Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail

04/03/2025

04/02/2025

It's that time of year when you need to start checking yourself!
Ticks come real stealth.

You should use pointy tweezers to grasp ticks as close to the skin as possible and pull gently to remove them. Then apply rubbing alcohol to the location.

Is this photo kind of weird? It sure is! But are you going to remember to check yourself for ticks? Cool. 😎

Visit the safety section of our website for additional safety advice for summer weather and water safety resources.

https://www.nps.gov/cajo/planyourvisit/safety.htm

03/31/2025

The warmer weather has all of us daydreaming about outdoor adventures, right? You can visit the Boating Adventures section of our website to find a Boaters Guide to the National Historic Trail. This section also has a link to an interactive map of public access sites courtesy of Chesapeake Bay Program.

Long before Captain Smith's explorations of the Chesapeake and its tributaries, Indians used these waterways for fishing and hunting, to trade goods, and to explore new lands. Smith traveled nearly 3,000 miles on the Bay and its rivers, recording and mapping what he saw. Due largely to Smith's descr...

03/26/2025

03/19/2025

That almost deafening "peep peep peep" you hear as you venture near a large puddle in the spring is this dude: a spring peeper. Actually, there are probably hundreds making that sound.

And that puddle? That is a vernal pool. Vernal pools are shallow depressions that only contain water during the spring. This is critical breeding habitat for amphibians because vernal pools typically can't support fish that would devour their eggs.

Vernal pools can attract frogs, toads, and salamanders from over 1,000 feet away. There are often roads separating them from the vernal pool. You can help them reach their destination by driving slowly on warm, rainy nights in March.

Photo credit: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

03/18/2025

03/10/2025

The Jamestown-Scotland Ferry has recently celebrated 100 years of service connecting travelers from James City County to Surry County. The Captain John Smith Ferry made the inaugural crossing on February 26, 1925. The ferry is a free service and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

Visitors to Historic Jamestowne can use the ferry to visit the opposite shore of the James River and Chippokes Plantation State Park which is on the land of Powhatan tributary chief Chippok and the Quiyounghanock tribe.

Chief Chippok was among those who made survival possible for the English settlers during the early years of the Virginia colony. But in 1619, the Virginia Company gave Chief Chippok's lands to Captain William Powell.

Thus began the slow transformation of this waterfront property into the plantation that claims to be the oldest continuously farmed piece of land in Virginia.

Please visit https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/feast-on-slices-of-natural-and-agricultural-history-at-chippokes-plantation-state-park.htm to learn more about the connection to Chippokes Plantation State Park.

Photo credit: Virginia Department of Transportation

03/06/2025

Here's the schedule for the Harriet Tubman Day Celebration this Saturday, March 8 at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park & Visitor Center in Church Creek, MD (Stop #14 on the Tubman Byway). Interesting talks on archaeology of Tubman's birthplace, the symbolism at the visitor center, connecting Black families after emancipation, African roots of modern music, and more! Plus traditional children's games and crafts.
>> While you're here, explore more of the road trip known as the Tubman Byway. Check out our free audio guide, too! HarrietTubmanByway.org.

03/05/2025

While many people rely on a rodent in Pennsylvania to predict spring, you know it is spring when the ospreys return to their nests in the Chesapeake Bay watershed in March.

"Where do they return from?" Great question! Ospreys spend their winters in the Caribbean and South America. Ospreys are monogamous and typically nest with the same mate for life. The pair will spend their winters apart but return to the same nesting site in March.

Ospreys are identified in flight by their white underparts, distinctive black eyestripes, and their crooked wings. You will often see them hovering over the water as they prepare to dive for fish.

Ospreys are a widespread species that live on every continent except for Antarctica. The Chesapeake Bay region is uniquely important for ospreys because it is home to the world's largest nesting population with at least 10,000 breeding pairs.



Photo credit: Ron Holmes/USFWS

03/04/2025

The Patawomeck Indian Tribe acquired 870 acres of its ancestral homeland along the Rappahannock River in Spotsylvania and Caroline counties, VA, on Jan. 27.

02/26/2025

  Providing the Public with an accurate account of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe A Brief History of the Museum The Pamunkey Indian Museum and Cultural Center is a tribal museum located on the Pamunkey Indian Reservation. The museum focuses on the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s history and way of life from 1...

02/26/2025

Trivia Tuesday!

- This river begins in Seaford, Delaware.
- The river shares its name with a state-recognized tribe in Delaware.
- Members of the tribe met with Captain John Smith in the town of Kuskarawaok in 1608.

Are you ready for the answer?

It's the Nanticoke River!

Please visit https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/nanticoke-water-trail.htm to find paddling itineraries for the Nanticoke Water Trail.

Photo credit: Matt Rath/Chesapeake Bay Program