Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle

Fife and Drum Parade
Benjamin Lincoln at our "house"
Tea with Ladies Dunmore and Randolf

Tea with Christiana
Yorktown
Powatan Village

The sound of the fife and drum band marching down the Duke of Gloucester Street was too stirring to resist. My husband, John, and I stopped unpacking and rushed to join the parade. We arrived at the Capitol in plenty of time to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence so recently signed in Philadelphia. The crowd cheered and so did we. It was July 25, 1776 in Colonial Williamsburg. The rest of the day we followed the live action vignettes that took us from 1776 to September 28, 1781 when we listened to General Benjamin Lincoln, Washington’s second in command, address his men and the citizens in front of Raleigh Tavern as he prepared to leave for Yorktown.

We returned to our Williamsburg home to finish unpacking. Our "home" was Market Square Kitchen, one of many 18th century accommodations available within Colonial Williamsburg. Once the kitchen for the Market Square Tavern our two-floor "home" had a canopy bed, two twin beds, a fireplace, a garden, colonial furnishing, all the modern conveniences, plus it was just steps off the main street. Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other notables stayed in the tavern in front of our place. It would have been easy to snug up in front of the fireplace in the wingback chair and never leave, but there was too much to do.

It was tea time. In the Capitol garden we overheard Lady Dunmore sharing her impressions of Virginia Colony with Lady Randolph over tea. Lady Randolph tried to be as English as possible, disdaining the corn bread served with tea, while her hostess, Lady Dunmore, newly arrived from England, was trying her best to fit into the colonial way of life. Since we were not invited to share in tea with the ladies we headed to Christiana’s Tavern where Christiana, the tavern owner, and her daughter, Molly, along with Mr. Bruce, a teacher of plantation children, welcomed us most graciously. Like all tavern owners she was a font of knowledge. Taverns were gathering places where news was shared. Her tavern was George Washington’s favorite. "Mr. Washington has stayed with us 96 times. He steps a fine minuet, you know. All the ladies want to dance with him. And, he is the best horseman in Virginia," shared Christiana. Pouring our tea she continued, "Up Boston way they dumped the tea in the harbor so many of us are drinking coffee now, but I think it is permissible to drink tea on special occasions," Christiana explained. Our tea ended with Christiana reading a newly written protest poem that ended with:

"The tea was conveyed to the daughter's door, all down by the ocean side,

But the bouncing girl poured out every pound, in the dark and boiling tide.

And the she called out to the Island Queen, 'Oh mother, dear mother,' quoth she,

'Your tea you may have when 'tis steeped enough, But never a tax from me.''

In the evening we attended the trial of Grace Sherwood, Virginia’s Witch, who was tried in 1706. It was a starless night as people packed the courtroom of the Capitol. Witnesses testified that Grace bewitched their crops causing them to fail and a neighbor charged her with putting a spell on his wife then escaping through the keyhole in the shape of a black cat. A midwife swore she examined Grace and found the marks of the Devil on her; and, the most damning evidence of all, many saw her survive the dunking test. Grace protested her innocence so vehemently that she had to be dragged from the courtroom - screaming. When all the evidence was submitted, those present were asked by a show of hand to determine if Grace should be found guilty of witchcraft. Guilty!

John and I needed to relax and have a bite to eat after the stress of the trial so we walked down to the nearly deserted Duke of Gloucester Street to Josiah Chowning’s Tavern for gambols. What are gambols? Gambols are fun, games, and songs that were popular in 18th century taverns and pubs. While the musicians entertained, Chrissy, our serving girl, taught us how to play Shut the Box, a traditional game of the time.

In the morning we could hear a lot of activity going on near the Governor’s Palace so we went to check it out. There were tents and soldiers everywhere. "We are headed towards Yorktown, there is troop movement everywhere," said one of the soldiers. Not wanting to miss anything we headed to Yorktown about 30 minutes away – by car – longer if we were marching! Needless to say we beat the army but learned about the meeting of Washington and Cornwallis that led to the British surrender ending the Revolutionary War.

At the Yorktown Visitor Center the display had first-person accounts of ten people who witnessed the Revolution. Outside we checked out the Continental Army encampment, where historical interpreters described the daily life of American soldiers at the end of the war. A re-created 1780s farm, complete with a house, kitchen, tobacco barn, crop fields, and herb and vegetable garden, shows how many Americans lived in the decade following the Revolution. The British may have lost control of America at Yorktown but less than an hour on the Colonial Parkway is where the British gained their foothold in America in 1607, In Jamestown we explored the replicas of the three very small ships that brought the first English settlers to Virginia. We learned about the sufferings of the first settlers, watched bread being baked in James Fort, and visited the nearby Powatan settlement were we met Pocahontas. The day was too short to do everything there is to do in the area.

Our last night we decided to mix the old with something new and had dinner at the Chef’s Kitchen, located a 15-minute walk from our "home." It was the perfect end to three days. The chef, John Gonzales, entertained and educated us while preparing dinner for 20 guests. After champagne and hors d’oeuvers, we had roasted tomato soup, followed by salad, cornbread, jumbo shrimp, pork rack, and ended with Ceylon cinnamon poached pears dipped in German chocolate with crème anglaise and berry sorbet all served with the appropriate wine. The people of Williamsburg never had it so good!

Williamsburg is the largest live interactive history museum in the United States. Just in the historic area there are 88 original structures that have been preserved and restored along with hundreds of reconstructed buildings. I never thought of Colonial Williamsburg as a destination until I started talking to some of the other visitors. "We come every year. I enjoy the spa while my husband golfs." Said one lady. Her husband responded, "And, there is always something going on in the historic village." Colonial Williamsburg is the perfect destination for exploring Virginia’s Historic Triangle. But it isn’t all history. Beside the new spa and golfing, the variety of stores will tickle the fancy of any shopaholic, plus Busch Gardens Europe, wineries, dining, and plantations are all within a short drive. The next time we will stay a week!

For more information: http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/, 800-HISTORY; http://www.historyisfun.org/, 888-593-4682; and www.achefskitchen.biz/.