Market House Frame Raising Gallery.

May 6, 2015 by Making History Team 5 Comments

On Tuesday, May 5th, carpenters, joiners, and brick makers (all working incognito in 21st century dress), along with assorted Colonial Williamsburg staff and visitors joined in the frame-raising for Williamsburg’s 1757 Market House. No matter how many times we do it, a frame-raising never gets old! The crowd began gathering before 9, and showed remarkable fortitude as the mercury climbed above the 85 degree mark. By mid afternoon, many had retreated to the shade, but there were still a few unwavering spectators when the day was called at around 6 p.m. The action continues today, May 6th. If you missed the first “episode”, here are a few images from yesterday’s event. As always, many thanks for your interest, in-person or via the webcam. It was a great day!

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Places We’ve Been and Some Things We Have Found in 2014

December 31, 2014 by Making History Team Leave a Comment

This has been an exciting year for Colonial Williamsburg archaeologists. In case you missed it, here are a few of the highlights. Click on the images for a better view, and for a bit of text describing the action. Happy New Year!

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Tin Shop Construction Draws to a Close.

April 12, 2013 by Making History Team Leave a Comment

Plan for the Reconstructed Armoury (Tin Shop shown farthest right).

Three-and-a-half short months ago our Historic Trades team raised the frame for the new Tin Shop. Some of you may have braved the cold and the pre-holiday rush to be present for that event. It may seem hard to believe, but in the coming week construction on the Tin Shop draws to a close. Once sealed with a coat of tar paint, the Tin Shop will join the Blacksmith Shop, the Kitchen, and the North Storage Building as part of the rapidly growing Armoury complex. …

The Virtual Tinsmith Shop

January 11, 2013 by Making History Team Leave a Comment

Fig 1. Tenement in 1776 – A fence divides lot 17 from 18. The building in the background is the Anderson kitchen. Note the area behind the kitchen is probably fenced-in kitchen-garden.

While Colonial Williamsburg’s carpenters are still hard at work on the Tinsmith Shop, the modeling team in the Digital History Center has nearly finished its virtual reconstruction. In this blog post, we bring you a preview of the building known in the late eighteenth century as the “Tin shop.” …

The Tinsmith Shop Frame is Up!

December 26, 2012 by Making History Team Leave a Comment

Under leaden skies and whipped by a fierce December wind, our intrepid Historic Building Trades crew raised the frame of the Tinsmith Shop last Friday. If holiday activities drew you away from webcam coverage of the event, here’s a taste of how it happened. Click on images to enlarge ….

Quiet at the Armoury? Hardly.

September 21, 2012 by Making History Team Leave a Comment

We mark this last day of summer at the Armoury not by slowing down, but by picking up the pace. Next Friday, September 28th, Historic Trades Carpenters will raise the frame for the Armoury’s north storage building…a more substantial structure than its name implies (but more about that in an upcoming blog post). In November, footings and foundations will be laid for a workshop and a second storage building, while December brings the raising of the tin shop frame. …

What’s Happening Under the Tent?

July 16, 2012 by Making History Team Leave a Comment

With the Roving Webcam one casualty of a recent summer storm, it has been difficult to keep tabs on archaeological progress at the south end of the Armoury lot. A new camera is expected to arrive sometime this week. Until then, we offer this update on recent discoveries. …

The Armoury Opens!

April 3, 2012 by Making History Team Leave a Comment

On Saturday, March 31st, the Armoury’s main building (the new blacksmith shop) and the Anderson kitchen opened to the public. Under threatening (but ultimately accomodating) skies, the opening ceremonies went off without a hitch. If you were able to attend the event, you were in good company! If not, we hope you enjoyed the webcams that were positioned to catch much of the action. Below you will find some images capturing highlights of a memorable day. Clicking on the images will bring them up in a larger format. Enjoy!…

Armoury by the Numbers

October 26, 2011 by Making History Team Leave a Comment

For blog-followers who enjoy trivia, or for those simply wanting to learn more about the reconstruction process, here are a few Armoury facts and figures! Thanks to all of the Historic Area tradesfolk who contributed to this list.

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A Virtual Armoury!

June 6, 2011 by Making History Team Leave a Comment

Virtual Armoury

Recently a new reconstruction project has gotten underway. No, we have not begun rebuilding another site in town, but instead we have started reconstructing the Armoury Site…virtually. Using skills that would be foreign to our 18th-century predecessors, computer modelers from Colonial Williamsburg’s Digital History Center are hard at work creating a “Virtual Armoury” to complement the ongoing physical reconstruction.

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