Sunday, May 9, 2010

Colonial Williamsburg

This is the old Colonial Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg. The governor was appointed by the King and he had full power over the Virginians. This was at a time when Virginia covered the states of Kentucky, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and West Virginia -- a huge area!
There are fun carriage rides through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. We walked quite a ways between the craft shops. We visited a blacksmith, silversmith, print shop, gun smith, taylor, and saw a wig maker.
This is the Colonial courthouse. Trials in this courthouse would have mostly been for misdemeanors (missing Sunday services, swearing), all felony cases (grand theft, murder, kidnapping) were tried by the Governor in the courtroom in the Colonial Capital.
This is the interior of the Williamsburg Courthouse building. Lots of woodwork. The stocks were outside so everyone walking by could see who was being punished.
All the arms and ammunition for the Colony were stored in the building on the right. The building on the left was the guardhouse. The Colonists couldn't pick up any arms from here, they had to request what was needed and they were sent out to them. Every man from 16-60 was in the Militia and required to have a weapon in their home.
This whole wall of arms are actually from the pre-Revolutionary War era. Every wall on this level was covered with arms, but these were the only authentic weapons.
These are just some of the homes on the street where we were walking. Some were really tiny and others were quite large. Private homes were mingled in with businesses all along the street.
This is the front of the Capital Colonial Williamsburg. The building on the left was where the Governor and his 12 appointed directors were located. The building on the right was where the House of Bourgeois was located, where the likes of Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson represented their respective counties. The met twice a year at the pleasure of the Governor, but if the Governor didn't like what they were doing he could send them all home!
This is the front of the House of Bourgeois. The Chair was elected by the members of the House and sat in the chair on the raised platform.
This is the back of the House of Bourgeois. The coat of arms is a wood carving and really beautiful. Colonial Williamsburg is part of the historic triangle. There is Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown. We were only able to go to Colonial Williamsburg, but would like to come back to the area to visit. There is so much history around here it's just amazing!!

1 comment:

Jenn said...

Looks like so much fun!!! I want to go back there someday!

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