“I’m glad this happens only once every hundred years,” says Bill Perkins, co-chair with Bill Murray of a 12-member volunteer committee that is making sure the Popham Colony’s 400th anniversary receives suitable recognition. The group has planned four days of festivities Aug. 23-26 to celebrate the colony, which through the efforts of Maine’s First Ship, another volunteer organization, has become well known not only as a sister colony to Virginia’s Jamestown, but also for building the first vessel constructed in the new world.
The Virginia, a 30-ton pinnace that carried the settlers back to England in 1608, was the first of many built in Maine. Nathan Lipfert, librarian at Maine Maritime Museum, says over 5,000 vessels were constructed along the Kennebec River and in Brunswick, and an estimated 20,000 vessels along the Maine coast. This figure covers ships over 30 feet long and over five tons.
The Popham colony, located at the mouth of the Kennebec River, was settled by 100 English settlers in August of 1607. Because it was disbanded after just one year (its founder, George Popham, died, and his replacement, Raleigh Gilbert, inherited a family estate in England that seemed more appealing than spending another winter along the Maine coast) it never received the recognition accorded the Jamestown sister colony.
After the discovery of the location of Fort St. George, built by the colony in the Phippsburg village of Popham, members of Maine’s First Ship organized in 1997 to learn more about the settlers’ lives in Maine and to reconstruct the Virginia. This effort has brought archeologists to the Fort St. George site, involved naval architects from Great Britain and America, spurred visits by descendants of the original colonists, and has been the catalyst for educational programs throughout the state about the colony and the Virginia.
Perkins says organizers of the celebration have resisted any ideas that would have included carnival rides and the like that might detract from appropriately honoring the colonists’ arduous year. Instead, they have chosen to feature events with historical content, like the Society of 17th Century Re-enactors, based in Massachusetts, and period music by Ti Acadie, Castlebay and the Macy Family Band. They have also scheduled fireworks, food tasting from Sagadahoc County restaurants (including venison and fish jerky prepared by Anna’s Waters Edge Restaurant in Phippsburg — to give the real flavor of the colonists’ fare, says owner Anna Varian), a lobster bake, band concerts, high-end craft vendors, a contra dance and the traditional Popham Flare Night. Dr. Geoffrey Brain, lead archeologist at the colony digs, will also be on hand to talk about archeological process and discoveries at the site.
Events in Popham will center around three focal points: Fort St. George, Fort Popham, and the Chapel and Chapel House and area behind it. On the way to Popham, visitors can also stop by Maine Maritime Museum to view artifacts that have been discovered at the Fort St. George site during several archeological digs that included students, teachers and other volunteers. That exhibit will run until October. At the same time, people can visit the headquarters of Maine’s First Ship at the museum, where the Virginia reconstruction will proceed once adequate funding has been raised. There, boat builder Rob Stevens, who is in charge of the project, will give demonstrations of boatbuilding techniques of the 17th century. A model of the Virginia built by Stevens is on view at the museum.
Over 100 members of the Popham and Gilbert families, descendants of the original settlers, have written to say they would join in the celebration of their ancestors’ accomplishments.
Logistics for these days of celebration are daunting, but the 400th Committee is doing everything possible to make them run smoothly. Several satellite parking lots will be available, and the Maine DOT, State Troopers, County Sheriff and local police are helping with traffic and parking. Harbormaster Doug Alexander, the Coast Guard and Marine Patrol will assist in the waters off Popham.
Perkins says Bill Reed, owner of the Bath Bus Co., volunteered early on to provide shuttle buses free of charge from the satellite lots at Small Point Baptist Church, the Stone House, Town Hall and late in the day, the Popham Beach State Park. Others have stepped up with financial support and expertise, including Glenn Theal, owner of Spinney’s Restaurant, who is using experience from his pre-restaurant days to put on the Saturday evening fireworks display which he is funding.
The celebration will conclude with a special interdenominational church service Sunday morning conducted by Rt. Reverend Chilton R. Knudson, Episcopal bishop of Maine.
For a complete listing of activities, see www.popham400.org.