In this segment, historian Rick Britton talks about Today in Virginia History: On this day in 1571, a small Spanish Jesuit settlement on the Virginia Peninsula was wiped out by Native Americans. In the early 1500s, Spanish explorers had been the first recorded Europeans to see the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (which they christened Bahia de Madre de Dios or Mother of God Bay). They, like the other European adventurers, were searching for an easy passage to India. Virginia they named Ajacan.
St. Augustine, Florida, had been established by the Spanish  in 1565. They subsequently set up small outposts along the coasts of present-day Georgia and the Carolinas. In August of 1570, a small party of priests and Jesuit brothers set out from Havana to found a mission in Ajacan. Landing on one of Virginia’s peninsula’s–most likely the same which later witnessed the founding of Jamestown–the Spaniards soon constructed a small wooden structured. (Archaeologists have attempted to locate traces of this tiny settlement, but have as yet had no luck.)
The Spaniards were wiped out on February 2, 1571, marking the end of their efforts to colonize Virginia. (A supply ship that arrived in 1572 was attacked from the shore.)
Also: On Tuesday, February 27th, I’ve got a great event at the beautiful Silver Thatch Inn from 1 to 3 in the afternoon. Following a high tea served at 1, I’ll be speaking on the Battle of Rio Hill, Albemarle County’s only Civil War combat.