Arriving at Newport News, VA Barb & I had a short drive to our timeshare destination. We stayed at the Wyndham Kingsgate off of Route 64 located easily within America’s Historic Triangle consisting of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown.
Today June 7th we visited Colonial Williamsburg. I was taught in elementary school about these historic places and now after so many years it was time to recall what I learned in the classroom and bring it to relevance at the world’s largest living history museum.
Purchase your admission pass and explore more than 500 original and reconstructed public buildings, taverns, shops, and private homes. They are all furnished with antique and replicated objects.
We stayed most of the day in Revolutionary City. The costumed character interpreters and tradesmen spread out on the grounds emphasized you are back in time between 1765 through 1781. They assist in presenting the events and stories during this time period in interactive outdoor reenactments on the same streets where these stories actually happened so many years ago!
To start our day we were privileged enough to take a tour at the Costume Design Center. The center is celebrating its 75th year by outfitting Historic area characters of Colonial Williamsburg. These costumes are designed, created, and maintained at this center. Merle even had a chance to be fitted and dressed in the times! The important thing to remember regarding these men and women who recreate their character are the number of layers of clothing worn to represent the most historic look for all of us. So if you see one of them, especially the ladies, be grateful! We left the Costume Design Center with knowledge and a strong introduction to clothing the historic interpreters of Colonial Williamsburg.
In Colonial Williamsburg at the end of a tree-lined Palace Green, we arrived at the Governor’s Palace. We were given a tour as well. Seven royal governors resided here during their term in office including Thomas Jefferson. Think of it as a mini White House tour as we got glimpses of the kitchen, bedrooms, family gathering places, gardens, and scullery. The rooms followed the fashionable trends of certain colors of the times and in two rooms you will see a bright blue and green room.
Leaving Governor’s Palace I walked down Palace Green Street and took a right down Duke of Gloucester Street full of stores and shop. I then met Barb, Merle, and our tour guide Linda and we ate outside at Chowning’s Tavern.
We had a two o’clock appointment to interview Martha Washington and Hannah Corbin. If there was a woman I could meet in real life it would be Hannah. She was the sister of Richard Henry Lee and she had many opinions that were not popular at the time. She was definitely a feminist in her own time.
Specific days during the week Revolutionary City have daily moving interpretations and dramatizations. Today we listened and followed “Building a Nation”. We started our 3:30 performance in front of Raleigh Tavern, moving behind R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse, and ending at the Capital.
Tomorrow we will continue America’s Historic Triangle and visit Jamestown Settlement Museum and outdoor living museum. Please visit www.AmericasHistoricTriangle.com for more information.
Photos by Nancy Kozicki
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