Not only will the post office on Duke of Gloucester Street mail your Christmas cards, it will also add a personal 18th-century stamp of approval to your holiday wishes. Oh, and don’t forget to drop off your letters to Santa!…
Trading Secrets: A Different Kind of Baking Project (Bricks)
If you love the smoky smell in the air during fall as much as I do, the Brickyard is the place to be. It’s Colonial Williamsburg’s annual brick baking. Our brickmakers work hard during the warmer months, making and drying bricks (with your help!) that will later be stacked in a clamp—also referred to as a kiln-and baked until just perfect….
Hot Chocolate to Help a Cold?
Today, we know there are more than 200 viruses that cause the common cold. But in the 1700s, sudden changes in temperature were thought to be the reason people got sick. When it was cold outside, you would try to keep from “catching cold” by walking quickly. That’s not the only difference between 18th century and 21st century views on prevention and treatment. Wait until you hear what supposedly cured symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, and fever!…
Trading Secrets: Weaving the Past Into the Present
The basketmaker is listed as a trade in the Historic Area but in reality, during the 18th century, it wasn’t a trade at all. Here in the agricultural colony of Virginia, basketmaking was an essential skill almost every farmer mastered. Baskets were needed as containers to haul everything from vegetables to fish to manure around the farm….
Trading Secrets: Hot Off the Press
How much would you be willing to pay for your favorite book? Consider this. In the 18th century, The Virginia Almanack was small enough to fit in your pocket yet it cost the same as a night’s stay in one of Williamsburg’s taverns! Pleasure reading was a luxury most colonists couldn’t afford. The print shop’s main focus was publishing those almanacs, government documents, and the weekly newspaper, The Virginia Gazette.…
Trading Secrets: Meet the Real “Man of Steel”
In the Revolutionary City, we try to “keep it real.” No, seriously. There are almost 100 masters, apprentices, and interpreters who make up the Historic Trades Programs. And don’t let their fancy names fool you. A milliner, tailor, wigmaker, and shoemaker—they’re just your modern fashion designers. The apothecary— conveniently, that’s your doctor and your pharmacist. And the blacksmith? He (or she) is your one-stop-shop for hardware, home goods, and who you’d call if you ever got locked out of your house….
Carve a pumpkin of historic proportions
Download free pumpkin carving patterns from Colonial Williamsburg and sculpt a one-of-a-kind gourd for your front porch. With patterns simple and advanced, playful and historic, you’ll run out of pumpkins before you run out of inspiration.
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