History of Colonial Williamsburg
Restoring Williamsburg
Restoring Williamsburg
Rebuilding the Past
The restoration of Williamsburg began with the Rev. Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church, sharing his vision for Williamsburg with philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller in 1924. What began as a modest initiative to preserve Williamsburg’s 18th-century buildings soon blossomed into a full-scale restoration of the former colonial capital.
Educating for the Future
Now, almost a century later, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation brings history to life for new generations through careful research, conservation, and preservation and by providing immersive programming and authentic resources for learners, educators, and researchers throughout the world.
Bringing History to Life
In 1932, Colonial Williamsburg opened its first public exhibition building: the reconstructed Raleigh Tavern, where patriot members of Virginia’s House of Burgesses met and cast votes during the Revolutionary era in defiance of the colony’s royal governors. In 1934, hostesses working at the reconstructed tavern became the first Colonial Williamsburg staff to appear in period costume, in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s visit for the dedication of Duke of Gloucester Street. Within two months every Colonial Williamsburg hostess would be wearing 18th-century costumes.
Historic Trades & Skills
The Foundation also began interpreting colonial crafts during the 1930s. Cabinetmaking, blacksmithing, and silversmithing were the first crafts to be introduced, followed by spinning and weaving, barbering and wigmaking, and candlemaking. Begun initially with modern methods, the Historic Trades team became world-renowned for its historical authenticity as the program matured and its craftspeople adopted the tools and methods of their counterparts in the late-1700s.
Costumed Interpretation
In the 1970s, costumed interpreters began conveying stories of 18th-century people in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. It was a way to depict people of all classes, genders, and races, and, at the time, was considered pathbreaking theater. First-person interpretation continued to evolve as well with the introduction of the Nation Builders in 2005. Our growing cast includes interpretation of familiar founders like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry alongside portrayals of lesser-known residents and visitors to Williamsburg in the Revolutionary era.
People of the Past
The history shared by the Foundation continued to expand with African American interpretation, which began in 1979. Skilled actors and interpreters explore the lives of enslaved and free Black Americans who made up more than 50 percent of Williamsburg’s population at the time of the Revolution.
American Indian Encampment
Tribal delegations of American Indians were also a common sight in early Williamsburg. Trade, diplomacy, and tensions were all a part of a journey of co-existence navigated by colonists and the American Indian tribes who lived on the land on which the English had settled. The American Indian Encampment in the Historic Area tells that story.
Revolutionary Programming
Today, programming across Colonial Williamsburg draws guests directly into the action. On any given day, visitors may engage in conversation with a diverse array of well-researched, costumed historic interpreters — from Revolutionary thought leader Thomas Jefferson to the first-known ordained Black Baptist preacher Gowan Pamphlet. Guests can ask questions and inspect the work products of dozens of expert artisans at our Historic Trades shops and sites. And at our theaters, people encounter unique perspectives on stage, where performers often involve their audiences directly in their art.
Founded in Research
Research, conservation, and historic preservation lie at the heart of Colonial Williamsburg’s mission to present the stories of America’s origins. Every day, these investigations of the past reveal new facts that facilitate our understanding of this nation’s beginnings.
Archaeology
Archaeology was — and is — an important tool in discovering Williamsburg’s past. Excavations of historic sites began here in 1928. Discoveries continue today as we literally uncover things people owned, places they lived, and even evidence of the specific plants they grew in their gardens, which enable us to better understand their world and their lives.
Preservation
Architectural historians’ research helps us see what 18th-century buildings looked like. Preservationists protect the structures that illustrate life in those times.
Conservation
Conservators and curators work together on research and preservation projects — with a little help from modern science — to understand and preserve Colonial Williamsburg’s historic artifacts and artistic works.
Research with Us
Historians dive into primary source documents, original maps, oral histories, census records, and more housed at the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library to investigate not just the “what” but the “hows” and the “whys” of Williamsburg’s past.
Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg include two world-class museums under one roof — the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. The museums’ exhibitions draw on collections of more than 67,000 antiques and works of art, as well as 7,000 pieces of American folk art.
Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute
Through the Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute and a continuously growing menu of digital assets, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation serves as an educational resource for teachers and students across the country.
The Restoration
How do you rebuild an eighteenth-century city? The audacious effort to restore Williamsburg, led by W. A. R. Goodwin and John D. Rockefeller Jr., began a century of research, discovery, and storytelling. Explore the stories of the men and women who have spent decades bringing eighteenth-century Williamsburg alive.
The Restoration
The audacious effort to restore Williamsburg, led by W. A. R. Goodwin and John D. Rockefeller Jr., began a century of research, discovery, and storytelling.
Explore the Restoration
Explore the stories of the men and women who have spent decades bringing eighteenth-century Williamsburg alive.
Stories of Black Life
During the 18th century, half of Williamsburg’s population was Black. Discover these American stories of resilience and explore those who lived, loved, and strove to create a better future.
Albert Durant
The photographic lens of Albert Durant offers a visual perspective on African American experiences in Williamsburg, Virginia from the late 1930s to the 1960s. Durant chose to focus upon the achievements that gave the community a sense of hope, purpose, and progress.
Black Archaeologists
Images in the Foundation’s collection reveal that between 1928 and the mid-1960s, the excavation of eighteenth-century Williamsburg fell primarily to Black men.
Benjamin Lewis Spraggins, Sr.
The Spraggins sociable has been intentionally created to honor the legacy and life of Mr. Benjamin Lewis Spraggins, Sr., who was one of the most well-known coachmen at Colonial Williamsburg for 19 years.
Historic Places
The Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg recreates the atmosphere and lifestyle of Virginia’s colonial capital and includes 89 original 18th-century buildings and hundreds of buildings reconstructed based on historical records and archaeological research.
Eastern State Hospital
The Public Hospital opened in Williamsburg in 1773 to care exclusively for mentally ill residents.
Kimball Theatre
On January 12, 1933, the Williamsburg Theatre lifted its curtains to the public. It was an official Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) along with two other theatres Rockefeller owned: Radio City Music Hall and The Roxy Theatre in New York City.
Stories of Women
Women played important and, at times, unexpected roles in early Williamsburg. Their stories, often hidden in the historical record, illuminate their rich contributions to eighteenth-century Virginia's social, economic, and political life.
The Ladies Advisory Committee
While an all-male Advisory Committee of Architects critiqued the progress of architectural restoration work in the 1930s, a group of female counterparts guided the decision-making process, particularly regarding interior décor and furnishings.
Lena Richard
Lena Richard began as a domestic cook and became a nationally known chef with a frozen foods line, a cookbook, a television show, and diners willing to cross the segregation line to eat at her establishments.
Louise Bang Fisher
Long an avid gardener, Louise Bang Fisher became involved with flower arranging for Colonial Williamsburg when she became a hostess at the Raleigh Tavern, the first exhibition building that opened in 1932.
