Jamestown Festival Park, Virginia 1960

This authentic 1960s color photograph, captured in 1960, documents the Powhatan Indian Village exhibit at Jamestown Festival Park (now Jamestown Settlement) in Virginia. The archival image features a female historical interpreter in traditional indigenous-style buckskin attire, standing inside a reconstructed reed-covered longhouse. She is pictured using a large wooden mortar and pestle, surrounded by artifacts reflecting the life of the Powhatan people in the early 17th century, including hand-woven baskets, drying gourds, and various animal pelts like raccoon and fox hanging from the timber frame. This exhibit was part of the 1957 commemoration of the founding of Jamestown and was designed to provide a living history perspective on the Algonquian-speaking tribes that inhabited the region. While the park is still standing and has since undergone significant archaeological updates to improve the historical accuracy of the village and its interpretation, these early displays played a vital role in mid-century educational tourism. This factual record captures the early aesthetic and educational approach of Virginia’s colonial heritage sites during the sixties. All our images are available as royalty-free instant downloads for use in books, media, and creative projects – or make your own prints for home, work, or as a truly unique gift.