First Landing State Park 2500 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451
History of First Landing
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FIRST LANDING
On the early morning (about 4 a.m.) of Sunday, April 26, 1607, three small ships carrying the first permanent settlers of Virginia approached the shore near Cape Henry at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. This Virginia Company of London expedition had set sail from England on Dec. 26, 1606 Released from their four month confinement at sea, they made landfall just west of the cape, where the reverend Robert Hunt led the colonists in giving thanks to god for their “safe” voyage. Captain Christopher Newport, the expedition’s commander until the first charter’s requirements were carried out, went ashore that morning with a party to explore this new land filled with “freshwaters, faire meadowes," and “goodly tall trees”. During an afternoon encounter with indians, two of the party were wounded. That evening the colonists opened the strong box and read the instructions contained in the first charter. Upon discovering that the members of the council were named but not its president, they held the first recorded free election under English common law; the vote being duly recorded for the establishment of “James Cittie”. A second party was to put ashore the next day to assemble a “shallop”, which is a small boat. This shallop was used to explore the lower reaches of the Chesapeake Bay and the Lynnhaven River, possibly as far in- land as today’s Thalia and Wolf Snare. According to George Percy, younger son of the Duke of Northumberland, who was with them, “on the nine and twentieth day we returned to the mouth of the Chesiopic, set up a cross and called the place Cape Henry” for Henry, Prince of Wales, elder son of king James I. April 30 found them at a new anchorage, “Cape Comfort” and shortly thereafter they entered the James River. After two weeks of searching both sides of the James River for a suitable site, they established the first permanent settlement on May 13, 1607, naming it “James Cittie” for king James I. (information and picture provided by the department of the interior)