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Virginia Sutton and Chief Archeologist J. C. Harrington explain a New Towne excavation site to a group from the College of William and Mary.

After receiving her B.A. from Swarthmore College in 1934, Miss Sutton joined the National Park Service as a Seasonal Ranger Archeologist at Mesa Verde, while she was pursuing her M.A. in anthropology from the University of Chicago. In 1937, she came to work at Jamestown, the first woman to serve as a Ranger Historian in the National Park Service.

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Miss Sutton in the Jamestown Education Museum.

As part of the team uncovering the ruins of Jamestown with J. C. Harrington, the “father of American historical archeology,” Miss Sutton participated in the excavations and also provided interpretation for thousands of visitors. Her exhibits and signage introduced archeological techniques to the public and showcased the most recent finds in the Jamestown New Towne site.