The Blog of Colonial Williamsburg
February 22, 2007. The conversion of the Public Gaol was already well underway when Colonial Williamsburg historian—and newly-minted historical film consultant—Cathy Hellier arrived on the set. Just the evening before she had been assigned to help out with the filming of HBO’s “John Adams,” the acclaimed seven-episode series based on David McCullough’s biography of our second president….
Washington wasn’t the only “George” to make major contributions to the founding of America. Another one, George Mason, helped to mold many of the ideas we hold dear as intrinsically American, yet he is unfairly neglected as a founder. You may suspect bias, as I’ve just undertaken the role of Mr. Mason in Williamsburg….
There’s a lot happening in the world right now—matters that are far more serious than Valentine’s Day. Yet, as George Washington wrote in 1786, “it is assuredly better to go laughing than crying thro’ the rough journey of life.” With that in mind, we present these lighthearted, historically-themed Valentine’s Day cards. Or as we’ve dubbed them, Founding Valentines….
Benjamin Franklin had only a passing acquaintance with Williamsburg, which he visited twice. But he belongs to all Americans, an icon of the nation’s most optimistic sense of itself: rising from humble origins to ever-greater heights through ingenuity and force of will, while maintaining a generous spirit. This excerpt from Why the Turkey Didn’t Fly explores the origins of Ben’s lasting fame….
A foot of snow fell on Williamsburg Saturday, the largest one-day accumulation since the record was set in 1980. While the kids rejoiced over school’s cancellation and neighbors started to dig out their driveways, I dipped into the archives to see how recent experience compared to 18th-century Virginia winters….
“The lady,” it was written, “was fair to behold, of fascinating manners, and splendidly endowed with worldly benefits. The hero, fresh from his early fields, redolent of fame, and with a form on which ‘every god did seem to set his seal, to give the world assurance of a man.’”
Well then….
Let’s face it, 2016 has been a bumpy ride. Many people are counting down the days until the New Year, but as historians, we must point out the usefulness of looking back, as well as forward. To help motivate you for the year ahead, here are some of the quote memes, featuring thought-provoking words from our Founders, that were designed and posted to our social media channels in 2016. …
Today we call them cookies, but in the 18th century (and still today, if you’re British) they were known as “biscuits.” To give you a taste of colonial Virginia, we’ve teamed up with Historic Foodways Apprentice Tyler Wilson to bring you three different biscuit recipes, all with varying levels of difficulty, to try with your family this holiday season.
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George Mason seems to want to be left alone, but that’s not an option for me. As Colonial Williamsburg’s newest Nation Builder, it is my task is to learn all I can about this “forgotten founder.”…
Presumably it was one of Mr. Rockefeller’s junior employees who stepped into the Western Union office on that morning in early December. In all likelihood, neither he nor the telegraph operator had an inkling that the origin story of Colonial Williamsburg was passing through their hands….