411 Years Ago Today On 29 April 1607

One Hundred and four of Virginia’s colonists, having made landfall three days earlier, erect a wooden cross at what they named Cape Henry, the southern boundary entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. By doing so, they are thanking God for their safe passage and claim the land for King James I.  The cape is named for their king’s eldest son, Henry Frederick Stuart. In keeping with instructions of the Virginia Company of London, a search for a good defensible place to colonize ensues.

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Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales was the elder son of James VI and I, King of England and Scotland, and his wife, Anne of Denmark. Heir to the throne died 6 Nov 1612, age 18, of Typhoid Fever.

Portrait painted circa 1610. Courtsey National Portrait Gallery, London.

- John Graves, Jamestowne Society Communication Committee 2018-2019