The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, administers two museums of early American history, Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

History

Jamestown Settlement opened April 1, 1957, as Jamestown Festival Park, marking the 350th anniversary of Jamestown’s founding and establishment of America’s first permanent English settlement. The name changed to Jamestown Settlement in 1990 and expansive exhibition galleries, an introductory film and revitalized living-history areas exploring the convergence of the Virginia Indian, English and West Central African cultures debuted in time for Jamestown’s 400th anniversary in 2007. Enhancements to exhibition galleries with new historical research and technology, including a 4D theater, debuted during the 2019 commemoration.

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown opened as the Yorktown Victory Center on April 1, 1976, as one of three Bicentennial centers in Virginia. The museum’s focus broadened in the 1990s to encompass the entire Revolutionary period, and two decades later underwent a phased transformation of the 22-acre site with operations moving in March 2015 from the 1976 building to the new museum. In October 2016, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown debuted its new name with permanent exhibition galleries and an introductory film, followed by new living-history areas the following spring. A 13-day Grand Opening culminated with a dedication on April 1, 2017.

Mission

The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation shall foster through its museums – Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown – an understanding and awareness of the early history, settlement, and development of the United States through the convergence of American Indian, European, and African cultures and the enduring legacies bequeathed to the nation.

Leadership

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Code of Virginia calls for the board to consist of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Education, members from the General Assembly, citizens of the Commonwealth appointed by the Governor, and the president of the private affiliate Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc.

The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. is administered by a Board of Directors consisting of no more than 30 members. This includes at least three but no more than seven members of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation’s Board of Trustees, including the trustees’ chair.

The daily administration of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and its museums is provided by a dedicated leadership team, department heads, professional staff and trained volunteers.