From October 16 to 18, a celebration and conference commemorating the 400th anniversary of Anglo-America's first coastal fortification -- "Fort Algernoune, 1609: Colonial Virginia's Maritime Rim" -- will take place at Old Point Comfort, the national historic landmark site of present-day Fort Monroe.
"Algernoune Fort" was constructed at what's now called Old Point Comfort to guard approaches to Jamestown colony and the Chesapeake Bay.
The October event is said to be planned "to consider how the maritime rim of colonial Virginia developed an egalitarian and culturally diverse society different from its Jamestown neighbor."
Participants include James Whittenburg, William R. Pullen Chair, Department of History, College of William & Mary; William M. Kelso, Director of Archaeology, Historic Jamestowne Rediscovery Archaeological Project, Preservation Virginia; Ivor Noël Hume, OBE , Research Associate (hon.) Smithsonian Institution; Camilla Townsend, Professor of History, Rutgers University; David Harris Sacks, Richard F. Scholz Professor of History, Reed College; James Horn, Vice President of Research and Historical Interpretation, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; and Karen Ordahl Kupperman, Silver Professor of History, New York University.
CONFERENCE OVERVIEW:
The Fort Algernoune, 1609 celebration and conference commemorates the 400th anniversary of Anglo-America’s first coastal fortification. It honors the US Army’s outstanding military legacy, embodied in Fort Monroe, and recognizes the enduring significance of Old Point Comfort’s strategic location in defending American freedom. The celebrations will begin on Friday,October 16, 2009, with an Army Retreat Ceremony on Fort Monroe’s parade ground, home to the ancient Algernoune Live Oak. The event will include a US Citizen Naturalization ceremony.
Immediately thereafter, the Casemate Museum will host a reception to open a new historical exhibit on Fort Algernoune.
On Saturday,October 17, the symposium will consider how the maritime rim of colonial Virginia developed. Fort Algernoune introduced English maritime law to the New World, imposed the nascent customs system, regulated commerce, and enforced allegiance to the British crown.
Most importantly, it created a visible symbol of England’s bid for sovereignty over vast stretches of the Atlantic shoreline.On Sunday,October 18, conference attendees have several options,which include an elegant Sunday brunch at the restored 1928 Chamberlin dining room overlooking the entrance to the Hampton Roads Harbor, or one of two tours: a boat excursion to Fort Wool or a land tour of Fort Boykin and other historic sites along the James River.
FEES:
$50, includes lunch.Optional tours, $25 per person
FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
www.fmfada.com• Joan Baker, jbaker@fmfada.com
Phone: 757-637-7778
151 Bernard Road • FortMonroe,VA 23651
For more information, please see the links on the left side of the home page at the Web site of the Fort Monroe Authority (officially, that's the "Fort Monroe Federal Area Development Authority"), http://www.fmfada.com/.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
New Archeological Discoveries Near Jamestowne
According to an article by Rusty Carter in the Virginia Gazette on September 16, Alain Outlaw of Williamsburg-based Archaeological & Cultural Solutions has uncovered another settlement or village near Jamestowne for which he has been searching since 1975.
“It’s been a slow process,” said Outlaw, who is also an adjunct professor at Christopher Newport University. For two years, since he got access to the land, his students and volunteers have researched the site.
Carter goes on to report, “The village was started in 1617 by Capt. Samuel Argall, then a colorful lieutenant governor of the colony. It thrived for three years, but his impetuous behavior led many of the settlers to move away to Martin’s Hundred near Carter’s Grove Plantation”.
For the complete article, go to
http://www.vagazette.com/articles/2009/09/16/news/doc4ab0384a03385778594361.txt
Thursday, September 10, 2009
This Day in Jamestowne's History: John Smith Becomes President
From This Day in History (History.com): September 10, 1608
Smith to lead Jamestown
English adventurer John Smith is elected council president of Jamestown, Virginia--the first permanent English settlement in North America. Smith, a colorful figure, had won popularity in the colony because of his organizational abilities and effectiveness in dealing with local Native American groups.
In May 1607, about 100 English colonists settled along the James River in Virginia to found Jamestown. The settlers fared badly because of famine, disease, and Indian attacks, but were aided by the 27-year-old John Smith, who directed survival efforts and mapped the area. While exploring the Chickahominy River in December 1607, Smith and two colonists were captured by Powhatan warriors. At the time, the Powhatan Indian confederacy consisted of around 30 Tidewater-area tribes led by Chief Wahunsonacock, known as Chief Powhatan to the English. Smith's companions were killed, but he was spared and released (according to a 1624 account by Smith) because of the dramatic intercession of Pocahontas, Chief Powhatan's 13-year-old daughter.
In 1608, Smith became president of the Jamestown colony, but the settlement continued to suffer. An accidental fire destroyed much of the town, and hunger, disease, and Indian attacks continued. During this time, Pocahontas often came to Jamestown as an emissary of her father, sometimes bearing gifts of food to help the hard-pressed settlers. She befriended the settlers and became acquainted with English ways. In 1609, Smith was injured from a fire in his gunpowder bag and was forced to return to England.
John Smith returned to the New World in 1614 to explore the New England coast, carefully mapping the coast from Penobscot Bay to Cape Cod. That April, Pocahontas married the English planter John Rolfe in Jamestown. On another voyage of exploration, in 1615, Smith was captured by pirates but escaped after three months of captivity. He then returned to England, where he died in 1631.
Smith to lead Jamestown
English adventurer John Smith is elected council president of Jamestown, Virginia--the first permanent English settlement in North America. Smith, a colorful figure, had won popularity in the colony because of his organizational abilities and effectiveness in dealing with local Native American groups.
In May 1607, about 100 English colonists settled along the James River in Virginia to found Jamestown. The settlers fared badly because of famine, disease, and Indian attacks, but were aided by the 27-year-old John Smith, who directed survival efforts and mapped the area. While exploring the Chickahominy River in December 1607, Smith and two colonists were captured by Powhatan warriors. At the time, the Powhatan Indian confederacy consisted of around 30 Tidewater-area tribes led by Chief Wahunsonacock, known as Chief Powhatan to the English. Smith's companions were killed, but he was spared and released (according to a 1624 account by Smith) because of the dramatic intercession of Pocahontas, Chief Powhatan's 13-year-old daughter.
In 1608, Smith became president of the Jamestown colony, but the settlement continued to suffer. An accidental fire destroyed much of the town, and hunger, disease, and Indian attacks continued. During this time, Pocahontas often came to Jamestown as an emissary of her father, sometimes bearing gifts of food to help the hard-pressed settlers. She befriended the settlers and became acquainted with English ways. In 1609, Smith was injured from a fire in his gunpowder bag and was forced to return to England.
John Smith returned to the New World in 1614 to explore the New England coast, carefully mapping the coast from Penobscot Bay to Cape Cod. That April, Pocahontas married the English planter John Rolfe in Jamestown. On another voyage of exploration, in 1615, Smith was captured by pirates but escaped after three months of captivity. He then returned to England, where he died in 1631.
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