On a February morning in eastern Virginia, the temperature hovering around 55 degrees Fahrenheit,

the waters surrounding Jamestown's estuary island ripple beneath an overcast sky.

The currents of the James River are almost at high tide, moving along the shoreline.

Crossing a short bridge, we park at the visitor's center

and make our way towards historic Jamestown,

following along a gravel path leading to the reconstructed palisades,

the wooden fencing, carefully positioned to match the original design of the fort.

To our left, the Memorial Church stands,

erected in 1907 to mark the 300th anniversary

of Jamestown. Past the red brick building, we approach the church tower, separate yet nearby.

It is a lone sentinel from the past, the last remaining above-ground structure from the colonial

days. Rising about 40 feet, the tower's wide, square base, supports a tall, narrow doorway,

stretching more than halfway up the building's height.

Built around 1680, 73 years after the English settlers first arrived, this is believed to be

the fourth church constructed here.

Every year here at Hist historic Jamestown,

archaeologists unearth more buried evidence of the fort and its community.

But why does this tower remain, while everything else has seemingly vanished?

What was it exactly that finally led to Jamestown's demise?

Music exactly, that finally led to Jamestown's demise. Welcome back, I'm Don Wildman. This is American History Hit. Did Jamestown fail?

It was the first permanent English settlement in what would become

the United States, yet it was eventually abandoned. Over the past three weeks, we've uncovered

...