There were many interesting books which had mentioned or given speculative accounts of the history of the 1607 Popham Colony and there were even periodic commemorations of the colony held but which put the location of the actual site in other locations. Definitive proof of the colony's location, scope and actual existence are contained in the records of the recent archaeological dig conducted by Dr. Jeffery Brain of the Essex Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.
The Dig, as it is locally known, was begun in 1997 and ended in 2005. The exciting finds confirmed (finally!) the colony's actual location at Popham on a knoll overlooking Atkins Bay (see photos from the site and of the dig location here). The "Dig" as we have come to call it locally, was able to delineate the dimensions and location of many of the colony's buildings, all of which line up with the "John Hunt" map of the site, drawn at the time of the colony, dated October 8, 1607. Lost for many (very many!) years, it was discovered in Spain, of all places.
This map had seemed to many to be an outrageous exaggeration of the extent of the site, perhaps to glorify the accomplishments of the colony in order to gain favor and monies for its continuation. It depicts extensive fortifications,ramparts, multiple gun placements, well realized farming fields, and the like. It essentially shows a fully fortified and realized fort, named Fort St. George. The Hunt map was finally lined up properly with the site's topography by Dr. Brain. He describes his "Eureka moment " in properly matching the map to the topography of the speculated site in an article published by The Times Record, Bath's local newspaper, (click here to see article).
The dig, once started with the new orientation speculated upon by Dr. Brain, confirmed many of the elements depicted on the Hunt map, proving it to be extremely accurate and very useful as a tool for further exploration. There had been other digs but they had failed to line up properly with the map and the site's topography, and so had found little to confirm the location of the settlement. Now the location and dimensions of many of the buildings of the colony have been definitively found by Dr. Brain's archeological investigation. I will provide a copy of that most interesting map here shortly, but in the meantime, you may find information from the dig, including a look at the map at http://www.pophamcolony.org/. This web site has a good summary of many aspects of the colony, including a list of the known participants (see here) and shows some of the finds of the dig. This web site also provides a good list of of the technical publications from the dig, and has some emphasis on the results of the excavations which have taken place.
Other articles which have mentioned the dig are as follows:
Archaeology Today did a brief article on it here- http://www.archaeology.org/0603/abstracts/maine.html.
I will have links to other publicity as it becomes available.
There is also a new book, which is a compilation of the research and finds of the dig. I will have info on that here soon.
Many of the finds from "The Dig" have been entrusted to the Maine State Museum, who is currently staging a major exhibition at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath celebrating the finds of the colony at Popham. The exhibit in Bath will be available from May through October 15th.
Check the web sites for the Maine State Museum, http://www.mainestatemuseum.org/, and the Maine Maritime Museum, http://www.mainemaritimemuseum.org/, for more information on these exhibitions, and go see it!
There has also been an excellent summary entitled "The Legacy of The Popham Colony" which speaks of the colony's history and significance to later colonization in the New World undertaken by a student, Joseph Nowak. Having done his homework well, in his bibliography are listed many of the works one may want to consult about the history and story of the Popham Colony. Since we are all students, to begin with his account seems as good a place to start as any!
This account reads best as a PDF file since it is kept with the footnotes handy to each page. I've also tried to format it as a regular web page, but the footnotes do not translate as well since they are at the bottom of the entire text and are a bit out of reach as you read through it. Please see here (web page) or here (pdf) for this interesting and informative look at the origins of our Maine heritage as put down for us by student Joseph Nowak.