Environmental Conservation: Historic Preservation

Colonial National Historical Park

"It began at Jamestown in 1607. It ended at Yorktown in 1781. One hundred and seventy-four years of hope, adventure, discovery, settlement, struggle, suffering, war, frustration, growth, development, that saw the country expand from a lonely settlement of 105 people in the small wilderness area on the banks of the James River into 13 colonies and 3 million people, of many races and beliefs, along the Atlantic seaboard, all governed and controlled by the mother country, England. It was an exciting chapter in British history, in American history, in world history, that closed in the little port town on the banks of the York River where it flows into Chesapeake Bay on its way to the ocean."

Retrace the steps of colonial settlers and American patriots at Colonial National Historical Park. Discover the sites of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown and the last battle of the American Revolution at Yorktown -- literally the beginning and end of English colonial America. Join the National Park Service rangers for interpretive tours; drive the scenic Colonial Parkway and historic tour roads. Walk the abandoned streets of Jamestown and visit the historic buildings in Yorktown. Experience the sense of place, that formed the character of a nation in the 17th and 18th centuries.