Was Martha's Vineyard Vinland the Good? with Jonathan Scott

Wednesday, June 22 at 5:00: Was Martha's Vineyard "Vinland, the Good" - that Beautiful and Beneficent Land Described in the Viking Sagas? With Jonathan Scott.

Many generations of Islanders have wondered - did the Vikings from Greenland ever make it this far south?  In an illustrated talk, and using their own narratives, Jonathan Scott will show how Leif Eriksson and his followers came to a wild New World in the 11th century.  Eventually they sailed south to a beneficent land that fits in almost every way the geography of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard and more particularly, how our Island of wild grapes, oak trees, white sand beaches, and a mild climate tempered by ocean currents may well have been that lovely and alluring place the Sagas called "Vinland, the Good".

Jonathan Scott is a retired professor in Art and Architectural History at Castleton University, the oldest institution of Higher Learning in Vermont. He graduated from Amherst College, received his Masters from the University of Kansas, and his PhD from the University of Minnesota. His three books pertain to Island history, and include PIONEER HOUSES OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD, VINLAND, THE GOOD (the subject of this talk), and, most recently, ANCIENT VINEYARD'S UNEXPLORED PAST

Email tthorpe@clamsnet.org for more information. Free. Sponsored by the Friends of the Chilmark Library. 508-645-3360