For over 25 years Maine’s First Ship has been researching, designing, and building a reconstruction of the 1607-08 Virginia of Sagadahoc, the first ocean-going vessel built by Europeans in North America. The original Virginia was built at the mouth of the Kennebec River by Englishmen of the Popham Colony. In his presentation, Jim will describe the role of the Popham colonists within the broader context of the English colonization of North America at the start of the 17^th century. He will then present archeological evidence that established the presence of the Popham colonists in Phippsburg, and describe the construction work that MFS volunteers carried out on the reconstruction of Virginia between 2011 and 2022, when it was successfully launched.

Jim has given this evolving talk over the last five years to many groups in Midcoast Maine and beyond. This presentation at the Bath Freight Shed celebrates the end of the construction phase of Maine’s First Ship, as we now embrace the operational phase.

This is the first of the 2024 Summer Lecture Series. This year the lectures will be held on Wednesday evenings at the Bath Freight Shed (27 Commercial St, Bath Maine). Recordings will be available here a couple of days later.  

The lectures are free, but if you consider them valuable, please donate to Maine’s First Ship either in person or online.