Smi th's 1608 exploration of the C hesapeake Bay and its tributaries was every bit as epochal as that of those later explorers. Much as Lewis and C lark's maps and written descriptions of the American West opened a new frontier for thousands of settlers in the 1800s, Smith's 161 2 map of the Chesapeake Bay greatly stimulated interest in the New World. As En glish immigrants flocked to Virginia in greater numbers in the 1600s, Smith's widely published work served as a blueprint for settling the region. More broadly, Smith's acco unts of the Chesapeake Bay began a process of political, social, and economic change that still reverberates today.
Commemorating the 400th Ann iversary of Smith's Voyages With the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown and Smith's voyages approaching, a slew of events have been planned throughout the C hesapeake region in 2007 to commemo rate this pivotal moment in American history. One of the most exciting initiatives is being led by Sultana Projects, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Ches tertown, Maryland, known for owning and operating the schoolship schooner Sultana. In 2004, Sultana Projects launched an educational program known as the Captain John Smith Four Hundred Project . The first year was devoted to building a full-scale reproduction of Smith's "Discovery Barge." Las t year, the shallop embarked on a tour of museums in M aryland, Delaware, Virginia, and Washington, D C. The culmination of the proj ect will come this spring and summer, when a crew of twelve modern explo rers will set fo rth from Jamestown in May for a 12 1-day reenactment of Smith's historic expedi tion aboard the reproduction shallop.
Reproducing Captain John Smith's Shallop Four hundred years after Smith and his men plied the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, shipwrights at Sultana Projects were faced with several challenges in their attempt to build a faithful reproduction of his small craft. Foremost, shallops of the early 17th century were the equivalent of the modern pickup truck - utilitarian and usefu l, but also commonplace and unremarkable. As a result, shallops' design SEA HISTORY 118, SPRJNG 2007
The shipyard was open to the public during the construction phase of the project. Volunteers and school groups assisted the professional shipwrights by contributing countless hours oflabor, while learning about the history ofthe boat and the J 608 voyage. features were seldom documented . Secondly, how wo uld the settlers have broken their shallop into pieces that could be reassembled in a matter of days? W ith the help of a research grant from the National Geographic Society, Sultana Projects staff members wo rked to address these conundrums. Visits to the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia provided myriad images of small seventeemh-century vessels, as did a trip to England. Additionally, Smith's 16 12 map depicts a small vessel that is double-ended, with a single mast and spar, shrouds, and oars. The biggest breakthrough in determining the shallop's design came from a journal entry made by John Brereton, who accompanied Captain Bartholomew Gos nold on an expedition to Cape Cod in 1602. After reaching landfall, Brereton noted that "we hoisted the one halfe of our shallop, and Captaine Bartholomew Gosnold, my selfe, and three others, went ashore." Brereton stated that later "the other part [of the shallop] was
brought ashore and set together." This entry clearly indicated that Gosnold's shallop had been transported in two watertight halves that could be independently rowed to shore! The link to Gosnold was also critical, as he went on to become one of the principal organizers fo r the James town expedition five years later. Construction on the shallop began in April 200 5. The shipwrights worked mostly with seventeenth-century-style tools; they were assisted by numerous volunteers and many groups of school children who visited the shipya rd to lend a hand and learn about the journey. O n 5 November 200 5, the wo rk had been co mpleted, leading to one of the most unusual launches in maritime histo ry. As thousands of onlookers crowded around the foo t of High Street in Chestertown, Maryland, th en-Governor Robert Ehrlich sawed the sh allop in half and only the stern section of Sultana Proj ects' twopieced boat slid down the ways and into the Chester River! Two months later, the
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