Historical Triangle - Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown

Sunday we arrived in Williamsburg and Monday morning we started out bright and early to see what was at Colonial Williamsburg. We had been warned that it would take several days to see everything there so we bought a ticket that gave us free reign to come and go as we like to all three sites (Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown) for the week we are here. I'm sure this posting will be in several segments, but I'll at least catch you up to date on what we have done on Monday and Tuesday.

Capitol Building at Williamsburg

As I said earlier, we went to Williamsburg on Monday and spent the day walking around Colonial Williamsburg. It is a living history museum that has set the standard for historical restorations around the world. As you step into the 301 acre historical area, you embark on a journey into the heart of America's beginnings. You can experience life on the eve of the American Revolution when you visit the historic buildings, encounter "people of the past", and discuss current events of the 1770's with tradespeople, shopkeepers, enslaved servants or maybe even Thomas Jefferson.
Martha Washington arriving at the Capitol

We toured the Capitol building where the members of the House of Burgesses met, walked down the streets and into the wigmaker shop, the milliner's shop, the printing shop and many more. Martha Washington arrived in a carriage to speak to the people on behalf of her husband. We attended a reeactment of an 18th century trial and listened to two cases brought before the judge and his "jury". A corp of drums and fifes marched down the palace green and into the street leading to the capitol building.


We also toured the Randolph Peyton home. This tour was different from any other we had done as we all participated and did role-playing as servants or members of the household. I was Mrs. Randolph Peyton. My husband was one of the wealthy genteel and a member of the House of Burgesses. When he died, I was left with lots of money and lots of land which I continued to take care of with the help of the 27 slaves. Needless to say, I was terribly upset when I heard that there was talk of abolishing slavery. George played the part of Mr. Randolph's manservant, Johnny who was at the beck and call of his master and slept at the end of his bed on the floor. At some point, Johnny ran away to freedom.



There are new and different events going on all day long every day. And, if that's not enough for you, there are also evening performances such as ghost walks, a witch trial, and a candelight choral concert. Needless to say, we were really tired by the time the day was over. But tomorrow is another day and we don't want to miss out on anything.

Lord Dunmore, Royal Governor of Williamsburg


Tuesday, we decided to go to Yorktown. We haven't seen everything at Williamsburg yet, but we'll do the rest later in the week. Yorktown was the end of "Colonial" America and the birth of "America". On October 19, 1781, the decisive military campaign of the American Revolution culminated with the British surrender to combined American and French forces under the command of George Washington. The Siege of Yorktown effectively ended the six year struggle for American independence and set the stage for a new government and nation. Besides the battleground, there is the Yorktown Victory Center which encompasses a history timeline; a continental army encampment where costumed historical interpreters offer a glimpse of camplife with their tales of poor pay, harsh discipline, and meager rations of bread, beans, and meat; and a 1780's farm.


Encampment tent for high ranking officers



After the British surrender, most Virginians lived and worked on small farms that usually included a wooden house with one or two rooms, a detached kitchen, a tobacco barn, and fenced crop fields. Most small planters owned one to three slaves who worked alongside the family in the fields and gardens. Tobacco was the cash crop of choice.





Smoked Meats, fish, and Dried Herbs stored for winter



Tobacco Plants


For those of you who have indicated that you like hearing about all the history, I'll try to summarize the timeline leading up to the war.


1750-1763 - After 1750, as the colonies matured, the British and Americans disagreed more and more on their respective roles within the empire. The war with France had forced the British to loosen control over the colonies in order to gain their cooperation. With victory, however, the British attempted to tighten their colonial rule. With a growing population, expanding economy, and freedom from French threat, the colonies increasingly resented British interference.


April 1764 - Parliament passes the Sugar Act to raise money from the colonies through import taxes. In response, Boston merchants refuse to buy English luxury goods.


March, 1765 - The Stamp Act, the first tax to affect all the colonies equally, becomes law. The Quartering Act requires the colonies to provide lodging for British troops.


May, 1765 - Virginia's House of Burgesses adopts Patrick Henry's Stamp Act Resolves, protesting taxation without representation.


August, 1765 - Angry mobs force stamp distributors to resign and many merchants and other patriots agree not to import British goods.


March, 1766 - Bowing to pressure from British merchants, Parliament repeals the unsuccessful Stamp Act but restates its supreme authority over the colonies.


June, 1767 - The Townshend Acts impose duties on glass, tea, and other items imported into the colonies. The Americans react by adopting nonimportation agreements and refusing to buy British goods.


March, 1770 - British soldiers, sent to support local British officials, fire into an angry Boston crowd and kill five people. This incident soon becomes known as the Boston Massacre.


April, 1770 - Realizing that the Townshend Acts are discouraging the purchase of British goods, Parliament repeals all the taxes except that on tea, which cannot be grown in North America. Having doubled in only 20 years, the population of Britain's thirteen North America colonies now exceeds two million.


May, 1773 - The Tea Act gives the British East India Company a monopoly on sales. In protest, patriots in New York and Philadelphia force ships to return to England without unloading their cargoes of tea.


December, 1773 - Patriots dressed as Indians board ships in Boston harbor and dump more than 300 chests of tea overboard to prevent its unloading and sale.


March, 1774 - Parliament passes the Boston Port Act, closing the harbor to all seaborne trade as punishment for the Boston Tea Party.

1774 - The events that followed the passage of the Tea Act demonstrated how irresolvable the conflict had become, and marked the turning point in relations between Britain and the colonies. Parliament's harsh response to the Boston Tea Party served to unify all thirteen colonies. Realizing the need for a unified defense of their rights, all the colonies sent delegates to the First Continental Congress in September 1774 to forge a common plan of action. Political leaders were kept informed of news through an effective system of correspondence, as they worked to develop new governing institutions. Widely read political pamphlets motivated Americans to take a stand, and prepare to defend themselves. Armed struggle appeared inevitable.


February, 1775 - Parliament declares Massachusetts is a state of rebellion. British General Gage is authorized to use force to control the colony.


March, 1775 - Patrick Henry gives his renown speech "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" He urges the Virginia Revolutionary Convention meeting at St. John's Church in Richmond to authorize arming a militia force to defend colonial rights.


May, 1775 - Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys capture Fort Ticonderoga, New York and it heavy artillery from the British. The Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia.


June 1775 - Battle of Bunker and Breed's hills, Boston. British win the struggle but suffer heavy losses. George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental forces. Congress enacts Articles of War.


And of course, the rest, as they say, is history!


We also saw the Yorktown Victory Monument which symbolizes the victory of the American and French troops over General Cornwallis. The Monument was authorized by Continental Congress on October 29, 1781 just after news of the surrender reached Philadelphia. Actual construction began 100 years later and was completed in 1884. The original figure of liberty atop the Victory shaft was severely damaged by lightning. A new work replaced it in 1956. The shaft of Maine granite is 84 feet in height to which Liberty adds another 14 feet.
Yorktown's most ardent patriot was Thoas Nelson Jr., who led the local "tea party" and tossed tea off a merchant ship in Yorktown harbor in November 1774. From 1761 to 1775, Nelson served in the virginia House of Burgesses and then two years as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia where he signed the Declaration of Independence. In June 1781, he was elected the third governor of Virginia, succeeding Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas Nelson's Home


While in Yorktown, we also visited the Watermen's Museum which is a privately supported, non-profit museum whose exhibits present an overview of who watermen are and their history. The building which houses the museum has an interesting history itself. It was bought by a developer from Chicago who wanted to build a more lavish mansion on the spot. He therefore gave the building to the Waterman's Museum and they moved it in total on a barge across the river to where it now houses the museum. It includes a study of the Chesapeake Bay workboats, tells the story of fin fishing for croaker, spot, flounder, and shell fishing for crabs, clams, oysters and harvesting them, as well as individual stories about watermen.

By Tuesday evening we were stumbling back to the trailer. We'll rest and be ready to go again tomorrow to see Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement. Til then, have a great day and remember "all those who wander are not lost".