Our Misadventures in Colonial Williamsburg

My parents and I left the Yorktown Battlefield in the late afternoon. Since we were on a limited time schedule for the next few days, we originally planned to spend at least half a day in Colonial Williamsburg. However, after spending the afternoon in Yorktown, we did not arrive in town until the evening. Little did we know that we had to buy tickets to get into the many historic sites, and the Visitor Center that sold the tickets was already closed. We ended up walking around downtown, checking out a few shops and other places in the area.

One place we did get to see so late in the day was the College of William and Mary. This college is the second oldest in America being chartered in 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II in the Virginia Colony. The college has close ties to the founding fathers in that George Washington received his surveyor's license and Thomas Jefferson completed his undergraduate education at the school. One of the buildings on campus, the Wren Building, is the oldest college building in America with its construction beginning in 1695, before the town of Williamsburg existed.

Williamsburg itself became the thriving capital of Virginia beginning in 1699. It was transformed into the cultural, political, and educational center of the most influential of the American colonies. In Williamsburg, the concepts of the American republic under patriotic leaders such as Jefferson were nurtured and helped shaped the dream of American freedom and independence. Near the end of the Revolutionary War in 1780, the capitol was moved up to Richmond, and Williamsburg became a simple college town for a long time.

In 1926, an effort was made to preserve and restore the buildings and a large part of the colonial town for future generations. Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg today can get a glimpse of what life was like in the American colonies. People can visit the original and historic buildings, browse the museums, and look around the shops. Also, visitors can encounter many people in period costumes, see live programs in Revolutionary City, and get an idea of 18th Century trades. Since my family and I did not get to see much of the town, we want to go back again and spend more time there.

Next up, this series will fast-forward in American history to period of the Civil War when my parents and I headed to Richmond.

Links to Learn More:

• More Photos of Colonial Williamsburg
• Colonial Williamsburg Official Site