Jamestown Settlement’s Godspeed Returns to Alexandria for Free Public Tours, Oct 12-14
As the 2019 Commemoration nears, Jamestown Settlement’s Godspeed, a re-creation of one of the three ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607, sails into Alexandria to host public tours and school field trips and raise awareness of the 400th anniversary of 1619 events that shaped American history.
The 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution, is a national observance of the 400th anniversary of key historical events that occurred in Virginia in 1619 and continue to influence America today. The 2019 Commemoration is a sub-agency of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational institution of the Commonwealth of Virginia that administers Jamestown Settlement.
The Godspeed travels to Alexandria on October 10, a day early due to sailing conditions, where it will be docked at the City of Alexandria Marina near the Torpedo Factory Art Center until 16, as part of the Portside in Old Town Festival. The ship will be open for public deck tours from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, October 12, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 13, and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 14.
The ship last visited Alexandria in mid-2006 as part of a six-city East Coast tour launching “America’s 400th Anniversary,” an 18-month series of events commemorating Jamestown’s founding in 1607. The ship subsequently visited Alexandria in 2008 and 2011.
While the ship is away from the museum, visitors to Jamestown Settlement can board the Susan Constant and Discovery, re-creations of the other two 1607 ships. The Jamestown Settlement ships have been designated as “the official fleet of the Commonwealth” by the Virginia General Assembly.
Learn more about the Godspeed fall voyage and public tour times at https://www.historyisfun.org/jamestown-settlement/jamestown-ships/.
