Colonial Williamsburg

Anachronism (noun): Greek "ana" (against), "kronos" (time)

A thing belonging to or appropriate to a time other than that in which it exists.

After lunch at Jamestown, we visited Colonial Williamsburg. For those who haven't been there, Colonial Williamsburg is Virginia's former capital city, preserved from pre-Revolutionary times. Many of the buildings are original, many are restored, and some are in the process of restoration.

Needless to say, by the founding of Williamsburg, the American colonists had gained a foothold on the continent. Starvation and disease no longer plagued them, they constructed well-planned towns and farms, and their exports began making them rich. Only as rich, though, as they could become after Britain took heavy taxes and tariffs.

Tourists are welcome all throughout town, and the people who live and work there must behave as if it's the year 1750. They speak, dress, and do their jobs (woodworker, silversmith, weaver, musician) like British colonial citizens. They don't seem thrilled with the British, though.

Many of the larger, more grand buildings require a ticket to enter; our group had a pre-arranged tour, so our guide took us in as many as possible, and explained everything.

The Geddy Foundry

Approaching the Governor's Palace. As the story goes, this building was called a house, originally, but when the builder kept requiring more and more money, the people began using the term "palace" to describe the colonial governor's dwelling.

The first room visitors (past and present) enter in the palace is filled, floor-to-very-high-ceiling, with weapons. The ammunition & powder magazine sits beyond the palace green. In 1775, under the watch of Governor Dunmore, a squad of British soldiers emptied the powder magazine in the night. The citizens were furious. Some say this act sparked the American revolution in Virginia.

We visited the silversmith's workshop, where the artisan showed us her tools, and explained the process of crafting silver bowls and pots.

I, being me, couldn't stop photographing architectural details. I've edited most of them, but couldn't resist showing you this light fixture in the courthouse. There, our guide explained the judicial process in the 1700's. He invited a group of kids into the juror's box, and guess who went on trial?

Our tour guide told us that in these rooms, men first began discussing revolution. They were British citizens, and simply talking that way amounted to treason, punishable by death.

Every shop (and there were many) had a sign on the street, advertising their wares. There were many beautiful handcrafted items for sale, but I was with a thirteen-year-old, so we bought soda and snacks.

After four hours touring and exploring the town, we feasted on spoon bread, chicken, potatoes, and vanilla ice cream at Christiana Campbell's Tavern. "Mrs. Campbell" herself addressed our group before we ate, explaining that George Washington especially liked dining at her establishment.

"Where do you come from?" she asked.

"Washington State," said a boy.

"Young man, Mister Washington is a good man, and I like him as much as anybody, but nobody's named anything after him."

After dinner, Moon Pie got his desserts, and then relaxed on the green with his friends. I'm sure that in the mid-1700's it was common to give bunny-ears to convicted criminals.