Colonial officials traded food for these “20 and odd” Africans, who had been seized from a Portuguese slave ship en route to Spanish America. Some of the Africans were transported to Jamestown shortly thereafter. By 1625 at least nine African men and women lived here. Many of the colony’s early Africans were held as slaves, but some individuals became free. A legal framework for hereditary, lifelong slavery evolved in Virginia during the 1600s. The United States abolished slavery in 1865.

Erected 2015 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number WT-1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1619.

Location. 37° 13.782′ N, 76° 46.823′ W. Marker is in Jamestown, Virginia, in James City County. It is on Jamestown Road (Virginia Route 31) north of

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Greensprings Road ( Route 614), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Williamsburg VA 23185, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: First Africans in English America (here, next to this marker); Jamestown (a few steps from this marker); First Germans at Jamestown (a few steps from this marker); First Poles Arrive (within shouting distance of this marker); Jamestown Road (within shouting distance of this marker); Pocahontas (within

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 17, 2016

2. First Africans In Jamestown Marker

shouting distance of this marker); Samuel H. Yonge, Civil Engineer (1843-1935) (within shouting distance of this marker); Angelo (fl. 1619-1625) (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jamestown.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 4, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,138 times since then and 49 times this year. Last updated on April 1, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 30, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.