JAMESTOWN—Archaeologists whooped and hollered yesterday as they found 400-year-old treasure at the bottom of a deep well inside what had been the original James Fort.

With the sort of lusty shouts and cheers you might expect from prospectors who just struck gold, the archaeologists celebrated finding a 17th-century pistol that retained its wooden stock.

That discovery, just before noon, capped a two-day bonanza that saw the recovery of leather shoes, a lead tag inscribed with “James Towne” and an ax-bladed ceremonial pike—a halberd bearing details from the crest of Lord De La Warr.

De La Warr arrived in Jamestown in 1610 with a contingent of 50 halberd-wielding bodyguards, according to archaeologists.

“It’s overwhelming,” said Bill Kelso, chief archaeologist of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities and its Jamestown Rediscovery Project. “Thirteen years of [discoveries], and it just gets better every time.”

In 1994, Kelso’s team began searching for the site of the 1607 fort, near today’s Williamsburg, that became the first permanent English settlement in America. They quickly turned up clues they were on the right track. The discovery was formally announced by Gov. George Allen in 1996.

Archaeologists have been working this summer to excavate a deep well discovered just inside what was the north corner of the triangular fort along the James River. The well was found underneath the remains of buildings that were apparently built over it later.

Kelso said yesterday that he believes the well was abandoned when a group of early settlers vacated the fort in 1610 and then returned when they met the incoming ship of De La Warr.

The well’s water may have become impure, he said. But whatever the reason, the deep hole apparently became a trash pit for a variety of items discarded in the period before it was covered over.

Excavators reached the bottom of the well yesterday about 15 feet below ground level, and well beneath the water table on Jamestown Island. The oxygen-deprived, watery environment of the well slowed down the decomposition of the material, such as wood, that would not otherwise survive, said senior conservator Michael Lavin.

Finding fascinating artifacts has been a regular occurrence at the site, which is on Jamestown Island and also is part of a historical attraction known as Historic Jamestowne. The National Park Service and the Association for the Preservation of Historic Antiquities, which jointly manage the attraction, recently opened a museum called the Archaearium for the display of more than 1,000 artifacts.

Bly Straube, Jamestown Rediscovery’s curator, said the number of artifacts recovered has grown to nearly 1 million.

The archaeologists have welcomed the attention of tourists, and yesterday’s discoveries were made before a gallery of smiling visitors gathered behind a rope barrier on high ground near the well.

In the project’s laboratory nearby, Lavin, the senior conservator, happily pointed out details of the halberd decorated with details from De La Warr’s crest and still attached to its soggy wooden handle.

“It’s just fantastic,” Lavin said, “that we’ve got it with its staff.”

Andrew Petkofsky is a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He can be contacted at or (757) 229-1512.