Fort Extension, Blockhouse

Fort Extension, Blockhouse. . "...the fort reduced to a five-square form..." , , John Smith 1608, In 1608, the triangular fort was expanded toward the east. Archaeologists believe this is what John Smith referred to when he records that the fort was "reduced [improved] to a five-square form." The extension enclosed garden space and domestic structures and, by 1617, the timber-framed church., The corner of the expanded fort was protected by a small defensive blockhouse or flanker. The structure may have been two stories tall, and marks the eastward growth of the fort into what would become "New Towne." The archaeology team excavated the cellar and well belonging to this building. Once abandoned, the cellar became a trash pit where thousands of artifacts reveal the story of life at Jamestown and the transition from James Fort to James City., (captions) , The fort extention projects to the east, from the junction where the east fort wall meets the north bulwark. , A palisade extension (at top of excavation image) ends at the corner of a cellar with two overlapping, rectangular chambers, posts at the walls, and a possible square well. , Simplified map of expanded fort and main buildings , A tobacco pipe by Jamestown's pipe maker Robert Cotton was found in the layers of the cellar. Cotton produced pipes of local clay and marked them with diamond-shaped stamps. Several bore the names of influential Englishmen; this one William Faldoo, came to Jamestown to search for silver mines. See more about Robert Cotton pipes in the Voorhees Archaearium museum.