So steeped is Williamsburg in American Colonial history that you forget it has had other pasts as well.
My friends and I were reminded of this on a recent visit by a rifle-carrying Confederate soldier we came across on an evening walk. He was in a state of near hysteria as he accosted us, frantic to know whether we had seen his buddy who had gone missing. Both, he said, had fought side by side earlier in the day as part of a 20,000-man Southern force trying to hold back an onslaught of 25,000 Yankees determined to march through Williamsburg on the one road connecting Fort Monroe at the tip of the Virginia Peninsula with Richmond. The Northerners' objective was to take the capital of the Confederacy and end the war. According to the records, both sides suffered some 4,000 casualties in the woods and fields east of town on May 4-5, 1862. Plainly, many a soldier who had been through that hell would be in a state of shock afterward.
No, we were not caught in a time warp. We had merely met up with one of the dozens of authentically clad, savvy "character interpreters" employed by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to bring history to life. William Travis, the soldier's name, had actually existed, as had his friend. Travis went on to die fighting in the Richmond-Petersburg siege line two years later. The young actor who played him, William Balderson, had obviously schooled himself thoroughly in Civil War history and lore and was so much immersed in the persona of Travis that he could get us willingly to suspend our disbelief as we watched and listened to him.
Who would have thought that Williamsburg - which had become a sleepy little backwater after the capital moved to Richmond in 1781 - had such a violent Civil War past? Certainly not I.
After the battle, the town was turned into a hospital for the wounded of both sides, with many houses and all public buildings converted to wards and surgeries. The Yanks failed to reach Richmond, but they would keep Williamsburg for its strategic location, putting the population under martial law. Despite a Confederate raid and several skirmishes fought in and around town in 1862, 1863 and 1865, the Federals held onto the town for more than three years. Indeed, they did not depart until five months after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
Williamsburg now commemorates those dark moments in its history as part of the Civil War Discovery Trail, linking more than 500 sites in 28 states. It has added six to eight Civil War tours given evenings on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, during which participants meet and have a chance to talk to both a Confederate and a Union soldier and a woman of the town. (To run the tours by day would sow unnecessary confusion in a setting that remains steadfastly 18th century.)
African-Americans
If Williamsburg continues to be anchored in Colonial times, it is beginning to present a more rounded view of the period, mindful, among other things, that more than half of its population in the 1700s was African-American. The Williamsburg generated by the restorers of the 1930s and presented for years thereafter was a genteel one, as though slavery had not existed. Now, the character interpreters and "the persons of the past," as the more generalized costumed employees in the living history program are called, include African-Americans like Roy Black, whom we came upon behind the house of the speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, Peyton Randolph. Black and a friend were busy squaring a tulip poplar log into a beam, a reminder that without unpaid slave labor, Williamsburg might never have been built - or perhaps not quite so grandly. As Black explained, he and his assistant hoped to be able to sell the beam and earn cash - and a little independence - for themselves.
At the same site, a vanished kitchen-laundry complex, above which lived Randolph's slaves, will be reconstructed, based on carefully sifted and studied archaeological evidence. Work has already commenced on the outbuildings, including a dairy and a smokehouse. When the reconstruction is complete in 2000, a whole new community will occupy what hitherto had been treated merely as a garden and lawn, instead of the spot where several unfortunates spent most of their lives working for the benefit of their master and his family.
(At Carter's Grove, just eight miles from town, the plantation's slave quarters have been re-created, complete with cabins and African-American men and women who guide visitors through the primitive buildings and around the site.)
Down the road from the Randolph house, in the beautiful gardens of the Governor's Palace, I came across Lydia, a middle-aged black woman in an apron and a sun-shielding straw bonnet, with her arm looped over a basket. Williamsburg's character intrepreters want to be approached and engaged in conversation, so I introduced myself to her and inquired about her life. Now that the governor and his wife had fled, she explained in a reference to Virginia's declaration of independence from the British crown, Lydia had come to the palace gardens to filch a few vegetables for her mistress. She asked me not to tell anyone, as she didn't want to get into trouble. Her life as a slave was already difficult enough.
As we chatted, Lydia recalled in a low, quiet voice that the unhappiest moment of her life had been the day when she was separated from her mother and sister and sold to Mr. George Whyte, one of Thomas Jefferson's dearest friends. She had never seen, nor heard from, her mother again; Mr. Whyte, who occasionally journeyed to the community where Lydia was born, sometimes returned with news of her sister. Neither woman had been taught to write, and thus they could not communicate directly with each other. Lydia spoke so convincingly, so much from the heart, I was deeply moved.
Personal involvement
Such dashes of reality helped make my visit to Williamsburg memorable.
"We want to provoke visitors," said Bill White, director for the Capitol program area. "We want to provoke responses." But truth to the past is only one way Williamsburg is shifting its focus. Greater emphasis is being placed on activities that will directly involve people.
New programs in the historic area concentrate on the story of the United States' birth, from the days when Virginia was a coveted colony of the Crown to the final showdown when Virginia patriots demanded independence and called on the other Colonies to do likewise. You can drop in at the courthouse, for example, and hear the gentlemen seated at a baize-covered table in an antechamber discussing the gathering storm.
Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Martha Washington, brought back to life by gifted individuals who have immersed themselves in the details of the lives of the greats they portray, are among the historic figures found around town. Like Lydia, they stand ready to answer questions relating to the issues of their day.
But not all the questions need be serious ones: Try asking Martha Washington what it is like to kiss a man with dentures made from nuts and cow and hippopotamus teeth. You'll get an answer.
For the first time, many of the craft demonstrations that have long taken place inside Williamsburg's workshops will also be presented outdoors during the warmer months of the year, in backyards on the Duke of Gloucester Street.
In a further change, the open-air stage, on which 18th-century plays are regularly performed, has been moved from the center of town to the open space behind the Capitol. So, too, has the military encampment. This has helped create a focus for visitors with school-age children. As I wandered through the deserted encampment, I could see a group of boys and girls off in the distance wearing tri-cornered hats, shouldering muskets and drilling on the green under the command of several soldiers. From the high spirits with which they were throwing themselves into the activity, I knew that this was an experience few would forget. What an introduction to history!
When you go
Getting there: Take I-95 south toward Richmond; follow signs for I-295 toward Williamsburg and Norfolk. Take I-295 to I-64 east toward Norfolk. Follow I-64 to exit 238 (Camp Peary/Williamsburg exit). At the second light, turn right onto Virginia Route 132. Follow Route 132 just past the first light and look for signs to Colonial Williamsburg visitors center. Park at the center and take the bus to the grounds. The bus runs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. nonstop daily.
Where to stay: How about accommodations in the Colonial Houses, a collection of 21 authentically furnished guest homes and three inns located in the Historic Area? The houses sleep from two to seven and rates range from $160 to $240. Also available: Williamsburg Inn ($348-$550), Williamsburg Lodge ($119-$169), Williamsburg Woodlands ($105-$120) and Governor's Inn ($83). All rates depend on time of travel. For details and reservations, call toll-free 800-HISTORY.
Where to eat: Colonial Williamsburg operates four dining taverns in the Historic Area: Chownings (try the ale!) runs on a first-come, first-serve basis, open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Entree prices range from $13.25 to $21.50. Christiana Campbell's is a dinner-only restaurant open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations are required; entrees range from $19 to $24. Shields is open for breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations for dinner are required; entrees range from $16 to $24. King's Arms Tavern serves lunch from 11:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner 5 p.m to 9 p.m. Reservation needed for dinner; entrees range from $20 to $25. Each offers 18th-century style menus in attractive, period .. settings, with waiters clad in clothes of the day.
Don't miss the costumed characters waiting tables at most taverns. Williamsburg added these interpreters to the restaurants to give visitors a more exciting experience.
Tickets: Williamsburg is open 365 days a year. Three kinds of tickets are available.
* The Patriot's Pass, the best value, costs $34 for adults, $19 for children 6-12, and is good for a year. It provides unlimited access to exhibition buildings and trade sites, including the Capitol, Governor's Palace, orientation walks, History Walks, the De Witt Wallace Gallery, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, Bassett Hall and Carter's Grove. Pass holders receive a 25 percent discount on evening programs January-November.
* The Colonist's Pass ($30 for adults, $17 for children 6-12) is valid for two consecutive days and includes entries to all of the above, except Bassett Hall and Carter's Grove.
* The Basic Ticket ($26 for adults, $15 for children 612) is good for one day only and provides admission to exhibition buildings and trade sites, including the Capitol, but excluding the palace, Bassett Hall and Carter's Grove.
Tips: It is best to visit Colonial Williamsburg during spring and fall when the humidity is low and trees and flowers are showing their colors.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes for all the walking involved in a day at Williamsburg. During the summer, which can be rainy, bring an umbrella or poncho if skies look threatening.
Kid stuff: The Benjamin Powell house offers hands-on activities for kids around the house, in the kitchen and the garden. Be sure to visit the Brickyard, where kids can help the brickmaker mold bricks. The military encampment near the Capitol teaches kids 18-century military drills, and at Market Square boys and girl can rent 18-century costumes and create their own adventures.
Weather: Humidity is high during summer months; winter months tend to be mild.
Information: Call 800-HISTORY.
An Ideal Day:
7 a.m.: Get up early to savor the 18th century. Walk down Duke of Gloucester Street as the town comes awake.
8 a.m.: For a genteel start, breakfast at the Williamsburg Inn, a bastion of graciousness. Ask to be seated near a window or on the terrace overlooking the golf course.
9 a.m.: Stroll to the Governor's Palace for a tour. The formal garden is one of the prettiest in Virginia.
10 a.m.: Visit the nearby George Whyte house, exquisitely restored. Jefferson used to come here when a student at William and Mary College.
11 a.m.: Tour the Peyton Randolph House a short distance from Whyte's and take in the activity behind it as carpenters re-create the outbuildings that stood there.
Noon: Have a look at the humble tenant house, once home to a poor woman and her daughter. This will give you a good idea of how Williamsburg's other side lived.
12:30 p.m.: Lunch at Chownings (pronounced chewning's) Tavern. Reserve a table; aim for one in the garden. Sample the 18th-century fare.
1:30 p.m.: Have a look around the outdoor market held on the green. Step into the courthouse and listen to character interpreters discussing issues of the day.
2 p.m.: Head down the Duke of Gloucester Street, toward the Capitol, pausing at the various shops to watch craftsmen at work.
3 p.m.: Snack on Queen's Cake and cider at the Raleigh Tavern bakery.
3:30 p.m.: Check out the encampment adjacent to the Capitol. You can join the Virginia Regiment and do a little drilling.
4 p.m.: Tour the Capitol, but leave enough time for one of the grand events Williamsburg puts on daily at 5 p.m., such as the arrival from England of Lady Dunsmore, the governor's wife, staged at the palace.
6:30 p.m.: Have dinner at one of Williamsburg's taverns or outside the historic area at the Trellis, a nationally recognized and popular restaurant. Reservations a must. Indicate you intend to join one of the Civil War tours, given between 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. (Earlier in the day, buy tickets at the Greenhow Lumber House.)
10 p.m.: If you're not now footsore, enjoy a ramble around town. By night, Williamsburg is delightfully cozy.
Dale M. Brown, a retired editor of Time Life, is a freelance writer living in Alexandria, Va.
Pub Date: 6/07/98