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Historical Highway MarkersFirst Poles ArriveW-100
Skilled craftsmen of Polish origin recruited by the Virginia Company began arriving in Jamestown aboard the Mary and Margaret about 1 Oct. 1608. Poles contributed to the development of a glass factory and the production of potash, naval stores, and wood products. Soon samples of their work were shipped back to England. The workers were so highly prized that they were assigned apprentices so that their skill "shall not dye with them." Capt. John Smith praised their work ethic in his writings. Court records indicate that as a result of a labor dispute, Poles were granted full voting rights on 21 July 1619.
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References/Bibliographic Citation: Henry Archacki, "From Whence Came the Jamestown Poles," Polonia Reporter, March-April 1958; Miecislaus Haiman, "Polish Past in America," The Polish Pioneers in Virginia, 1974; Richard Orli, "The Identity of the 1608 Jamestown Craftsmen," Polish American Studies, November 18, 2010; Virginia Company Court Records, July 21, 1619, in Kingsbury, ed. |