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Colonial Williamsburg is the historic district of the independent city of Williamsburg, Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg consists of many of the buildings that formed the original colonial capital of Williamsburg in James City County from 1699 to 1780.

Early in the 20th century, the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, one of the largest historic restorations ever undertaken, was championed by the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin and John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who wanted to celebrate the patriots and the early history of the United States of America.

Some of the structures from the Colonial period have been reconstructed on their original sites. Many other structures have been restored to their original 18th century appearances. Most buildings are open for tourists to look through.

A main source of tourism to Williamsburg, Virginia, visitors can witness a treelined 1930s interpretation of a Colonial American city with exhibits including authentic colonial homes, American Revolutionary War history exhibits, and the town jail, which includes an authentic stocks and pillory display.

One of the most unusual things about visiting Colonial Willaimsburg is that costumed interpreters work, dress, and talk as they did in the era, teaching visitors more about the site, and life in the period represented. Although modern transportation is close by, the tourists themselves are virtually the only things visible that vary from what a day "back in the day" may have really looked and been like.

Colonial Williamsburg is owned and operated (as a living museum) by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Although it is not directly affiliated with the nearby Colonial National Historical Park, the nearby Colonial Parkway and attractions at Jamestown and Yorktown are complimentary adjuncts to the restored area of the colonial city.

History

Jamestown

On May 13, 1607, at a small low-lying wooded peninsula, virtually an island, the Jamestown Settlement was established on the south side of what is now known as the Virginia Peninsula by English colonists. Soon about a dozen subsidiary settlements such as Martin's Hundred and Henricus were established in areas along the James River.

The first meeting of a representative government group in the American colonies was held at the Jamestown Settlement on July 30, 1619, making Jamestown the first Capital of Virginia. Among the 22 members of the colony was the governor, who was appointed by officials of the Virginia Company in London. The governor in turn appointed six important members of the colony to be his council. The other 15 members were elected by the free men of the Virginia Colony who were over 17 and also owned land. This body, known as the House of Burgesses, later became the Virginia General Assembly.

See more about Jamestown today in the Historic Triangle section below.

Middle Plantation, College of William and Mary

Middle Plantation was originally established in 1632. Unlike Jamestown and other early settlements along the rivers and navigable waterways, Middle Plantation was located on high ground about half-way across the Virginia Peninsula between the James and York Rivers. Not only was at at the highpoint of the width of the peninsula, it was also at the western edge of a geographic plateau of the Tidewater Region, from which the land slopes eastward down to sea level at the lower end of the peninsula. This was a natural point to build a line of defense for the lower peninsula during early conflicts with the Native Americans.

In 1676, after the State House at Jamestown was burned during Bacon's Rebellion, the House of Burgesses met at Middle Plantation, which was nearby. With education long a goal of the colonists, the College of William and Mary was established adjacent to Middle Plantation in 1693. George Washington received his surveyor's license from the school. Thomas Jefferson and John Marshall were among many of Virginia's (and the nation's) future leaders who received their higher education, a tradition which was to continue for hundreds of years.

Williamsburg becomes Capital

The statehouse (capitol building) in Jamestown burned again on October 20, 1698. Once again, the legislators found themseleves meeting at Middle Plantation. The following year, in 1699, in a meeting held by the colonists, a group of students from the College of William and Mary submitted a proposal to move the capital to Middle Plantation, to escape the dreaded malaria and mosquitoes that plagued the Jamestown Island site. The capital of the Virginia Colony was relocated to Middle Plantation.

Soon thereafter, Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg by Royal Governor Francis Nicholson, proponent of the change, in honor of King William III of Great Britain. The new site was described by Nicholson as a place where "clear and crystal springs burst from the champagne soil."

In 1705, the first Capitol building in America was built at the end of the Duke of Gloucester Street. Williamsburg was to be the capital of Virginia for the remainder of the Colonial Period. It was the center of the political and social life of Virginia for most of the 18th century. Famous members of the House of Burgesses which met in the Capital there included Patrick Henry, George Washington, George Mason, and Thomas Jefferson. A fire destroyed the building in 1747. It was rebuilt, but fell into disrepair after the American Revolution. The building now standing on its site is a recreation of the 1705 building. The new Capitol was dedicated with a ceremonial meeting of the Virginia General Assembly on February 24, 1934.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Colonial Williamsburg ]

Games - Colonial Williamsburg

History

Jamestown

Middle Plantation, College of William and Mary

Williamsburg becomes Capital

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