Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg

One year ago I was on vacation to Colonial Williamsburg. I had a wonderful time and learned an incredible amount about the Revolutionary War era from the actor/interpreters who portray the citizens of Williamsburg. You can read more about Williamsburg and learn about the real people of the town on their fabulous website at history.org. I am going to blog my journal and some photos in hopes that you will learn something as well.

Night Three - May 16th

After visiting Jamestowne, I returned to Williamsburg in the evening to watch the end of Revolutionary City: September 28, 1781 On to Yorktown and Victory.
Guests and townspeople march to the Courthouse and the militia gives a demonstration and the fife and drum corps play for us.

Day Three - May 17th
Went to Colonial Williamsburg to see a program called Business as Usual at the Raleigh. The Raleigh Tavern serves history, it is only used for programming. We, the guests, had a chat with a man whose occupation is head usher at William and Mary. I don't remember what that means but he gets free tuition and I think looks after the boys. He was youngish and a middling class type guy. He said he had never been out of Virginia and wanted news of the outside world, but the guests weren't very talkative.

Then I viewed the largest gathering of fife and drum corps assembled anywhere. There were groups from all over North America and they marched to the green. It was very entertaining and they were all excellent.

My next stop was the jail for a tour of Mr. Pelham's house, which was attached to the jail, and the jail cells. Mr. Pelham, his wife and several children lived in only a few rooms. The cells are really tiny and dark and the jail wasn't usually crowded. They either branded thieves and murderers if they were given a second chance or hanged the really unrepentant criminals. The jail was full of Loyalists during the war. The whole building was so dark, even on a beautiful spring day. I can't imagine how dreary it must have been to live there, let alone how difficult it must have been to be a prisoner.


In the afternoon I met up with a friend and strolled around the Palace gardens a bit. The gardens are so beautiful this time of year and there are many different types of flowers arranged neatly into various flower beds and paths lined with shells, because there is no natural stone in that part of Virginian.

Our next stop was the Everard House, built in 1717 for a gunsmith and later enlarged and embellished by Thomas Everard, a county clerk who was wealthy and well respected. He and his family were considered lower gentry (upper-class). The house reflects their position as wealthy land owners and slave owners.

We learned that young children slept on spindle beds rather than in the high four-poster beds one commonly sees in historic homes. Also, the daughters of the house had their own personal slaves and the slaves slept on pallets next to their beds. Downstairs was the father's bedroom. His bed is the fanciest type of four-poster bed with compass style hangings. He also has a wing backed chair in his room known as an "easy chair" because it concealed a chamber pot inside! The parlour is painted a striking bright green color, which would have made the room brighter in winter. It also has a large mirror on one wall to reflect the sunlight and lighten the room.
Inside this room is a brand new (in the 1770s) instrument called a spinet (an ancestor of the piano). Also downstairs is an office/family room, where the family would congregate. Outside is the kitchen building and a reconstructed smokehouse. We strolled the small kitchen garden before leaving.

Next stop was the Bruton Parish Church, the Episcopal church in town. It was the only church, the official church and everyone paid taxes to the church. We sat in the high walled pews to rest our feet. Each pew was owned by a family; the wealthiest families had pews right up front and the poorest folk sat in the back. Slaves sat up in the gallery.

We visited the courthouse and learned about how they tried small crimes there. Sorry, I didn't take any notes. We just stopped in to rest our feet!



To the Revolutionary City, July 27, 1775: Miss Elizabeth Nicholas is waiting for her boyfriend, Edmund Randolph to propose marriage. They consider themselves "modern" Romeo and Juliet for his father is a Loyalist and her father is a Patriot. Unfortunately, Elizabeth learns from a stranger that Edmund's father is planning to take the family to England. Elizabeth was angry at Edmund at first but he assured her of his love and his difficult decision to stay in America. Alas for poor Elizabeth for another stranger accidentally mentions that Edmund is due to leave for Philadelphia NOW! Edmund explained that he has received a commission in General Washington's army and is planning to fight for independence. Elizabeth was heartbroken and Edmund debated postponing the question he was going to ask her, but . . . he decided to ask her to be his wife! She accepted his proposal and he gave her a choker necklace as a token of his love.

September 3, 1775
A man from the tavern is accused of being a traitor to the Patriot cause. The Committee of Safety is determined to bring him to justice and the townspeople stand on the street to watch the impromptu trial and offer their opinions.

November 17, 1775
The slaves learn that Governor Dunmore has issued a proclamation that any slaves belonging to rebels (Patriots) will be free if they can get to Norfolk and serve in the British army. The slaves debate whether to run or not. The women were unsure whether there would be a place for them but really wanted to be free.

May 15, 1776 to the Capitol
The citizens of the town come out to hear the final vote on independence. They are anxious to be free and independent and establish a Republican form of government. Everyone gathered at the Capitol and waited for the vote... Mrs. Peyton Randolph was standing behind me and she was as much a Patriot as her husband, who was the president of the First Continental Congress, and she remarked to her slave, Eve, that if Mr. Nicholas voted NAY for independence, she would personally hit him over the head with her parasol! Mr. Robert Carter Nicholas, the treasurer for Virginia, gave a little speech about how he had been on the fence about independence because he had hoped to avoid bloodshed. Mrs. Randolph muttered "Too late Mr. Nicholas, they're already firing at us!" Mr. Nicholas finally voted for independence and the crowd cheered Huzzah as they raised the new American flag over the Capitol.

In the evening, I returned to the Capitol for an evening program called Crime and Punishment. Our guide was is an interpreter, a modern person in period costume. She explained the court system to us and gave us an overview of the punishments of the day. Most small crimes were tried at the courthouse and punished by stocks or pillory. More serious crimes were tried twice a year at the Capitol. Criminals could ask for mercy and thieves and murderers could be branded. Serious crimes were punishable by hanging which was done outside of the city. Then we went to the Capitol and met Jack Scratch, an 18th century man who was the sheriff or some sort of law enforcement. He related a story about a bloody street brawl that resulted in a whipping. He enjoyed giving us the gory details! We then went to the jailer's house and met the jailer's apprentice, a grizzled old man who REALLY enjoyed his work. He talked with glee about job branding thieves and murderers. He showed us his branding iron and showed us his brand on his hand! He also demonstrated branding on a piece of cow hide. Our last stop was the exercise yard where we met a woman who had a very sad story to tell. I won't spoil it for anyone but go see this program if you're in Williamsburg!