On behalf of The Henricus Citie Militia, we wish you & your family a very happy and prosperous New Year. We look forward to all the new events coming up in 2017!
Happy Holidays 2016!
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from all of us at The Henricus Citie Militia!
Best Wishes & Seasons Greetings!
55th Annual Virginia Thanksgiving Festival at Berkeley Plantation
Join us Sunday, November 6, 2016 from noon till 4PM for the 55th annual Virginia Thanksgiving Festival at Berkeley Plantation. Celebrate the First English Speaking Thanksgiving in the New World!
The Henricus Citie Militia will be participating in the re-enactment of the 1619 landing of the ship Margaret & Captain Woodlief and his men who portray America’s First Thanksgiving. A few of our members will row into shore from our 31′ coastal trading vessel to reenact the original landing. The original vessel, the Margaret, was only 35′ long!
“Captain John Woodlief (Woodliffe) was with the Jamestown settlers in 1609- the Second Charter of the Virginia Company of London. He later returned to England to bring other colonists as well as his wife and family to Virginia. Again he returned to England and in 1619, Woodlief, as captain and governor, sailed from Bristol on the good ship Margaret. ”
Berkeley Plantation
12602 Harrison Landing Rd.
Charles City, VA 23030-3339
For more information:
www.virginiathanksgivingfestival.com
www.facebook.com/Berkeley-Plantation
The Sea Lion Project Update 8-26-2016
After waiting for an eternity, we have some updates on the Sea Lion Ship.
Scarano Boat Builders was already in the midst of making repairs on a large wooden schooner when the Sea Lion was transported to Albany, New York last fall (2015) with an estimated August 2016 completion date. We received word from Scarano Boat Builders several weeks ago that work on the schooner was nearing completion and that they would soon be ready to begin work on the Sea Lion.
Responding to their request we scheduled a date agreeable to both parties for Ron Blackburn and Dennis Strawderman (Henricus Citie Militia founders) to travel to Albany and discuss the initial repairs on the ship which involves stabilizing the deck. The repairs are extensive and will require replacement of the decking and several damaged deck beams.
Since their meeting date is Friday, August 26, 2016, they will be traveling to Albany on Thursday the 25th to give them an entire day for the inspection of the ship and discussion of repair plans. Scarano Boat Builders provided them with a proposal for this stage of the ship restoration in advance of moving the ship and the purpose of the meeting is to discuss its progress.
We want to thank all our fans for waiting patiently with us. This project will be long and arduous. In the future it will serve its purpose for extending the life of the Sea Lion and promoting historical education at Henricus Historical Park.
Sir Thomas Dale in James Gillaspie Armor; Publick Day 2005
Dennis Strawderman as Sir Thomas Dale in James Gillaspie Armor; Publick Day Event 2005 at Henricus Historical Park in Virginia. Photo Courtesy of Robert Llewellyn www.robertllewellyn.com
Sir Thomas Dale Gallery: http://www.henricusmilitia.com/gallery2/
…
Cyrano de Bergerac Cape
In a recent discovery upon watching Cyrano de Bergerac, yet again, the 1950’s film featuring Jose Ferrer (the man on the left), is wearing the very same brown cape as Dennis Strawderman wore in the recent Henricus Militia group photo. The picture taken from this years 2016 Opechancanoughs 1622 Offensive event at Henricus Historical Park.
Interestingly enough, the cape was purchased several years ago on ebay from a seller that acquired a large amount of stock from the Western Costume Co. The cape was made of wool with high quality braid lining the edges.
The Sea Lion Project Update Oct 2015
The Saga of the Sea Lion series presented on our blog highlighting the planning and building of the ship has been interrupted for the time being to announce the following great news. It’s almost impossible to relate the progress during the past two weeks to restore the Sea Lion ship and bring it to Virginia.
After six and a half years the ship was partially disassembled (see time-lapse video provided by Martha Anderson of the Sea Lion Project) and transported to Albany for initial repairs and stabilization of the deck.
Almost everyone we met up with along Lake Chautauqua all the way from Jamestown to Westfield had a story to tell about the ship they love so much. “My wedding was held aboard the ship” one lady shared, but I couldn’t tell if the tears in her eyes were from her fond memories or the cold wind rolling in off Lake Erie.
Almost every store and restaurant had a photo of the ship, or some other form of memorabilia displayed inside. One restaurant had a beautiful painting by a local artist hung on the wall of the Sea Lion returning to Barcelona Harbor with a haunting image of the ship fully rigged in billowing clouds sailing through the sky.
Scarano Boat Builders did an excellent job of preparing the ship for the move so that it arrived “safe and sound” in Albany. From Albany the Sea Lion will be moved to Henricus Historical Park (www.henricus.org), the second English settlement in the new world, where it will be interpreted to the public including 35,000 school children each year.
None of this could have been possible without the support of the members of the Sea Lion Project who voted unanimously to move the ship to Virginia for its restoration and even provide monetary support for the move. Their hospitality included providing lodging for us in a beautiful bed and breakfast along the lake at the Maple Springs Lake Side Inn (www.mslsi.com), to giving us an original outfit worn by one of the sailors on the ship, a brass Sea Lion belt buckle, and a large bag of Restore the Sea Lion buttons.
John Cheney, one of the original supporters of the Sea Lion Project, has carefully collected and maintained many of the blocks, cannons, and other parts of the ship including the leaded glass windows off the stern. During our trip to New York we were able to meet with the divers who worked in the murky water of Lake Erie for months on end to salvage the ship. We have over 750 photos of the move provided by Martha Anderson. The Patterson Library in Westfield has been tremendously helpful as well providing us with a wealth of information they have on the ship that will help us in the restoration.
For more info please visit:
Henricus Historical Park www.henricus.org • Facebook Henricus-Park • Twitter @HenricusPark
Sea Lion Project www.sealionprojectltd.com • Facebook bpsferry • Twitter @bpsferry200
Randall Burt’s Sea Lion Fan Page facebook.com/Sea-Lion-Ship-114553268561851
Scarano Boat Builders www.scaranoboat.com • Facebook Scarano-Boat-Building
Patterson Library www.pattersonlibrary.org • Facebook Patterson-Library
The Sea Lion Saga continues
The Sea Lion Saga continues.
More info coming soon on the process of The Henricus Citie Militia spearheading a project to restore and transport The Sea Lion, one of the most amazing ships, from Barcelona Harbor, New York all the way to Henricus Historical Park in Chester, Virginia.
Follow us on Facebook at fb.me/henricusmilitia or Twitter @HenricusMilitia to stay updated on this amazing Sea Lion adventure!
Special Thanks to Randall Burt, Ferry Captain, Pilot/Engineer at Sea Lion Project Ltd., for giving us his blessings & and sharing some heartwarming photos. facebook.com/henricusmilitia/posts/947016605370845
The Rise of the Sea Lion Chapter 2
The Sea Lion Saga
Chapter 2: The Plan Takes Form
Years before the first mighty oak was harvested for the Sea Lion, Earnest Cowan, an accomplished artist and carpenter, began his research into British naval history and the construction of 16th century vessels.
As a youngster Ernie had visited the Mayflower replica in Plymouth and admiring the beauty of the ship, as well as the workmanship it took to build it, dreamed that someday he might build a similar vessel. “Wouldn’t it be great if it actually sailed,” he recalls saying at the time, and carried passengers like in days of old.
Ernie’s dream endured throughout the years until finally in 1971 he discovered a rare treatise drawn in 1586 by the English shipwright Mathew Baker (1530–1613). Baker was one of the most renowned Tudor shipwrights, and the first to put the practice of shipbuilding down on paper for posterity. The treatise explained Baker’s method of building a ship according to the three-arc principle in which only a compass and straight-edge were used to shape the hull. Baker developed the concept of ‘laying down the lines’ for a ship on paper instead of relying on the traditional practice of utilizing scale models.
His imagination fired by his discovery, Ernie began the long, hard fought battle of gaining support for the venture since most considered the herculean task of building a full sized 16th century ship pure folly for ordinary men to try and undertake. But then, Ernie Cowan wasn’t an ordinary man.
The marvelous photo of the Sea Lion overlooking Barcelona Harbor was provided by David Brewster dcbprime
Next Chapter 3: The tools of the Shipwright
The Rise of the Sea Lion Chapter 1
The Sea Lion Saga
Chapter 1: The Rise of the Sea Lion
They were bold, courageous, hardworking men venturing into an ancient forest of virgin white oak to select the material they needed to fulfill a dream they all shared. The trees towering over them were 350 to 400 years old and one of the last stands of such timber remaining in the whole country.
But they were exactly what their project required to provide the 10,000 board feet of virtually knot-free lumber needed to complete their “dream ship.”
Their sojourn into the dark woods was only made possible because the owner of the property shared their dream as well and contributed the valuable trees for the vessel.
After years of research they dedicated a large part of their lives to the slow, painstaking laborious work of the 16th century shipwright to complete their masterpiece. Much of this introductory chapter to the Sea Lion Saga was taken directly from an original 1981 Sea Lion Project publication. Much more to come! The marvelous photo of the Sea Lion overlooking Barcelona Harbor was provided by David Brewster dcbprime
Next, Chapter 2: The Plan Takes Form