Article: The History & Restoration of Colonial Williamsburg

 Williamsburg was the thriving capital of Virginia when the dream of American freedom and independence was taking shape and the colony was a rich and powerful land stretching west to the Mississippi River and north to the Great Lakes. 

Governor's Palace ruins and restoration

 Palace Ice House

For 81 formative years, from 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the political, cultural, and educational center of what was then the largest, most popular, and most influential of the American colonies.

Dudley Digges House

It was here that the fundamental concepts of our republic — responsible leadership, a sense of public service, self-government, and individual liberty — were nurtured under the leadership of patriots such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and Peyton Randolph.

George Wythe House

   

Near the end of the Revolutionary War and through the influence of Thomas Jefferson, the seat of government of Virginia was moved up the peninsula to the safer and more centrally located city of Richmond. 

College of William & Mary 

For nearly a century and a half afterward, Williamsburg was a simple, quiet college town, home of the College of William and Mary.

Restoration Begins

In 1926, the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church, shared his dream of preserving the city's historic buildings with philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr., and the restoration began. 

John Crump House 

Dr. Goodwin feared that scores of structures that had figured in the life of the colony and the founding of the nation would soon disappear forever.

Palmer House  

Rockefeller and Goodwin began a modest project to preserve a few of the more important buildings. Eventually, the work progressed and expanded to include a major portion of the colonial town, encompassing approximately 85 percent of the 18th-century capital's original area.

Nelson Galt House 

                

Mr. Rockefeller gave the project his personal leadership until his death in 1960, and it was his quiet generosity of spirit and uncompromising ethic of excellence that guided and still dominates its development. He funded the preservation of more than 80 of the original structures, the reconstruction of many buildings, and also the construction of extensive facilities to accommodate the visiting public.

James Geddy House  

            

In the preservation of the setting of Virginia’s 18th-century capital, Mr. Rockefeller and Dr. Goodwin saw an opportunity to ensure that the courageous ideals of the patriots who helped create the American democratic system, live on for all future generations.                                http://www.history.org/Foundation/cwhistory.cfm

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The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Colonial Williamsburg

www.colonialwilliamsburg.com

                    For reservations and information, call 1-757-229-1000.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational and cultural organization dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and presentation of the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia. The foundation’s purpose, in the words of the Board of Trustees, is “to re-create accurately the environment of the men and women of eighteenth century Williamsburg, and to bring about such an

understanding of their lives and times, that present and future generations may more vividly appreciate the contribution of these early Americans to the ideals and culture of our country.”

Today, the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg embraces the heart of the old city, and includes eighteenth and early nineteenth-century structures within and near the historic area.

Also, acres of colorful gardens and greens have been recreated, using chiefly plants known to the eighteenth-century colonists.

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Read about Thomas Jefferson's Williamsburg years as a student, lawyer, and politician, in Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man:

Available in Paperback, Kindle,  and mp3 audio download through Amazon:

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The 5-disc audio book set can be ordered directly from author. Visit web site Contact tab:  

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