Podcast – The Short-Lived, Little Known Popham Colony

The Short-Lived, Little Known Popham Colony
Today I will talk about the little known, short lived Popham Colony, established in the current state of Maine.

From the Book:
Colonial American History Stories – 1215 – 1664

Transcript:

Today I will talk about the little known, short lived Popham Colony, established in the current state of Maine.

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George Popham led a colony to current Maine to found a colony along the Kennebec River as a venture for the Plymouth Company, establishing the colony on August 13, 1607.
George Popham (1550–1608)
The son of Edward Popham and Joan Norton Popham, Edward was native to Somerset, England. Historians know little of his early life until he emerged as leader of the expedition that founded the colony that bore his name. He died in December 1607, leaving command of the colony to twenty-five year old Raleigh Gilbert.
The Expedition Begins
King James chartered the Plymouth Company at the same time he chartered the Virginia Company that founded Jamestown. The purpose of the companies was to raise private capital through the sale of stock to found the colonies. The charter for the Plymouth Colony included the area between 38° and 45° N. The Virginia Company’s charter included the area between 34° and 41° N. The area overlapped and the two companies were to found colonies in the areas that did not overlap. Whichever colony proved successful would receive the overlapping area in between. George Popham led the expedition that departed Plymouth, England on May 31, 1607, on two ships, the Gift of God and the Mary. The expedition included over 100 men and boys. The purpose of the mission included prospecting for precious metals, furs and spices. The men also wanted to prove that the trees of the New World were suitable for building ships. The ships arrived at the mouth of the Kennebec River on August 13, 1607. The men started building a fort they would call Fort St. George almost immediately. They would begin building the ship a few days later.

The Virginia
The first ship built by Englishmen in North America was a ship called a pinnace. No plans for this ship survive. However, a map drawn by colonist John Hunt on October 8, 1607 shows a sketch of the ship thought to be the Virginia in the harbor. Historians believe the ship was about fifty-six feet long with a beam of fifteen feet, five inches. She had a thirty-ton displacement and drew about six and a half feet of water. Depending upon how the crew rigged the ship, it would have been suitable for both trans-ocean and coastal work. A shipwright named Digby had accompanied the colony and led the shipbuilding effort.
Long Effort
The struggle to survive competed with shipbuilding efforts. The ship’s construction continued through the long, Maine winter. By spring, the colonists completed the ship. Due to the harsh winters and poor relations with the natives, the colonists abandoned the colony. They used the Virginia to return to England on October 17, 1608. The ship made two more documented trans-Atlantic voyages after its return, possibly more. The colonists at Jamestown used the ship for support, the last known voyage in 1610. After that, the Virginia disappeared from history.
Maine’s First Ship, is an organization dedicated to reproducing this first ship built in Maine. The organizers began the four-year project in 2011. For information on this ship contact:
Maine’s First Ship
Office
1 Front St.
PO. Box 231
Bath, Maine 04530
Phone: 443-4242

The episode is based upon my book, Colonial American History Stories – 1215 – 1664, available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book is the first book in the 6 volume Timeline of United States History Series . Discover some of the famous and almost forgotten historic stories of America. The story begins with the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 and the beginnings of the concept of limited government and ends, for now, with the beginning of the American Revolution in 1775. The articles in the book have much more detail as well as articles not included in this podcast series.