Draft Interpretive Plan Join the adventure! - Captain John Smith ...

*The health conscious (exercise, etc.)
*Special note from Cambridge, MD meeting:
More analysis is needed regarding the ways audiences are categorized. Planners
should avoid creating hierarchies among audience groups. It would be more
beneficial to organize audiences by the types of experiences they seek, and the
underlying purposes they have in visiting the area or participating in a particular
activity.
2. Key Messages/Themes
The over-arching goal of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail is to
foster citizen stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay. Smith’s voyages, Native American
cultures and societies (then and now), and the natural environment of the Bay (then and
now) are the three principal storylines (core subjects) on which interpretation of the Trail
will be based. Other stories and themes relate to the land and water of the Chesapeake
Bay and its people over time.
Participants were asked to identify the key stories to be highlighted in their region.
Emphasis was placed on interpreting the changes that have occurred to the Chesapeake
Bay in order to foster in people a sense of stewardship and responsibility for protecting
the Bay and its many resources.
A. Captain John Smith’s voyages around the Chesapeake Bay and European
settlement
Summary:
Participants stress the importance of the impact of Captain Smith’s voyages and
English settlement on the native peoples and the subsequent history of the Chesapeake
Bay region. They are most interested in what happened as a result of the voyages and
Smith’s subsequent map and writings: American Indian cultures were devastated, and a
new culture emerged and began 400 years of history that transformed the land and the
Bay. Some participants express an interest in the details of the voyages themselves which
some characterized as heroic adventures. The main emphasis, though, is to understand
how Captain Smith’s voyages, European settlement and the changes that followed
affected the land and water, and the lives of those who visit or live here today.
Specific Comments:
*When two divergent cultures, such as the English settlers and American Indians,
converge, challenges and change are inevitable and opportunities are available.
*American Indians and Europeans of 1600 had differing perspectives, and tension
evolved between the two cultures.
*The map produced by John Smith documented the American Indian settlements along
the Chesapeake Bay. His map encouraged European expansion which profoundly
affected the cultures of both peoples.
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