A Special From The History Channel(R) Reveals Evidence That May Lead to an Entirely New Historical View of America's First Colony

A Special From The History Channel(R) Reveals Evidence That May Lead to an Entirely New Historical View of America's First Colony SAVE OUR HISTORY (R): SECRETS OF JAMESTOWN Hosted by Steve Thomas World Premiere Special on The History Channel on Saturday, November 27 at 8 pm ET/PT NEW YORK, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 400 years ago, 104 men and boys sailed across the Atlantic in search of a new world. But when they settled in what is today the state of Virginia, their dreams for establishing a colony quickly turned into a nightmare. They had to battle hostile Indians, an unforgiving land and disease -- and history records the tale of a colony that nearly failed based on its ineptness. But what if history was wrong? In SAVE OUR HISTORY: SECRETS OF JAMESTOWN, a world premiere on The History Channel on Saturday, November 27 at 8 pm ET/PT, host Steve Thomas (formerly of This Old House) goes on a fascinating journey of exploration to chronicle the decade-long effort of a group of archaeologists who have uncovered evidence that paints a vastly different picture of the Jamestown colony. Thomas is with the story every step of the way -- climbing down a 400-year-old well, slogging through the swamp, going up in an 800-year-old tree to help take core samples, digging in the dirt with the archaeologists -- all to give the viewer a close-up view of what's going on. Much of what we know about Jamestown comes from the writings of John Smith, which magnify his own role while portraying many of his fellow colonists as bungling idlers. But buried within the ground are clues that point toward fascinating new conclusions. SAVE OUR HISTORY: SECRETS OF JAMESTOWN follows archaeologists involved in the Jamestown Rediscovery Project who have used a variety of exploratory, investigative and forensic techniques to challenge John Smith's version of history. One of the main reasons colonists may have faced starvation was due to climate. Twenty miles away from the Jamestown site, archaeologist Dennis Blanton takes core samples from 800-year-old trees to examine the climate factors faced by the Jamestown settlers. The tiny band of narrow rings from 1606 to 1613 tells the tale of a climate catastrophe. The area was in the grip of a severe drought that would have decimated the corn crop, reduced the food supply and heightened tensions between colonists and Indians. "The drought that we identified in our analysis was the worst in the last 770 years," he said. A long held misconception was that the Jamestown fort was lost to history. Archaeologist Bill Kelso was convinced otherwise. In 1994, he put spade to earth and struck history. It has taken years for the outlines of the original fort to take shape. It turned out that most of it was still there, just waiting to be found. Archaeologists have uncovered the foundations of three buildings from the fort's early days. While only 20 percent of the fort has been excavated so far, it's enough to visualize with great accuracy what Jamestown would have looked like in the early 1600s and help imagine what it was like to walk its streets just as the early colonists did nearly 400 years ago. APVA Preservation Virginia launched the dig in 1994 as a way of celebrating Jamestown's upcoming 400th anniversary in 2007. A recently discovered well offers a treasure-trove of artifacts that prove that the colonists were not lazy, as described by John Smith, but an industrious lot. Steve Thomas climbs down this 400-year-old well that has yielded everything from an early barbecue grill to a pewter flagon, from a sword to an old shoe. The last two items were preserved only because they were below the waterline in the well. The discovery of a gravesite has led to other fascinating conclusions. Forensic science has helped archaeologists piece together the death of a colonist referred to as "JR." Based on analysis of the skeleton, it is determined that JR was shot. Scientists explain how they can determine the distance he was shot at, the weapon that was probably used, what the victim looked like, and most likely, who the person was. Another recently discovered skeleton is believed to be that of Captain Bartholomew Gosnold. This little known yet critical historical figure is considered the prime mover behind the Jamestown colony. Even John Smith said that Gosnold was the man that really put Jamestown together. Archaeologists say these remains might be their most important discovery so far. Over a half a million objects have been excavated over the last 10 years at the Jamestown site. With each find, more and more of the secrets of Jamestown are revealing themselves to historians, who are gaining a new appreciation for the efforts of America's first colonists. SAVE OUR HISTORY: SECRETS OF JAMESTOWN features interviews with Dr. William Kelso, Chief Archeologist, Jamestown Rediscovery; Elizabeth Kostelny, Executive Director, APVA Preservation; Bly Straube, Senior Curator, Jamestown Rediscovery; Dennis Blanton, College of William and Mary; Sharon Long, forensic artist; Dr. Ashley McKeown, forensic anthropologist; David Price, author, Love and Hate in Jamestown; and Fred Scholpp, Jamestown Settlement. Every quarter, The History Channel examines various efforts to preserve critical documents, artifacts and landmarks that are key to understanding the country's rich past through its Save Our History specials. Save Our History(R) is the network's national campaign dedicated to history education and historic preservation. Save Our History: SECRETS OF JAMESTOWN is produced for The History Channel by Plate of Peas Productions. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Susan Werbe. Co-Executive Producer is Dr. Libby O'Connell. Producer/Director/-Writer is Rick Beyer. Contributing Producer is Steve Thomas. Host is Steve Thomas. Teachers, students and families will find educational support materials for Save Our History: SECRETS OF JAMESTOWN and other resources at http://www.saveourhistory.com/ or by e-mailing info@saveourhistory.com. Now reaching more than 87 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel(R), "Where the Past Comes Alive(R)," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. In 2004, The History Channel earned five News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and previously received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History(R)" campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located at http://www.historychannel.com/. Press Only: For more information and photography please visit us on the web at http://www.historychannelpress.com/. Source: The History Channel CONTACT: Kathie Gordon for The History Channel, +1-212-210-1320, Kathie.Gordon@aetn.com Web site: http://www.historychannel.com/ http://www.historychannelpress.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment