Educational, Print & Online Resources

Education | Books | Web Sites

Education

• Captain John Smith 400 Project
  http://www.johnsmith400.org/educational.htm
  a comprehensive, curriculum developed by Sultana Projects in conjunction with the Maryland State Department of Education and the Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake National Water Trail. The John Smith curriculum will expose students from throughout the region to this important piece of our history
  
  
• National Geographic Society
  The Chesapeake Bay Watershed: A Timeline of Change; A Model for Change (Grades K-2)
  The Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Past, Present and Future (Grades 3-5)
  The Chesapeake Bay: A Model for Change (Grades 6-8)
  The Chesapeake Bay: A Time for Change (Grades 9-12)
  
  
• Exploring the Chesapeake Bay (15 MB PDF file)
  This is a beautiful and informative poster created by The Richmond Times-Dispatch
  
  
• Prince William County Public Schools
  Virginia's First People: Past and Present
  
  
• National Museum of the American Indian
  We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region
  (Grades 9-12)
  

Books

Chesapeake: Exploring the Water Trail of Captain John Smith
Written by John Page Williams, Jr.
Photographs by Dave Harp
Published by National Geographic. The 192-page paperback retails for $12.95 (ISBN 978-146200694)
Order from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

John Smith's Chesapeake Voyages 1607-1609
Written by Helen Rountree, Wayne Clark, and Kent Mountford
Published by University of Virginia Press
The 368-page, illustrated, hardbound edition retails for $29.95. (ISBN 978-0-8139-2644-5)
Order from Amazon.com

Landfall Along the Chesapeake: In the Wake of Captain John Smith
Written by Susan Schmidt
Published by Johns Hopkins University Press
This 226-page 12x12 hardback retails for $30.00 (ISBN 0-8018-8296-6)
Order from Amazon.com

Chesapeake: Bay of Light - An Exploration of the Chesapeake Bay's Wild and Forgotten Places
Written by Tom Horton; Photographs by Ian J. Plant
Published by Mountain Trail Press
The 192-page hardcover book retails for $45.00.
(ISBN 0977793346)
Order from Amazon.com

2007 Guide to Cruising the Chesapeake Bay
by Chesapeake Bay Magazine
Published by Chesapeake Bay Communications
The 392-page spiral-bound book retails for $39.95 (ISBN 978-1884726125)
Order from Amazon.com

Exploring the Chesapeake in Small Boats
Written by John Page Williams, Jr. and William S. Portlock
Published by Cornell Maritime Press/Tidewater Publishers
This 190-page softback book retails for $12.95
(ISBN 978-0-87033-429-0)
Order from Cornell Maritime Press/Tidewater Publishers

Cruising the Chesapeake: A Gunkholer's Guide
Written by William H. Shellenberger
Published by International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
The 512-page hardcover book retails for $39.95
(ISBN 978-0071363716)
Order from Amazon.com

Chesapeake Almanac
Written by John Page Williams, Jr.
Published by Cornell Maritime Press/Tidewater Publishers
The 248-page softback book retails for $14.95
(ISBN 978-0-87033-449-8)
Order from Cornell Maritime Press/Tidewater Publishers

Web Sites

• The National Park Service
  Official National Historic Trail website and
  Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail Study
  Information on the status of the study and how you can participate. In addition, the site has the approved Statement of National Significance.
  
  
• Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network
  Chesapeake Bay Program
  Captain John Smith's Chesapeake Voyages
  The Secretary of the Interior administers the trail in coordination with the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network and the Chesapeake Bay Program.
  also
  Capt. John Smith's Voyages of Exploration: Rediscover the 17th Century Chesapeake
  The Gateways Network, Penn State University, the Smithsonian Institution and two major Chesapeake cultural institutions teamed up to develop this Web site. Employing the latest 3D photorealistic landscape visualization technology, the site portrays the Bay as John Smith would have seen it 400 years ago.
  
  
• The National Geographic Society
  National Geographic has several websites devoted to John Smith's voyages and the founding of Jamestown:
  • Exploring the Chesapeake: Then and Now
  • John Smith's Voyage of Discovery a 13-minute film
  • National Geographic Magazine - Jamestown 1607
  • On the Trail of Captain John Smith an interactive adventure for young people
  • and much more...

• The Chesapeake Bay Foundation
  John Smith Water Trail
  Explore the trail—past, present, and future—with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's interactive map "State of the Bay: Past, Present, Future," send an ecard, or share your experiences on the trail on the Water Trail blog.
  
  
• Sultana Projects, Inc.
  Captain John Smith 400 Project
  Sultana has constructed a replica of Smith’s shallop, the boat he used to explore the Bay. The shallop, with a crew of 12, is currently retracing Smith’s route around the Bay. Vist the project's Virtual Voyage website and see the shallop's progress in real time, read the crew's journals, and check out the latest photos and videos.
  
  
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
  NOAA Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System
  The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office has begun to establish an interpretive "talking" buoy system. The three buoys currently operating—one on the James River off of Jamestown, one off Point Lookout on the Potomac River, and one at the mouth of the Patapsco River—provide information on current conditions, water quality, geography, seasonal information, and area history to boaters and non-boaters via cell phone at 1-877-BuoyBay.
  
  
• The Conservation Fund
  Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail
  
  
• The Richmond Times-Dispatch
  Explore Jamestown 400
  News archive, an interactive tour, games, photos, and more.
  
  
• Historic Jamestowne
  America's 400th Anniversary
  
  
• Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
  Captain John Smith James River Trail
  The VA Dept. of Conservation & Recreation recently announced the creation of this new trail. This is a boating and driving trail along the James River that chronicles Smith’s explorations of the waterway between 1607 and 1609. The trail was created as part of statewide preparations for the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. This trail demonstrates the feasibility of establishing a National Historic Water Trail.
  
  
• Virginia Council on Indians
  The Virginia Council on Indians is an advisory board to the Governor and the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Council's duties include studies and research regarding the Indian Tribes in the Commonwealth, and making recommendations to the Commonwealth on issues regarding Virginia Indians.