Day 6 - Colonial Williamsburg

Peyton Randolph's House - Randolph was a farmer and public official, he served as speaker of the House of Burgesses at the Capitol. He and his family were wealthy and were also known to have had great influence over the colonists and persuaded them to follow him politically. Patrick Henry was one of the first men in Williamsburg to oppose Randolph when it came to a few of the resolutions being considered in the Stamp Act.



 The parlor (at right) where guests would be seen and served tea and pastries whilst they discuss politics with Mr. Randolph. The Randolph house was famous for preparing many different appetizers and entrées in order to please anyone that would dine at the Randolph House. Many guests would stay here at the Randolph house for many weeks. Winning friends and gaining influence was at the heart of all Mr. Randolph did.

  
 

Cabinet Maker - this shop was one of the most extraordinary in Colonial Williamsburg, it looks like all of the other shops and buildings in town until you approach the walk way. Upon entering the gate you can see that a portion of the building is actually above a small creek with beautiful greenery surrounding the building. From the interior of the shop you can look through the windows and see the gorgeous creek winding it's way towards the house and on the opposite side watch the stream flow through the river rocks and down towards the Capital.

This was one of the most crowded sites in Colonial Williamsburg so unfortunately we were not able to get a good look at all of the tool and demonstrations the cabinet maker was doing, just a glimpse from the door, but the skill and labor seemed tremendous! It took the cabinet maker almost a week to make a chair and of course each and every leg must look the same, down to the claw and ball foot! Not to mention chairs are rarely ordered in singles!

Bindery - This was a very interesting trade, one I would probably enjoy. I enjoy being consistent and precise. We were able to watch the man punch and bind, which looks like a simple form of sewing. (top left of the photo at right)

Once all of the pages were bound together they would then be pressed between two pieces of wood while you would slide a sharp blade across the rough edges on the pages and cut the folds. (photo below)

Tour of Wetherburn's Tavern - This is the only tavern in Williamsburg that does not serve food or drink, this establishment is for tours only. When touring the tavern you can see the original wood work and stair case. The furnishings were simple except for that of one particular room where guests could pay a substantial sum to have private meetings and use the silver dinnerware. All other rooms in the tavern were public, you would share a table for dinner or sometimes even a bed for the night. Four to six men would sleep in each of the rooms, if you paid extra you could have a room for just your family and your servant.








Court House and Trial- The court house in Williamsburg is where general court and civil trials would be held. When we toured the Court House we were actually able to sit in on three trials. Stephen was able to be one of the selected few to pass judgment on these poor souls. ;)

Magazine - The Magazine is where all of the military weapons and necessities were stored on a day to day basis. It is not a barracks as I had envisioned as a child but merely a storage facility. Regardless, the brickwork and long winding stair case are fun to look at, and who wouldn't love a virtually unlimited supply of gunpowder, muskets, swords and various other supplies.

 

 

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Black Smith - We were able to visit the blacksmith and see them making different kitchen tools, like a pan with legs or pot (right). They also had various things to touch; like locks, keys (above) and nails (left) that they would have to make regularly for the colonists.


The blacksmith would use a forge to get the coals nice and hot and put whatever metal they were using into the coals until it was red hot. Once the metal was red hot it was now ready to be shaped, they would place the metal against a large anvil and use a hammer to work the metal into whatever shape they were going for. This process would be repeated over and over until the desired shape was achieved them the blacksmith would dunk the metal in a bucket of water to keep the metal from continuing to change shape, to kind of solidify the shape they had created.

Goal (Prison) - This was not a prison as we see these days, this was a temporary "holding cell" where people that were a flight risk would be kept until their court hearing. I believe the maximum amount of time spent in the Goal was 3 weeks. Crime was judged and punished much more quickly in the 1700s. You would either be released of the charges, pay a fine or be hanged. If the judge decided to give you mercy you would be branded on your hand, near your thumb, so that other people would know you were a criminal.




DoG Street Pub - After a day of walking around Williamsburg we had worked up quiet an appetite. We walked down to Merchant Square and did a little shopping when we saw DoG Street Pub, the place was busy so we knew it had to be good. Dinner was delicious, we ordered fish and chips and a salmon salad, the portions were large and the service was great! The cost of the meal was actually significantly less expensive than that of the taverns in Colonial Williamsburg. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone traveling in the area.