It is obvious to everyone that I have found a second career trumpeting the praises of Jamestown and 400 years of English America.  Along the way, I have learned one heck of a lot about what it is and what it is not, and have become particularly interested in European voyages to America before 1607.  Currently I am slogging my way thorugh Samuel Eliot Morrison's first book -- about the Northern Voyages.  But I am quick to admit that I am not an historian.  However.......

Yesterday I received a very colorful mailing from the Virginia Historical Society.  It is good to see that the venerable VHS has set up what appears to be a very large exhibit on Jamestown and "Three North American Beginnings." 

But therein lies my problem.  Alas, living in the far reaches of the Old Dominion, I am three hours from Richmond -- actually closer to the state capitals of Pennsylvania and Maryland than Virginia -- so cannot easily get to the exhibit.  And I may be unfair, not to mention tacky in even raising any questions about it.  I know just what I read in the article.....

..."takes a multilcultural approach to the virtually simultaneous introduction of English, French, and Spanish culture into the vast area north of Mexico...... the first permanent English settlement in 1607, the first permanent French settlement in 1608, and the chartering of the first villa in New Mexico in 1609."

The first problem is the definition of 'simultaneous' -- does this mean years, decades, portions-of-centuries?  The second is the rather wishy washy 'introduction of cultures...'.   i.e. paraphrasing a former US President, DEFINE  'simultaneous' and 'introduction', and 'permanent'.

But those are just teasers -- merely rhetorical questions for you.  Hold them aside, and lets look at what some others have to say about 'firsts settlements':

Relative to the Spanish, I find a note about New Mexico:  "......celebrates the arrival of Don Juan de Oññate, who in 1598 established the first permanent Spanish settlement in the United States at San Juan de los Caballeros..." (VHS seems to have played the 'Define...' game by calling out the first permanent Spanish 'villa', whatever that means.)

And of course in Florida, we find the French founding St. John's apparently in the early 1560s, but then being completely wiped out by the Spanish who established St. Augustine in 1565.  (Echos of 'We're Number 1.... uh Numero uno.....)'

But back to our French friends, "Port Royal (Nova Scotia) was the second permanent European settlement in North America north of Florida, having been founded in 1605 by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain."

Far be it for me to challenge our own Virginia Historical Society or the Smithsonian National Museum of American History who apparently had a hand in the exhibit.  I am guessing that none of the artifacts on display could be traced to those earlier-than-Jamestown settlements, consequently wording of the exhibit was tweaked.  But just like the hoopla on VA-HIST a couple of months ago in response to even THINKING about changing Civil War Diaries, I suggest that we should not mount an exhibit that tells -- or even implies -- it as we would LIKE IT TO BE, rather than like it was.

Randy Cabell
Still the Trumpeter of Jamestowne



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