Don’t let the spartanesque look of the initial web page on the website fool you (http://www.virtualjamestown.org/. This project is rich in primary and secondary sources as well as ways in which both students and teachers can interact. There are ten teaching scenarios ready for use that students, or any user for that matter, can work on that require historical thinking. The maps amd images show how the area was settled and populated from 1607 onward as well as photos of aritifacts with explanations of the artifacts which allow the user to get a good idea of what kind of tools, pottery and various items were used by the Jamestown population of the 17th century.
The primary documents that have been scanned take the user back in time as if you were reading the daily newspaper. You can read about real stories of the 17th and 18th century, research how labor contracts were written for indentured servants, and what people felt was important to leave in their wills. Public records provide censuses, state papers, and laws that demonstrate the demographics, politics, and economics of the period in Jamestown and Virginia.
The Jamestown references are packed full of data to take your research further with timelines and primary/secondary source bibliographies. So much data at the fingertips, so little time.
Even though all of this is available on the web, however, I plan on doing some research in a low tech mode….I will be in Jamestown this weekend to hopefully see the Godspeed and see the surrender reenactment at Yorktown.