Inspiration for the Modern Revolutionary
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 hasn’t been a Virginian in the White House since Woodrow Wilson a century ago, but back in the day a stream of Old Dominion natives held the nation’s highest office. Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe: from 1789 until 1821, only the second president, Massachusetts’ John Adams, interrupted the Virginia dynasty….
To quote Scottish poet Robert Burns, “we’ve wandered many a weary foot” this year. In the spirit of taking a final glance back at 2016 before looking forward to all the potential and possibilities of the new year, we present this video auld lang syne. It shows just a few of the the things we accomplished over the course of the year, all made possible thanks to the generosity of supporters like you-and there’s still time to make a difference! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation before midnight on Saturday, December 31….
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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A stolen hour in a quiet spot, somewhere near the edge of town. Rhythms pounded out on a djembe break the silence. “With the beat of this drum I call on the ancestors!” bellows Israel….
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.”…
This evening is a special one for Historic Trades & Skills of Colonial Williamsburg. Tonight, tradespeople who are usually seen by their colleagues in 18th-century attire (attire often marked with charcoal, dirt, or other evidence of the day’s work) will don 21st-century duds and gather for this year’s Annual Trades Dinner. The purpose? To recognize those who have completed their formal apprenticeship and are advancing to the status of journeymen, as well as a group of journeymen supervisors who have advanced to the prestigious title of master.
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Last week Native peoples integral to early American history returned to Williamsburg in a symbolic reenactment of the visits of 18th-century diplomatic delegations. Relive this amazing event in pictures and video.
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Human beings are accustomed, maybe even hard-wired, to make inferences based on names and appearances. So what assumptions might you make about an 18th-century man in Williamsburg named Charles Murphy?…
When tribal delegations made their way to Williamsburg in the 18th century, they traveled ancient highways, overland routes that connected Indian nations across hundreds of miles, in territory that was far from uninhabited. This weekend members of the Shawnee, Eastern Shawnee, Seneca-Cayuga, Wyandot, and Delaware nations return to the colonial capital for a weekend that commemorates those visits….