Jamestown, 1907
Scott Postage Catalog #328
With Pocahontas, left,
and her father, right
Chief Powhatan

Captain John Smith-First Commemorative Stamp Issue-1 Cent-1907--#328-On May 24, 1607, a group of English colonists arrived aboard three ships in what is now Virginia. This party, known as the London Company, was led by the noted English Explorer and author, John Smith. Under Captain Smith's sound and judicious guidance, the group founded the colony of Jamestown, named for King James I of England. This landmark settlement paved the way for other courageous explorers to colonize America. Recognizing the importance of this event, the Virginia Historical Society planned an exposition to be held in 1907 marking the three hundredth anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown. the Society urgently petitioned the Post Office Department to commemorate the event with a comprehensive series of stamps, ranging from 1-cent to $1 . From their records, however, the Post Office Department knew that there was not as much demand for stamps of higher denomination. Thus, the Department limited the series to three stamps--the 1-cent, 2-cent, and 5-cent respectively. The 1 cent Captain John Smith stamp was released across the United States on April 25, 1907, the day before the Jamestown Exposition opened in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The subject of the stamp is Captain Smith, in honor of his brilliant leadership during the settlement of Jamestown. the portrait was engraved from a drawing by Robert Clark. This original drawing had first appeared on a map of New England, which Smith himself had drawn in 1614. the art of map-making in North America was much improved because of Smith's settlement of Jamestown. The stamp also portrays Smith's Native American companion, Pocahontas, and her father, Chief Powhatan.