The Popham Colony was the first organized attempt to establish an
English colony on the shores of what we now know as New England. It was planted
at the mouth of the Kennebec River in the summer of 1607 and lasted for little
over a year until it was abandoned in the fall of 1608. Popham was not the first
European colony in New England. The French were earlier with a brief settlement
on an island in the St. Croix River between Maine and New Brunswick in 1604.
Although Popham was the first claim of possession of what was then called
Northern Virginia by the English, the honor of the actual founding of a
"New" England belongs to the Pilgrims who established the first
permanent settlement in Massachusetts Bay thirteen years later. Despite its
precedence, the failure of the Popham Colony to endure has rendered it a nearly
forgotten historical footnote. Its failure, however, was an important step in
the ongoing experience of English colonization and the lessons learned
contributed directly to the ultimate success of the Pilgrims. Our archaeological
investigations have relocated the remains of Fort St. George, the principal
installation of the Popham Colony, and we are now embarked on a program of
exploration that will resurrect details of the colony and restore it to its
significant place in history.
POPHAM
COLONY
The Popham Colony was the first organized attempt to establish an
English colony on the shores of what we now know as New England. It was planted
at the mouth of the Kennebec River in the summer of 1607 and lasted for little
over a year until it was abandoned in the fall of 1608. Popham was not the first
European colony in New England. The French were earlier with a brief settlement
on an island in the St. Croix River between Maine and New Brunswick in 1604.
Although Popham was the first claim of possession of what was then called
Northern Virginia by the English, the honor of the actual founding of a
"New" England belongs to the Pilgrims who established the first
permanent settlement in Massachusetts Bay thirteen years later. Despite its
precedence, the failure of the Popham Colony to endure has rendered it a nearly
forgotten historical footnote. Its failure, however, was an important step in
the ongoing experience of English colonization and the lessons learned
contributed directly to the ultimate success of the Pilgrims. Our archaeological
investigations have relocated the remains of Fort St. George, the principal
installation of the Popham Colony, and we are now embarked on a program of
exploration that will resurrect details of the colony and restore it to its
significant place in history.