"The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail"
The Captain John
Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail was established by Congress
just before the 400th Anniversary
of the First Permanent English Settlement in America at Jamestowne.
The Trail commemorates and retraces the journey of Smith and his
companions who left Jamestowne in small boats
to travel almost 3,000 miles along the shores of the Chesapeake and its
tributaries.
Their travels brought them into contact with Native Americans, and
helped them understand better
this new land they had chosen to be their home.
Smith's 1612 map is amazingly accurate; his assessment that "heaven and
earth never agreed
to form a more perfect place for man's habitation" was based on his
findings on these early journeys.
The John Smith National Historic Trail helps visitors learn about
Native American history, early English settlement,
and the bounty of the Bay's resources. Resources aiding in
interpretation include an innovative interpretive buoy system.
Visit the
National Park Service's site on the Trail, Baygateway's "Captain
John Smith's Chesapeake Voyages,"
and
The Conservation Fund sites for more details on the Trail and its
history, and the Conservation Fund itself..
Patrick Noonan, Speaker, was introduced at the meeting by Carter B. S. Furr, Esq., Governor of the Society
Map above illustrates the First Expedition, June 2 to July 21, 1608, made in the Chesapeake Bay region by Captain John Smith and the men who accompanied him.
Map above illustrates the Second Expedition, July 24 to September 7, 1608, by Smith and his men.
Illustration above shows the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail, which encompasses watersheds within New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia.
Photo above shows the miniature replica of John Smith's Shallop, presented to Governor Furr by Mr. Noonan as a gift to the Jamestowne Society.
PHOTOS BELOW are from the May membership meeting, and include the charter presentation to the Florida Gulf Coast Company (Ruth Hemmingway, Governor),
and informal photos taken of the members before and after the presentation:
This photo
submitted by Margaret Gunn
Group photo below is from the Governors' Roundtable, held on Friday before the membership meeting. Carolyn Kendrick Farmer, Companies Chair,
assembles Company Governors from across the country for this planning meeting which lasts all day and includes a luncheon.
Following the Membership Meeting, an Observance of the Anniversary of the First Permanent English Settlement in America at Jamestowne is held
on Jamestowne Island. Leaders of historical and genealogical societies gather to honor the occasion. Governor Furr represented the Jamestowne Society.
FUTURE MEETINGS:
Fall 2009 Meeting
November 7, 2009
Richmond, Virginia
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