Jamestown Settlement

The Jamestown Settlement Colony was the first successful English settlement on the mainland of North America. Named for King James I of England, Jamestown was founded in the Virginia Colony on May 14, 1607 . In modern times, "Jamestown Settlement" is also a promotional name used by the Commonwealth of Virginia's portion of the historical attractions at Jamestown. It is adjacent and complementary to the Historic Jamestowne on Jamestown Island which is the actual historic site where the first settlers landed and lived that is run by the National Park Service and Preservation Virginia. Jamestown was founded for the purposes of a quick profit from gold mining for its investors while also establishing a permanent foothold in North America for England, and for religious freedom. Jamestown followed the establishment of the successful settlement of St. John's, Newfoundland by 1583 and no fewer than eighteen earlier failed attempts at European colonization of the North American mainland, including the famous "Lost Colony" at Roanoke Island in what is now Dare County, North Carolina.