“America” has a lot of birthdays. There’s that familiar one dating back to July 4, 1776. And we’ve written about one recent 500th birthday for “America.”
But today’s “TIH” marks another major milestone for this country. On this date in 1607, the first permanent English settlement in North America was established at Jamestown in what is now Virginia.
I’ve been seeing those “Jamestown 1607-2007” license plates for years now. It’s great that the big day is finally here!
(Image detail from a 1624 map ?graven by William Hole?)
Comments (6)
I used to live in viginia and visit Colonial Williamsburg, the history in that state is amazing.
Any major, historical event is marked by a spike in related merchandise, and the Jamestown Quadricentennial is no different. A search for Jamestown on eBay brings up hundreds of Jamestown coins, stamps, and other items. (One of my ancestors came to Jamestown, VA in 1608, so I am celebrating in a more personal way!)
The failure of the colony that preceded Jamestown (aka Roanoke) is one of the more interesting mysteries of American History.
May 14th, 1607
Not many being realize this was the first english settlement.
The spanish were establised thoughout the caribbean long before this, but not this far north.
shawn kalin
I used to live in Virginia and visit Colonial Williamsburg also. There is so much unexplored history in the region.
I’d like to see more docs scanned and available for viewing online.
Shawn Kalin