Making History

The Ladies Advisory Committee, Tastemakers of the Restoration

June 10, 2017 by Marianne Martin 1 Comment

Some of the ladies at Mount Airy Plantation, ancestral home of the Tayloe family. Susan Nash, Misses Louise Tayloe, Bessie Tayloe, Estelle Tayloe, and Mrs. Stansbury. Dusan Higginson Nash Photography Collection.

Some of the ladies at Mount Airy Plantation, ancestral home of the Tayloe family. Susan Nash (center), with Louise Tayloe, Bessie Tayloe, Estelle Tayloe, and Mrs. Stansbury. Susan Higginson Nash Photography Collection.

Work on the restoration of 18th-century Williamsburg was barely underway and Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin had a problem. Local residents were criticizing interior colors and furniture selections because they were all being decided upon by “Northerners.” Some even dubbed the start of the restoration work as a “Yankee invasion.”…

On This Day in 1806: George Wythe Died from Poisoning

June 8, 2017 by Bill Sullivan 3 Comments

On June 8, 1806, George Wythe, one of the great men of revolutionary Virginia, died at age 80. He was poisoned….

The Word on DoG Street: CW Ranks Among America’s Best Mid-Size Employers

June 6, 2017 by The Word on DoG Street 2 Comments

Editors’ note: The Word on DoG Street is the place to go to find out what’s really happening on DoG Street and the rest of Colonial Williamsburg. We want to make sure our friends, supporters, and the community get the straight story, straight from us.

The Word on DoG Street is that some folks are asking about Colonial Williamsburg being named to Forbes’ magazine’s list of America’s Best Mid-Size Employers of 2017. It’s true, and we’re thrilled at the honor.
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“Patriots at Play” Launches Summer Fun for Kids

June 3, 2017 by Bill Sullivan 2 Comments

Every parent knows this moment: you’re out with the kids, having a great time, then suddenly their attention starts to wander. Maybe their feet start to drag. It’s time for recess. That’s the moment when you need Patriots at Play….

Special Offers for Military Families Include the Liberty Lounge

May 23, 2017 by Bill Sullivan 20 Comments

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the opening of Liberty Lounge, which has offered more than fifty thousand service members and their families a comfortable place to relax and refresh during their visits to the Historic Area. It’s just one of the ways Colonial Williamsburg says thank you to our men and women who have worn the uniform to defend America. But it’s just one of many privileges and amenities available, so here’s a rundown.

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Nonimportation 1769: A Step on the Road to Revolution

May 19, 2017 by Bill Sullivan Leave a Comment

The streets of Williamsburg were still bustling with activity from the session of the General Court when Lord Botetourt emerged from the Palace and mounted an elegant chariot adorned with the Arms of Virginia and led by six cream-white horses. The recently installed governor was dressed to impress in a bright-red coat with gold braid as he headed off to the Capitol for the opening of the new session of the General Assembly. It was May 8, 1769….

Join, or Die! How Snakes were Used as Symbols of American Unity… and Treachery

May 9, 2017 by Paul Aron 2 Comments

Join, or Die by Benjamin Franklin, Pennsylvania Gazette (1754). Library of Congress.

In 1754, with the French and Indians attacking British settlements in the Ohio Valley, Benjamin Franklin proposed “a plan for the union of all the colonies.” To illustrate the need for unity, Franklin published (and some think drew) one of America’s earliest political cartoons and perhaps the earliest symbol of a united America (albeit under British rule).

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Why We Can’t Just Get Along: The Origins of American Dissent

May 8, 2017 by Bill Sullivan Leave a Comment

Should we blame the founding generation for planting the seeds of discord that make today’s political climate so toxic? Perhaps a little. The men and women of the Revolutionary era, argues Stephen Solomon, redefined free expression, creating a bedrock American principle that makes no distinction between pleasant and genuinely nasty speech….

Abby M. O’Neill, 1928-2017: An Appreciation

May 4, 2017 by Bill Sullivan 1 Comment

We note with sadness the passing of Abby Milton O’Neill, who carried on the Rockefeller family tradition of service and generosity to Colonial Williamsburg as well as many other worthy causes. Her lifetime involvement with the foundation, which included 28 years on the Board of Trustees and substantial contributions, greatly expanded our ability to share the story of America’s founding with ever-broader audiences….

How the Liberty Tree Became a Symbol of the Revolution

April 28, 2017 by Paul Aron 2 Comments

Detail from A View of the Year 1765 by Paul Revere (1765). Courtesy American Antiquarian Society.

In this excerpt from Why the Turkey Didn’t Fly. we look into how an everyday part of nature was used as a potent symbol of freedom. Though largely forgotten today, to the American patriots of the 18th century, liberty trees and liberty poles were representations of their cause at least as prominent as liberty bells or lady liberties. …