The restoration of Williamsburg’s historic past was welcome news to many of the town’s residents. All except one. Read the story of the man who declined a most generous offer.
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Remember Charles Minnigerode as you gather ’round the tree
Williamsburg’s early years
Read how Williamsburg fared at the end of the 18th century when Governor Thomas Jefferson recommended Richmond as Virginia’s new capital. Discover what happened to the once thriving Revolutionary city in the online edition of the autumn 2011 journal Colonial Williamsburg and view up close Jefferson’s original letter.
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Communication before the Internet
If you lived in the 18th century, how would you stay informed without the Internet and social media? Read about Williamsburg’s printing office and the communication methods of the 1700s in the online edition of the autumn 2011 journal Colonial Williamsburg. View up close a page of “The Virginia Almanack,” printed and sold by Williamsburg printer William Hunter in 1757.
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Read the latest Colonial Williamsburg journal online
The online edition of the Autumn 2011 journal Colonial Williamsburg is now available. Read stories about the Boston Tea Party, the restoration of Williamsburg, the printing office, and much more.
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Read "James Fort, Lost and Found" from the journal Colonial Williamsburg
75th anniversary of FDR’s visit
Early prisons and prison reform
Did you know that prisons were among the first public buildings erected in the New World? The earliest weren’t conceived as houses of punishment, but as places where common criminals were locked away while awaiting trial. After a trial, those held were punished on the spot or released. By the 18th century, the “gaols” (pronounced “jails”) were transformed into prisons.
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Summer "Colonial Williamsburg" journal now online
Take a break from the heat and enjoy online the 2011 summer edition of the journal Colonial Williamsburg. Read enhanced versions of some of the magazine’s articles on Jamestown, prisons and prison reform, laws and punishments, the Battle of Williamsburg, and historic figures interpreted in the Historic Area.
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Was iron used medicinally in the 18th century?
Yes, iron was used in the 18th century for medicinal purposes. Samuel Johnson writes in his Dictionary that iron has more medicinal properties than any other metal. The Lititz Pharmacopeia, 1778, Lititz, Pennsylvania, has several recipes for tonics which include red oxide of iron or prepared iron filings, usually added to an alcoholic beverage.
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