Note: this topic is from 2/12/2007. [eight years later] Thanks SlowBoat407!
Posted on 02/12/2007 6:25:12 AM PST by SlowBoat407
VIRGINIA BEACH - For 400 years, the history of early Virginia has focused on the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown.
But Randy Amici believes history has overlooked something important - a possible settlement and a fort more than 60 miles away, near what is now Fort Story in Virginia Beach.
It was called Henrytowne, and Amici thinks it may have been established as early as 1610.
Amici's findings have stirred up a historical hornet's nest among others who question whether Henry-towne ever existed.
Today, Amici will take his conclusions to Williamsburg, where an intrigued group of Virginia historians will review them.
"If I'm proven wrong - well, first of all, I'm not going to be," Amici said. "My research is that good."
Amici contends that a fort existed at Cape Henry in the early 17th century and that an English settlement was established at or near what is now Baylake Pines, a neighborhood off Shore Drive, near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
But other archaeologists and historians are dubious.
If Henrytowne existed, they say, it could be the third -earliest known settlement in Virginia behind Jamestown and an abandoned site started by John Smith in 1609 in Surry County.
"It is something that nobody who has studied the period has come across before, which is surprising," said Nicholas Luccketti, principal archaeologist for the James River Institute for Archaeology.
Amici, 44, is a Louisiana-born and New York-bred archaeologist who has worked in Virginia for three years. He is the Army's lead archaeologist for Fort Eustis and Fort Story.
Last week, Amici stood steps away from where a replica of Henrytowne is being built at Fort Story, to coincide with a celebration of the landing of English colonists at Cape Henry. When the construction is complete, it will include watchtowers, a church and demonstration areas for a blacksmith and a trading post.
Amici seemed a little bemused with all the recent attention. "National Geographic wants to do a story now," he said.
First, he'll have to get past Virginia historical experts on Monday. Among those to whom Amici will present his findings are Ivor Noel Hume, former chief archaeologist and director of the Department of Archaeology at Colonial Williamsburg; William Kelso, director of archaeology for the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities; and Luccketti. Historians James Horn and Martha McCartney also will be there.
Luccketti said they are all eager to meet with Amici, even if some are skeptical.
Evidence of most of Virginia's early settlements has never been found or probably has been lost to development, Luccketti said. He and others suspect that Amici's claims may be partly based on a settlement near Richmond known as Henricus.
Amici says his proof is based on references he has found in at least eight historical records, including a letter dated 1610 from English naval commander Sir George Somers.
Amici said Somers mentions coming to Cape Henry, where the captain of the fort there spoke of the Jamestown famine of 1609.
But the centerpiece of his argument is a 1613 letter in which Lt. Gov. Samuel Argall described an outpost near Cape Henry as "Henries Towne." Argall, who had returned to Jamestown, wrote of ordering a ship to fish off the coast of Cape Charles on Virginia's Eastern Shore, then taking the catch to "Henries Towne for the reliefe of such men as were there."
"When I read that, I was like, 'Whoa!' " Amici said. "I read it five times to make sure I wasn't misreading something. It was the first I'd heard of such a thing."
He found the reference in 2005 while researching Pocahontas for a chapter of a book that compares real life events to Hollywood's depiction of them. He knew his claims on Henrytowne - Amici has appropriated that spelling for consistency with spellings of Historic Jamestowne - would be controversial.
"I definitely wanted to have my ducks in a row and to make sure we were accurate," he said. "I didn't want to break the story without doing my homework."
His conclusions also point to an excavation by Norfolk archaeologist Floyd Painter. Painter discovered a treasure trove of artifacts, including iron tools and pipe fragments, at the Baylake Pines site in the 1950s. Painter's collection, which was dated between 1610 and 1660, suggests the possible presence of an outpost and trading between colonists and American Indians, an activity that would have been considered illegal, Amici said.
Luccketti and a team of archaeologists did a limited excavation of the same site in 2005 but found nothing dating before the second quarter of the 17th century.
Though the goal isn't to search for Henrytowne, Amici and his team have been conducting an archaeological survey on Fort Story's 1,400 acres for several years. They dig shovel pits and sift through the dirt in search of early artifacts. The federally mandated survey will help them better understand the region's history, he said.
Amici's recent find has been "a gift," said Jeanne Evans, project coordinator for the First Landing Foundation, which is organizing the Cape Henry celebration. The replica of Henrytowne is being built near replicas of American Indian structures and an open-air museum.
"We certainly trust the documentation and validity of the project," she said.
How his peers will view his evidence is another matter, Amici said.
"Whether or not they agree or disagree, we'll move forward," he said. "Certainly, our hopes will be that these folks will come on board and at least give us a shot at getting a handle on the research."
Civ, ping to your lists!
mark for later
Where's the open air museum the article refernces? I go out to The Cape Henry Cross and the old Cape Henry lighthouse a couple of times a year and I'd love to see what's there.
Is there a scource to find out more about the work on this site? Has there been much documentation that a such a named place existed? Wouldn't there have to be some written references in many places, England, too?
mark
Oh, finally, our tax dollars are accomplishing something!!!
sarc/off
The museum and other structures are located on a site that used to be leased to the city for a public beach. It's supposed to open in April.
Amici claims there's not much documentation on it because the settlement was "illegal", in that it was located closer to the "naturals" than the orders for the settlers allowed. He's supposed to present his data to several archaeologists and historians today, but they say they will be very surprised if he presents anything that they haven't already studied thoroughly.
< /sarc >
They (the Chesapeake tribe) were wiped out by the Powhatan Chiefdom somewhere around the time the English arrived. The Nansemond tribe then filled in the area after the Chesapeake were gone.
Note: this topic is from 2/12/2007. [eight years later] Thanks SlowBoat407!
Adjacent to Ft Henry on Cape Henry is First Landing State Park
As a thread stealing statement, I’ll add that First Landing State Park is the northern most habitat of the bromeliad Tillandsia usneoides commonly known as Spanish Moss. It is perhaps the most successful plant species on earth. The habitat extends all the way from Virginia First Landing State Park continuously to southern Argentina. It was not able to cross the gap of the Chesapeake bay to the Delmarva peninsula.
Amici is right if Virginia’s politicians are buying up land near the site. Otherwise, he’s a quack.
“It was not able to cross the gap of the Chesapeake bay to the Delmarva peninsula.”
That was excellent. You win the trivia post of the day!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
