Popham: the Forgotten Colony

Published 2021-10-18
There were a number of settlements that attempted to become the first successful colony on the Eastern Seaboard of North America, and that failed quickly in the face of myriad challenges. One of those colonies, established shortly after the considerably more famous one at Jamestown, was established hundreds of miles north, on the rocky, irregular coast of Maine, and called Popham.

This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.

You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
www.thetiebar.com/?utm_campaign=BowtieLove&utm_med…

All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.

Find The History Guy at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheHistoryGuyYT/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheHistoryGuy
Please send suggestions for future episodes: [email protected]

The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered is the place to find short snippets of forgotten history from five to fifteen minutes long. If you like history too, this is the channel for you.

Subscribe for more forgotten history:    / @thehistoryguychannel  .

Awesome The History Guy merchandise is available at:
teespring.com/stores/the-history-guy

Script by JCG

#history #thehistoryguy #USHistory

All Comments (21)
  • @themercer4972
    "No matter what we think about history, there is always more to be discovered." that is a great line.
  • @SacredWaves
    As someone that lives in Maine, and has been to Fort Popham/Popham beach. It is fantastic, and so historical. Thank you for covering yet another piece of forgotten history.
  • @allen_p
    Note to self: Do not kidnap people then expect their family and community to help you. Check!
  • @robbrown5702
    As a lifelong Maine island resident, I have been to Popham many times and recall stories of there, Plymouth and Jamestown and how my family had connections with all of them. I guess it's time to call on my family historians for the information. Thanks for another great historical video!
  • @scottpooler2661
    I live in Bath, there is currently a replica of the Virginia under construction by a local society, being built in period correct ways with period tools
  • @Seafoam58
    As a resident of Phippsburg, Maine and fan of The History Guy, thanks for a wonderful episode ! The Phippsburg peninsula is beautiful and is rich with history. Every time I go for a walk, I wonder how many people before me have walked these paths, including early European settlers and the Native Americans long before them who fished and hunted these shores. . Truly humbling to consider.
  • @TheKulu42
    I had never heard of the Popham Colony until now. It's amazing what sort of history can fall through the cracks as time goes on.
  • @stephencody6088
    I'm sure you're gonna get a bunch of us Mainers saying thanks for this. The first successful colony on the Maine coast,Phippsburg,still exists to this day.
  • @peterhaag5225
    I always bring up Popham and people ap rarely know about it. Popham was my favorite state park growing up so I read about the colony at least once a summer
  • The rediscovery of the Popham colony caused such a stir that I NEVER heard about it until today!!
  • @HM2SGT
    While we're on the subject Of Colonial Maine, you might consider doing a piece about Paul Revere's defeat in Maine, his loss of ships and artillery and the March back to Boston.
  • @fancyfarmgirl
    water falls at 6:10 are Screw Auger Falls in Newry Maine some 76 miles northwest of Popham, the coast at 6:27 is Acadia Park near Bar Harbor 86 miles east - the coastal rock formations in Popham are Precambrian volcanic marine sedimentary while Acadia is Silurian mostly granite
  • @hdwarrior8830
    I live in Maine and have an interest in archeology and hubby and I used Staycations as home school opportunities for our daughter. We first became aware of the new dig when we were visiting the fort and we actually got to participate in unearthing and processing artifacts over the years. We were actually there anytime they had funding and good weather to help process all the finds. We were always finding hidden bits of history. We've ranged all over Maine and the most important places in Boston and Salem, Mass. (we had to go there because hubby and baby girl are descendants of Rebecca Nurse) and of course we had to check out the "witching scene" but not the main tour, we always had inside people we would run into when we would do our living history impressions or go attend one and it's a wonderful community who delights in showing the hidden treasures that the general public doesn't get to see. Like Richard Chamberlin's house... and a bunch of folks dressed in Confederate uniforms sitting on the stairs while we decided whether we were too drunk to go upstairs. Since I was the sober sister I had to make the boys go back to their tents and come back in the morning for the official tour, but I was thinking Chamberlin must be spinning in his grave, and knowing what a vain man he was and what a jerk he was I really don't care. I figure the 15th Alabama got in the last lick by occupying his house and having a drink to the ANV in his stairwell. Sometimes little things mean a lot! lol We actually have so much history still to learn and new finds are being made every day. It is SO exciting. We could spend a life time in New England and never find all the mysteries and certainly we hit as many places on the East coast between Maine and GA (where I was from) as we could on family trips. It would take many lifetimes to explore the wonders of our land and take in all the history. I wish I had the ability to teleport just so I could see the interesting places. Touch that little piece of comb and wonder who it belonged to, how it got there. Were they sad when they lost it or did they never know? Were they past caring by then? Sometimes the family story is told in a series of tombstones and it is always heartbreaking, and you realize heartbreak was a constant companion. It was a hard life. Folks don't realize how tough it was. People were made of sterner stuff. We could use a little more of that fortitude. Edit: left out the best part... we also know some Pirate re-enactors and have been on a couple of their ships! All good stories have pirates!
  • @HM2SGT
    Almost makes me wish I was a kid in Primary School again. Those wonderful field trips we enjoyed from central New Hampshire to these places of colonial historical significance. It would be wonderful to visit Popham colony.
  • @mbvoelker8448
    It continually amazes me that not just one, but many colonies were sent out with no plans to start growing food in a timely fashion.
  • @helenel4126
    News to this woman who grew up near Jamestown. Thanks, Professor History Guy.
  • @RetiredSailor60
    My ancestors settled in Jamestown in the 1620s. William Stone (7 times great grandfather) became the 3rd Colonial Governor of Maryland from 1649 to 1655.
  • @jeantaylor4507
    Thank you for the history session. We have almost the same thing in the South. First Settlement - St. Augustine, FL vs. Parris Island, Port Royal, SC
  • @stuartriefe1740
    Another fantastic education! Lance must have a staff of thousands! (Well, dozens hopefully) You can’t make me me believe a husband, wife, son (I only know of the son from the pod casts) and most importantly, some really smart kitties, can put all this together several times a week without at least some help! My favorite YouTube channel hands down!
  • AS ALWAYS THE HISTORY GUY, AN EXCELLENT VIDEO!! I thought that was a neat way to describe the Jamestown re-supply fleet as being in a TEMPSET. Until you mentioned the name SEA VENTURE, I had that they had been a part of the fleet. When I lived in Bermuda during the early 70's, we had a field trip to the eastern end of the island that Ft.St.Catherine(where pieces of the SEA VENTURE,including the ship's anchor were on display),and, the town of St.George(Bermuda's early capital). Sir George Somers, the captain of the SEA VENTURE, was a close friend of Shakespeare, and, it was the wreck of the ship, as told to him by Sir George, that was the inspiration for the play THE TEMPEST. Also in St. George, we saw the tomb that has the heart of Sir George Somers buried in it(it was his last request to have his heart buried here). Wish I could remember the name of the church.🌞🌞🌞😄😄😄✌✌✌✌