In the 1980’s, Pleasant T. Rowland, a teacher and publisher of educational texts, created Pleasant Company and developed a line of historically themed dolls and their stories which featured difficult topics like child labor, slavery, and war. And she did it in a way that young girls, girls just like me, who were beginning to read chapter books, could easily understand.
The first three dolls were an 1854 Pioneer (Kirsten), a Victorian age orphan (Samantha), and a girl living on the Homefront during WWII (Molly). And then, in 1991, a new doll joined the group. And while all of the historically based American Girl dolls lit a fire of learning and developed wonderful followings, there is one in particular whose storybook world still comes to life on a daily basis in a remarkable way. One who has a not-so-secret society of inspired women—of all ages—who are now working, teaching, and instilling history in the children—of all ages—who visit that world throughout the year.
Her name? Felicity! Just typing the name brings a childlike grin to my face and a bit of a tear to my eye.
We won’t speak of the heartache I felt when I finally got to step into the American Girl store in Chicago at age 27, ready to relive a bit of my childhood and spend a little bit of money on a piece or two that I’d wanted since I was a little girl, only to find, that not only were no items available, but my beloved doll was off the shelves for good. We won’t focus on the bittersweet nostalgia that runs throughout our breakrooms when one of us has spotted a little girl with a Felicity (or other historically-dressed American Girl doll) on a tour, and we wished we could send her to Miss Manderly, who teaches Felicity and Elizabeth etiquette on being a proper young lady in Williamsburg in 1774, and who was part of special Colonial Williamsburg programming at the height of the doll’s popularity.
No, we will focus on the joy. The sheer joy that I see on the faces of my little sister and me in a photograph my mother recently sent. It’s the day I received my Felicity doll (cap askew from squeezing her so hard), and my sister received Kirsten, her face buried under her arm.
The joy that I feel today when I step out my front door, onto Duke of Gloucester Street, in clothes like Felicity’s and realize that I am living my childhood dream. As I stated in a previous post, many little girls grow up wanting to be princesses. And in a way, the ladies I work with on a daily basis are. We are working in our most magical place on earth. For some, that journey started with a doll given to a child, books and stories devoured over and over again. And for some, their journey was already here, and they welcomed Felicity into their world.
I never got to attend one of the specialized Felicity tours through Colonial Williamsburg, but my mother did make me a matching gown, and I got to wear it through the city. It was incredibly magical.
There are several of my colleagues who were lucky enough to attend these tours—and some who actually got to be a part of it! “One of the most iconic things in the books are the tea parties that Felicity attends as she learns from Miss Manderly. They are fun to read about, but trying to stage three of them is a bit frustrating, since you don’t want them to look exactly the same each time. When Valerie Tripp signed my copy of Meet Felicity she wrote “I promise you, No more tea parties!” Of course she was wrong. There have been many tea parties since then and I have learned to love them even more!”—Kristen Spivey, Family Programming, Women’s History
A favorite memory from a colleague actually occurred after she was no longer part of the Felicity Tour, but working in the Millinery. “A young lady clutching her Felicity doll entered the shop and her eyes grew wide. She rushed up to me and said “Oh Miss Manderly , what are you doing here??? ” (I portrayed Miss Manderly and conducted dancing, sewing and tea lessons at Campbell’s Tavern and apparently this young lady had been present at one of my teas). Years of group training kicked in and I immediately responded with a line taken from the script,” Young Miss, as I cautioned you young ladies, if you continued to be so adept at your deportment lessons I would soon need to find other work. Here I am. “She dropped me a courtesy and a huge smile. Belief in my character from the year before had been preserved.”—Pamela Blount, Supervisor, Group Interpretation and the Benjamin Powell House
Jenny Lynn (apprentice Tinsmith) from 1993 and then when Doris retired from the millinery in 2013. Almost exactly 20 years apart!
The men and women who led the Felicity tours, played Miss Manderly, and participated in these events that grew and developed out of a child’s toy, made a lasting impression. The doll, herself, and the other American Girls whose stories echoed across the centuries, stuck with us. To read about a little girl who is separated from her family, forced to swallow worms, and lives in conditions more horrible than we could fathom made the horrors of slavery real. Addy’s story was my first true lesson in the realities of a terrible time that had only been an abstract in history books. Samantha’s example of the kind girl who saw all people as equals regardless of wealth, race, or gender was a stark contrast to the time in which she lived where those things were so predominant. A sense of responsibility, and patriotism was instilled by reading Molly’s story, of how a war that was not in her front yard, but across the ocean, affected her life on a very intimate level. There are many more of these fictional historical heroines of our childhood, each story teaching us something about ourselves—as Americans, little girls, and individuals—but since this is Colonial Williamsburg…
Felicity’s story touches on so many things that we discuss on a daily basis here in Williamsburg, moments and issues that caused me to think beyond my world as a young girl. A sense of kindness towards others and fairness, when it comes to the horse, Penny, and her abusive owner. Dealing with the consequences of our actions when we speak up, speak out, or act out. How the politics and actions of our parents affect our own lives. How everything about the grown up world—politics and war, especially—are far more confusing and far less black and white than they seem to be on the surface. Because our parents fed our hunger for history, reading, playing, touching, and seeing our world through a different time and space, we in turn have all ended up here, doing the same.
When I walk down the street, and see certain neighbors and colleagues from around the Foundation, it is sometimes as though we are part of a secret society, sharing this joyous secret—sometimes not so secretly—that we are living in the dream world of our childhood. As though the world of our storybooks has been kept waiting until we were ready to step into it. And the best part about all of it? It’s real. It isn’t a film set. People live and work, learn and grow on these streets and in these buildings. And while Felicity herself may not have actually existed in Williamsburg in 1774, the larger story that she is placed in did. It is a hard story to read and to tell. A story full of politics and shadows, war and inequalities, struggles and triumphs, very little black and white. A story so important to tell, to try to understand, to learn and grow from. It is ours, it is yours, it is the story not just of an American Girl, but of all of us. How could a doll impact and mean so much? Because the doll opens the door to the larger story, the bigger world. And our culture today is so immersed in experiencing the world through the lens of a phone or tablet or television, that getting to literally step into a storybook, one that is actually real, is an incredible experience. Years ago, on the Felicity tours, young children got to experience tea and etiquette lessons with Miss Manderly and learn about Mr. Merriman’s store.
While that is no longer an official tour, there are current and new programs for children being offered throughout the Historic Area. At the Powell House, they can learn what it was like to be an apprentice, like Ben, or learn proper etiquette—dancing, and running a household—like Felicity and Elizabeth. They can not only see the rooms where a family lived, learned, dined, and slept, but try on clothing, play 18th-century games, sit in the furniture, and help with the chores—to play into learning, as John Locke, a prominent 17th-century Philosopher, theorized was the best way to learn. In 2016, our Junior Interpreter program will be expanding further than previous years, so that children will have the opportunity to learn from other young people not just at the Powell House, but at the Brickyard, Colonial Garden, Geddy Foundry, Great Hopes Plantation domestic areas, the Joiner, Millinery, Silversmith, and Wig shop.
Pictured is Elizabeth Cole, Felicity’s best friend. She is the doll of Melissa Mead from CDC who hand makes all of her tiny clothes!
Every day, I hear parents and grandparents speak of how ‘history just isn’t taught in schools like it used to be.’ So how do we teach the next generation our early American history? How do we reach them through the technology that invades our daily lives? By immersing them in something they can touch, relate to, make and have fun doing so—to ‘play oneself into learning.’ And teach them about how and why. So that, even if the dolls and books that started my generation’s fascination with our history are no longer telling these stories in a way that is accessible to children—we still are. We are the teachers who give no tests. We are the scholars who challenge your ideas of our not-so-black-and-white history. We are the ones working each day to excite, inspire, and ignite a flame of passion for our Nation’s history—and future—into the students of all ages who step foot onto our historic streets. We are spunky, playful, grave, and passionate. We are the Felicity Generation.
In this photo:
Aislinn Lewis, Apprentice Blacksmith
Allison Heinbaugh, Rockefeller Library
Annelise Tilton, Junior Interpreter
Ashley Starkins, Historic Sites Interpreter
Aubry Moog, Traveling Orientation Interpreter
Audrey Biser, Historic Sites Interpreter
Audrey DeAngelis, Historic Sites Interpreter
Emily Doherty, Historic Sites Interpreter
Emma Cross, Historic Trades & Evening Programs
Gabriella Tilton, Christiana Campbell’s Tavern
Jenny Lynn, Apprentice Tinsmith
Katharine Pittman, Nation Builder
Katherine Morris Ainslie, HA Mom & her daughter Alexandra, Junior Interpreter
KJ Neun, Evening Programs
Lacey Grey Hunter, St. George Tucker/Development
Lisa Heuvel, Educational Outreach & her granddaughter, Emma
Lisa Petrovich, Historic Sites Interpreter
Melissa Mead, Accessories Craftsperson, CDC
Menzies Overton, Groups—led 322 Felicity Tours!
Nicole Boileau, Orientation Interpreter
Rachel West, Media and Engagement Manager
Ramona Vogel-Hill, Cooper
Samantha McCarty, Evening Programs
Whitney Thornberry, Historic Sites Interpreter
And so many more! Tune in next week for a few photo surprises featuring even more of the Felicity Generation!
GUEST BLOGGER: Whitney Thornberry
Whitney is a Sites Interpreter who has been with the Foundation full time since March of 2015. She and her Fiance, Bryan, live in the Historic Area with their rescued pup Derby (a sweet girl of 3 who thinks the horses are just big dogs to play with) and they are looking forward to their impending nuptials in April! Whitney loves hosting dinner parties, sewing, reading, distressing furniture, science fiction, historical dramas, old movies and anything from the Williamsburg Winery. Her mother used to say she was born in the wrong century—and now she gets the best of both!
I love all of the historical dolls and my daughter had Felicity. This was after the tours. My mother in law made my daughter several of the dresses. My son’s dream is to be a blacksmith at Williamsburg! We don’t know how to make that happen.
Mattel should bring Felicity back.
Wouldnt that be nice??
I’ve heard rumors…..but of course the nature of them is that we won’t know until we do!
You can bet I’ll be celebrating with another blog post and maybe another picture essay!
Why they ever retired her is beyond me. They knew they had a ready made audience. Both young and “old.” I’m in the latter. I hope they do bring her back and partner with CW for programs and the like. You’ll probably hear something before we, the general public, know. Please keep us posted.
Felicity is coming back sometime in 2017! There have been leaked pictures of her Dress and undergarments as well as the covers and introductions to her revised books
I am a retired second grade teacher who did a unit of study on Wmburg. I then presented program featuring the jobs and skills of the people who lived here. I made the costumes and even had a carpenter built houses to scale. I epulf bring in Felicity and the girls fell in love with her. Many then got her for birthdays or Christmas. I had a tea party and the AGD company sent me a doll for a door prize. I am now a grandmother and my granddaughter loves and learns about Felicity
How wonderful!!!
It’s teachers like you who instill a love for thinking outside of the box and creating memories that last forever.
My girls (now grown) are of the Felicity, Samantha, Molly, Addy, Kirsten et al generation. They received Felicity and Samantha as their first dolls and each have 3 American Girl dolls and the books, clothes, etc and still treasure them as adults. I’m from Virginia and our family goes back to 1619 along the James River so I filled my children’s heads with all sorts of history (I have a son as well). I remember how they loved their dolls and all have been to the “hospital” to be restored to original condition.
Just a bit before the whoopla about American Girl dolls started, we took a surprise trip to Williamsburg on spring break. We live in Indiana now and we had the children guess where we were going. Our son was so upset when he figured out it was Williamsburg until he experienced it. Then he said, “This was the best trip ever”! Now my girls have a part of it they can share with their children. Thank you so much for the trip down memory lane.
Oh my goodness this has struck such a chord in me, all I can do is shout in my heart “yes yes yes!!!!” Please, how do you recommend someone who doesn’t currently live nearby and who needs to be self-supporting, how how how can I come and help make my dream come true there? What is a way in? How do you recommend one get started working in Colonial Williamsburg? It has always been a deep dream of mine and this has inspired me even more to not give up on it. Thank you!
I grew up reading samantha, molly, and kristen, but when felicity came out I read her too. Still, I think my favorite was probably samantha because I have always liked Victorian era history most. That has kind of changed; I like all history the most now! This makes me want to read the books again!
Well, Kathy O. And I should meet. I am 76 years old and have Felicity and all her clothes and Elizabeth and her clothes. I am a doll collector of sorts who specializes in dolls of the 18th century. And I have a doll house that was made for me that is a copy of what used to be called the Brush-Everard house.
Felicity sits on a stool in my bedroom with Elizabeth, baby Polly and the pet lamb. There was a doll by Madame Alexander named Anne McKenzie and sold in CW. I had to have her because my grandma was a McKenzie and my granddaughter is named MacKenzie! My niece had a Felicity and I made her some clothes with the Pleasant Company patterns. They were not easy to make!
I am a retired librarian who specialized in children’s services and talked about the AG books all the time and our library had a tea party!
I am not easily brought to tears but, although I dearly loved my job, I always dreamed of working at CW. I did storytelling and specialized in 18th century tales. So my dream was to retire and work part time as an evening teller in CW. It looked as if it might happen but it was 2008 and I could not sell my house. So my dream did not happen. I now have 5 great grandchildren but only one is a girl. She has the dollhouse now. I visited with mist of my grandchildren and maybe I will return with some great grands in the Fall.
Thus article truly touched my heart. I am so pleased that your dream came true, Whitney!
Hi Donarita:
Our Scottish group was just talking about you the other day, as we were trying to plan a Halloween gathering for our local Scottish Cultural Society. You will recall that back in 2007 you came to the Golden Gate Mobile Home Clubhouse in Pinellas Park, Florida, and told wonderful Halloween stories for us! I decided to go on line and try to find you, as the last I knew you were moving to Colonial Williamsburg to do storytelling. Do you still live in the Tampa Bay area? We would so love to be in touch with you once again. I would also like to get more copies of the tapes you made of your storytelling. Please call me on my cell phone at 727-688-7875 and leave a message if I should miss your call. I’m still working for a law firm here in St. Pete, and I would really LOVE to see you once again! Our Scottish group is doing well, and we would all really like to see you once again! Hope to hear back from you soon!
Best regards, Karalee Bidwell
Thank you for the wonderful Felicity blog!! I am a 63 yr young lady with an original white body felicity in mint condition that I purchased after seeing the movie and visiting CW . I have collected all her retired accessories, clothing and entire collection. My husband and I also spent a year designing and building a reproduction CW style doll house that sits in our colonial parlor.
Felicity was my favorite American Girl when I was growing up. When I was in Kindergarten, my parents took me to Williamsburg where I dressed up as Felicity herself. It looked pretty authentic since I have red hair!
I remember going to the launch event for Felicity by the Pleasant Company in Williamsburg when I was little. I remember watching the stage presentation of her story and then afterwards there was a glass case where they officially showed Felicity to the public for the first time. A magical thing for a 9 year old. I was lucky and my parents did the special pre-order of her. I still have her and a lot of her original collection. I’m often asked to sell her but I can say that is never going to happen. Wonderful memories and a wonderful blog post.
Well, they brought Samantha back, so we can only hope that Felicity may show her lovely face again!! This was a BEAUTIFUL article!!
I fondly remember my Mother telling me that she had secretly entered my name into The Doll Club of Williamsburg’s charity drawing for a Felicity Merriman doll, and won! After I had ecstatically received my prize, I was officially hooked.
My cousin had a collection of American Girl dolls and books that I thoroughly enjoyed playing with and reading as a child. While I adoringly loved them all, it was Felicity who captured my heart the most; due in part to her likeness to me (red hair/green eyes) and her life story of growing up in Colonial Williamsburg’s revolutionary era (my hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia). So you can imagine my surprise when I won my favorite American Girl!
Colonial Williamsburg even had a Felicity in Williamsburg: An American Girls Experience tour for young girls. Unfortunately, at the time, I was unable to partake in the learning festivities, and it has since been discontinued once the company was sold to Mattel in 1998.
Sadly, all of the dolls that I grew up with have also been retired. I am, however, a proud owner of the first original American Girl’s series (with the introduction of Josefina Montoya). My dolls (Felicity Merriman, Kirsten Larson, Addy Walker, Samantha Parkington, Molly McIntire, and Josefina Montoya), books, and club memorabilia will one day be affectionately handed-down to my future children to appreciate and enjoy. (My children’s family heirloom if you will, to pass along to future generations.) The dolls are currently well preserved awaiting that time.
On an endnote, Pleasant Company’s/Mattel’s American Girl collection (founded by educator Pleasant T. Rowland) is an absolutely amazing educational experience for any young, budding girl eager to learn about history, embracing life as a young woman (past and present), and good wholesome daily values. You can even personalize a doll to your child’s likeness or personalize and adopt a Bitty Baby doll of your child’s choosing! I HIGHLY recommend.
Thank you so much, Whitney, for sharing this wonderful, informative, nostalgic article with us. It brings back many fond memories. I am definitely a Felicity generation.
I too was part of the Felicity in Williamsburg program. I worked on the development team, led the tours and was a Miss Manderly at the afternoon teas. It was a magical experience, even considering the behind the scenes difficulties with the not so pleasant Pleasant Company. I was fortunate to have Valerie Tripp, her daughter, a friend and her daughter on one of my tours. The autographed book and my doll are treasures.
Felicity was my best friend growing up and remains the greatest gift I’ve ever received. My older sister had Kirsten but my parents told me I needed to be 8 to get my Pleasant Company doll. I remember vividly getting the Pleasant Company catalog in the mail a few months before I turned 8 years old. The new doll Felicity was on the cover. I never had heard the name Felicity, nor had I heard of Williamsburg, Virginia but I knew she was special. I studied that catalog cover to cover and re-read every description of every dress and accessory. I begged my parents for the doll every day. Finally, on my 8th birthday I unwrapped Felicity in her box. I’ve never since felt such joy. She gave me the love of reading, the love of American history and fashion, and the love of country. She opened the world up to me. Felicity was such a big part of my childhood, that when I look back on myself as a kid, I am holding Felicity and I am happy.
What an enjoyable article! We vacation frequently at Colonial Williamsburg — how I wish CW would offer a Felicity-inspired tour or activity in the near future!
I never had any of the dolls, but I did read all the books up to and including Josefina, and loved them all. They were such a great way for kids to learn about a historical time period.
Love this! My Felicity sits in my front hallway in a ladder back chair. Great post! Lovely to see Ashley Starkins.
You are a rare group of individuals who are actually livingtheir dream. What a wonderful place in which to live & work.
What a fun read! I was on the development team for the Felicity Tour and Tea back in 1995 and portrayed Miss Manderly many, many times, along with my colleagues. Before and after the teas we would hide in the back of CC’s tavern to make sure that the girls wouldn’t see a different Miss Manderly and have the magic of their experience broken. It was not always easy to work with the Pleasant Company, but the program we developed was enjoyed by thousands of girls while it lasted. I still have the Felicity doll I was given, and I bought my daughter one when she was seven. Although she isn’t a history fan, she did enjoy the AG books quite a bit. By coincidence, our family is coming down to visit CW this very weekend. If we’re lucky, we’ll run into Menzie Overton or Stevie Kauffman!
Felicity was my first AG; I got her around 1997/1998 when I was in 6th grade. I loved reading the books and catalogs with her.
When I was in college, with Samantha’s and Felicity’s movie premieres on TV, my love of AG grew (While I had never stopped loving AG/dolls, I kept my love on the down-low throughout high school). With my love of AG renewed, I found groups of other adult and teen collectors. And from there my collection has grown. :). While I love all my AG dolls, Felicity is still my favorite. She’s so special.
I love acting and think it would be neat to be a re-enactor. It would be fun to make history “come alive!” Felicity and I would also love to visit CW someday!
I’m the Kirsten, Samantha, Molly generation but everything you said about making history tangible still applies. I was captivated enough to want Felicity when she was introduced though I was a teen and my friends had moved on to the New Kids on the Block and other pop culture icons. I still remain captivated by the worlds Pleasant Rowland created and as an adult, took Felicity to visit Colonial Williamsburg. I was thrilled to meet Lady Dunmore who was so kind to Felicity, visit the jail where I could imagine Jiggy Nye lying there in Changes for Felicity and photograph Felicity outside her father’s store and in other scenes from her books. I majored in Library and Information Studies and History in graduate school and I always say that “Everything I need to know in life I learned from or because of Pleasant Company.” Even Jane Austen’s nephew had to explain exactly what pattens were but when I read Persuasion, the clink clink of pattens on the pavement made perfect sense in my mind - thank you Felicity!
I make my own historical worlds to fill in the gaps left when Mattel took over. I feel your anguish over missing out on Felicity’s last few items you dreamed about. Did you see Caroline? I got her party dishes set for Felicity to use and Etsy seller Pippaloo made Shrewsbury cakes, Queen Cakes and assorted tea cakes for Felicity and Caroline. Felicity and her best friend enjoy tea parties with homemade raspberry leaf tea (imaginary of course, wouldn’t want to spill anything on those gorgeous gowns).
Oh, I love this! I am also from the Felicity generation! 😀 I got my doll (and Kirsten) as a little girl and those dolls— the books, the clothes, all the details- inspired my love of history in school (and now!) and inspire my work now as an artist! I am passionate about colonial era architecture, history and clothes and stories from that era probably as a direct result of my Felicity doll. I’m saddened now that American Girl Dolls have lost a lot of what made our dolls so special (now they go on reality tv shows?) but mine will always be special to me!~ They’re still some of my most favorite possessions 😀 Thanks for this! heather
An article composed with passion for the past and the future; well done!
I took by niece to CW for the Felicity tour when she was 12! We had a fun time! I was saddened to learn Felicity had been discontinued. I agree things really changed when Mattel took over. If they had partnered with CW, I think many more young people would be interested in this time period.
BTW I still have MY Felicity doll! Got her quite a number of years ago, though not as a child, and she still has a place of honor in our home!
Barbara, I still have mine too. I felt that while it was for girls, it was for those of us who might collect dolls. I went a “little” crazy. I have the table, chairs, and the tea set. I have this set up on my buffet in the dining room. Granted I have to move it when I have a party, but that’s ok. I can deal with that. It was my choice after all.
Great article, except Kristen was from 1854, not 1824 (that is Josefina, who is my beloved doll 🙂 )
Sorry, Kirsten not Kristen! Typing from an iPhone not a smart idea!
I as an adult became a Felicity fan. I had been to CW many times and she was a way of having CW in my home. I too was saddened when in 1998, Pleasant Company became a subsidiary of Mattel. It was shortly after that, I believe, that Felicity went away. Mattel made a huge error. They had a ready market for Felicity. If they only would have partnered with CW, Felicity would still be here.
In 2001, Felicity was made “online only.” She came back into the catalogs around 2005 when her movie debuted and Elizabeth was released. Felicity and Elizabeth were archived in 2010.
While nothing’s for certain, there is a possibility that Felicity, Kirsten and/or Molly could make a reappearance in the future, like Samantha did last year. If any of them did come back, they would have all new collections like the other historical dolls got.
This is excellent and affirms my belief that knowing and loving CW is essential to ones psyche. Thank you and I hope my six granddaughters get to know all of this.
I wish Pleasant Company would make Felicity and all the old historical dolls again and expand their stories. Those dolls made so many of us history lovers.
Your article was wonderfully written, and brought back so many good memories. Many, many years ago my two daughters, maybe 7 at the time, were carrying their American Girl dolls in their little back packs (Kit and Felicity). They got on the elevator at the Fredericksburg Library with their father and two U. of Mary Washington students. These students were all dressed in black goth clothing and had multiple piercings. My husband said when our daughters saw them their eyes got big and they stepped closer to him, but when the students saw the dolls they immediately got excited and started talking about their A.G. dolls. By the time the old, slow elevator reached its destination the girls had bridged the generational divide and were fast friends talking a mile a minute.
Another fantastic story about the behind the scenes work of our wonderful Williamsburg. Keep these lovely historical and current behind the scene stories coming.
I never had the Felicity doll, but her books were my favorite in the American girl series (largely due to my many visits to Williamsburg which allowed me to truly imagine Felicity’s home and life. I now work as a librarian and thankfully, my library still has the Felicity books so I can introduce a whole new generation to the wonderful world of Felicity and the other original American Girl stories.
Oh my goodness! Just yesterday I called American Girl to see if by chance they had any chemises left from the days of Felicity. The elastic has finally given out. You see I gave Felicity to my daughter and she has since passed it down to her daughter, my granddaughter, who loves her as much as her mother and you loved yours. My granddaughter also play with Kirsten, Kit and her fist doll, Bitty Baby. Thanks for this article. Great to read.
Wow, I was an interpreter in the mid-90s and remember Felicity well. Hard to believe the doll is no longer available and that the Felicity kids are all grown up!
I’m also from the Felicity Generation and loved taking her to Williamsburg. Her stories were always inspirational and helped fuel my love of history. It would be a dream come true to live and work in Williamsburg, helping others learn about the time in history I love so much.