Jamestown Day and Powhatan’s Daughter

Jamestown Day is commemorated annually on May 8th, and 2023 marks the 416th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Steeped in intrigue, controversy, and conundrum, including cannibalism, the introduction of slavery, and violent clashes with indigenous people of the Powhatan nation, the historical site of today attempts to contextualize these and other factors with the hope of creating a meaningful experience for visitors.

As early as 1900, plans were in the works for an exposition in time for the 300th anniversary of the Jamestown colony in 1907, officially called the Jamestown Ter-Centennial Exposition or simply, the Jamestown Exposition. The expo ran from April 26th to December 1st and was plagued with problems from day one. On opening day, electrical issues permitted only one-fifth of the fairground illumination to function, combined with poor attendance throughout the expo’s run, to the Negro Building deemed ‘controversial’ by prominent African-Americans including W.E.B. Du Bois. President Theodore Roosevelt made two excursions to the exposition and it was the Negro Building exhibits that were his primary interest on both trips. Ironically, while the overall exposition was a financial disaster, the Negro Building was the only exhibit to turn a profit during the course of the fair.

Little information is available regarding entertainment at the Jamestown Exposition and based on surviving records, we know Sousa’s Band did not perform at the fair. Perhaps the composing of “Powhatan’s Daughter” in 1906 was a coincidence as there is no dedication on the title page of the commercially available sheet music as Mr. Sousa’s original manuscript of this work remains unaccounted for. What does appear is the following three-line stanza: “Pocahontas his own daughter, she the dove of Worocomoco, the Pride of Tuscarora.”

The 1907 Sousa Band season began August 8th and concluded December 14th leaving ample time prior to August for an appearance there; however, Virginia was not on the touring route of the band and perhaps exposition managers decided they could not afford the band’s booking rate of $1000.00 per day which was typical when performing longer engagements such as at Willow Grove Park. Combing through the Sousa Band press books in 1906 and 1907 do not answer these questions either as the only mention of Mr. Sousa’s latest march performed during their appearance at the annual Pittsburgh Exposition attracted several hundred descendants of the Pocahontas Nation. Interestingly enough during Sousa’s lifetime, he was made an honorary chief of three Native American tribes!

It’s difficult to classify “Powhatan’s Daughter” as a bona fide exposition march as it lacks a dedicatory inscription; however, the timing of its composition and publication seems to fit the timeline of the fair’s duration even though Sousa’s Band never appeared. Mr. Sousa was not shy with regard to his latest march’s promotion as it was rendered almost daily whether at the Pittsburgh Exposition or Willow Grove Park as well as daily stops while on the road. Typical of most of The March King’s exposition marches sans “King Cotton” and “The Fairest of The Fair,” “Powhatan’s Daughter” like “The Pathfinder of Panama” and the handful others fell into relative obscurity once these fairs closed down.

Please enjoy this fine rendering by the United States Marine Band, Col. Jason Fettig, conducting.

1. The attractive, colorized sheet music cover was a change from most John Church publications of this period as it featured a Native American theme along with a handsome inset of the composer. 
2. The 1907 Sousa Band tour began in Asbury Park, NJ on August 8th with matinee and evening concerts at the Casino. 
3. The opening day programs at Willow Grove Park featured “Powhatan’s Daughter” on two separate programs. 
4. Sousa’s Band played twelve concerts at the famous Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD in September of 1907 where the new march was well received. 
5. Mr. Sousa fulfills an autograph seeker’s request with a handsome musical quotation from the trio of “Powhatan’s Daughter” in 1908. Later that year, the popularity of his new “Fairest of The Fair” would basically drive its predecessor into oblivion.