Maine’s First Ship: The Popham Colony and Our Reconstruction of
Their 1608 Pinnace Virginia

In 1607, 100 Englishmen attempted a settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec River. They built defenses, dwellings, and a storeroom for supplies. They sought out and traded with native people and they built a small, maneuverable ship with which to explore nearby rivers and coastlines for resources. When the colony was forced to fold after fourteen months, they rigged the ship for an open-ocean voyage and sailed it back to England. This was the start of the 400-year old shipbuilding industry we have today in Maine.

Dr. James Parmentier retired to Brunswick, Maine, in 2012 after a career as a research scientist in the drug development industry and a faculty member in the IHP Clinical Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Among other activities, he serves as President of the Board of Directors of Bath-Brunswick Respite Care, an adult daycare center in Bath, Maine, for functional elders with dementia. life, Jim has spent most of his summers on or near the water…sailing, rowing, and building small boats. He is currently building a 19-ft lobster boat in his home workshop. For the past decade he has volunteered with Maine’s First Ship to help reconstruct the Virginia of Sagadahoc.

PLEASE NOTE:

The event will be on Zoom. Event link is sent 30 minutes before program start.