Jamestown Rediscovery continues preservation efforts of 17th-century church tower
Since launching an awareness campaign in 2021, preservationists have been working on plans for the construction of a glass ceiling to help protect Jamestown Island’s iconic 17th-century church tower.
The glass ceiling is meant to combat the environmental damage to the historical site’s only surviving above-ground structure from that time.
Now, a donation from the Jamestowne Society, an organization of members who are descendants of early settlers who lived or held colonial government positions at Jamestowne, will help fund further preservation efforts. The Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation received $150,000 from the group several months ago.
“The historic church tower is the reason Jamestown was saved more than 100 years ago,” said Bonnie Hofmeyer, Jamestowne Society’s executive director. “It represents the very beginning of the American story, and Jamestowne Society members want to help save it so that future generations can stand in the place where history happened.”
The tower was abandoned in the 1750s, and over the years has experienced structural damage from changing environmental conditions. To continue the work in preserving the historic church tower, Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation crafted a plan to address current and future threats to the building.
The organization says the preservation project is a team effort from trained professionals in historic preservation, architecture and construction.
The foundation has been in talks with local architecture firm Stemann/Pease Architecture regarding the design and installation of the glass roof. Described as a “glass and steel frame roof” by the Jamestowne Society, the see-through ceiling will protect the tower’s interior from environmental impact while maintaining the structure’s original shape.
“We want to protect the church tower, but we want to make sure that when you’re in the church tower, as a visitor, that you’re experiencing it in the same way you would have prior to preservation,” said Angel Johnston, Jamestown Rediscovery’s communications manager. “So we’re not trying to restore it, we’re not going to put a bell in there. We do have our bell. We are stabilizing it and preserving it for the future.”
Construction of the glass ceiling is expected to begin in the coming months and be completed later this year.
Preservation work has been done on the church tower in the past. In 2013 and 2014, Preservation Virginia, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources worked together to help safeguard the tower. Repairs were made to the structure’s damaged mortar and bricks during the collaboration.
Conservation efforts in 2019 revealed a brick foundation of the 1617 church’s west wall. It was at this location where the nation’s first General Assembly met in the summer of 1619. After the 2019 excavations, archaeologists said it was obvious that the church’s original brickwork, along with significant discoveries found beneath the church tower’s floor, would continue to face serious deterioration if no plan was put into place for protection.
The architecture firm will create a model of the church tower in order for the Jamestown Foundation to use, Johnston said. Preservation work will take place during the construction phase of the project inside the tower. This will involve potentially repainting the mortar, stabilizing the tower itself, and constructing the new roof.
Completion of the church tower project, according to the Jamestowne Society, “will ensure that a physical link between Jamestown’s founding members and their descendants will persist on the Island for generations to come.”
Dominic Catacora, 757-798-9833, dominic.catacora@virginiamedia.com
