Colonial Herb Garden, Yorktown, Virginia

This beautiful colonial herb garden is planted by the Moore House Society, Children of the American Revolution. It features an array of plants in an almost park like setting with a sundial neatly placed so you do not entirely lose track of time. According to the sundial it was almost ten in the morning when the photo was taken but it was not adjusted for day light savings and did not spring forward.

Smith House, Yorktown, Virginia

 

The Smith House in Historic Yorktown was the home of an early Lieutenant Governor, David Jameson.  It is a private residence owned by the National Park Service.  Note the extended shingles on the dormers, which we thought was rather interesting but are not really certain why they do it.

Fencing On The Palace Green, Colonial Williamburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

These colonial gentlemen entertained the tourists with a very robust fencing demonstration on the greens in front of the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg. They discussed fencing, the equipment and the tradition in colonial times.  While dueling in Europe was normally this type of sword fight, in the colonies, pistols was the preferred method as fencing schools for the gentry were not as prevalent here.

Osprey On The York River, Colonial Parkway, Williamsburg, Virginia

This osprey dutifully minds her nest on the York River along the Colonial Parkway.  Her mate was sitting on the branch next to her but flew off just as the picture was snapped making as much noise and fuss as he could in an effort to lure us away.

Flower Garden In Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

These beautiful flowers in a backyard garden in Colonial Williamsburg caught our eye over the weekend.

Ladies Hard At Work In Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

These ladies carry merchandise for sale in Colonial Williamsburg.

Happy Easter From Williamsburg, Virginia

This cross, adorned with palms, stands in the cemetery surrounding Bruton Parish Church on Duke of Gloucester Street in Colonial Williamsburg.

Happy Easter to all our blogger friends.

Cheathem Annex Pier On the York River, Williamsburg, Virginia

The Cheatham Annex includes this pier where the Navy can stock some of its ships given the depth of the York River.  The piers are large enough for trucks and other vehicles to drive to the ship.

York County Historical Museum, Yorktown, Virginia

The York County Historical Museum is located on Main Street in Historic Yorktown, Virginia and houses a variety of exhibits regarding the history of Yorktown and York County.

Stained Glass Tributes, College of William And Mary School of Law, Williamsburg, Virginia

These stained glass windows adorn one end of the lobby of the College of William and Mary Law School. The first depicts Sir Christopher Wren, the architect whose name is attached to the original building on the campus of the college and the second,Sir William Blackstone, a renowned jurist, judge and politician in England in the 1700's whose Commentaries on English Law were the basis of study and discussion of English common law for generations. Reflections of the flourescent lights can be seen in each.

Tornado Damage, Williamsburg, Virginia

On Saturday, Williamsburg / James City County, had the misfortune of being hit by the very large storm that swept the country and included tornadoes touching down in several states.  These scenes are a few miles down the road from us  and show a number of large trees uprooted and the roof  lifted off a mobile home.  Trees were stripped bare and/or snapped in two on either side of the road and many houses were seriously damaged.  We were untouched other than suffering a power outage for about 14 hous.  Clean up is moving along with the crews doing a great job of clearing roads, removing trees and making temporary repairs.  Gloucester County, across the York River to the north of us, saw one of its schools partially destroyed and several deaths. 

Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Historic Jamestown and Yorktown tourist areas were not affected as the damage was in isolated areas.   

Child's Play in Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

Last year, when the weather was a little warmer and the grass a little greener, these children learned to play with the low-tech toys of the 1700's on Duke of Gloucester Street in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. In colonial times, children played board games, rolled hoops, nine pins in addition to their chores, reading, dancing and sewing. 

It's amazing to watch high tech children become enthralled with simple, handmade toys.

The End Of Presidents Park, Williamsburg, Virginia

Presidents Park, a local historical attraction, has ceased operations as another victim of the economic downturn over the past several years.  It featured enormous busts of each president along with historical snippets about their presidency in a park like atmosphere through which guests could leisurely stroll. In its six years of operation more than 350,000 guests took the tour. As you can see, the lack of care since the last day of operation in September 2010 has taken a toll on the statues.

 Click here to see our original post about the facility.

Lightfoot House, Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

The Lightfoot House is a beautiful, stately home at the edge of the historic district. It, along with the Williamsburg Inn, has housed visiting VIPs from royalty and presidents to movie stars.

Bald Eagle On The York River, Colonial Parkway, Williamsburg, Virginia

This bald eagle intently surveyed the York River from the upper branches of this dead tree on the Colonial Parkway between Yorktown and Williamsburg.

The Ballard House, Yorktown, Virginia

The Ballard House in Historic Yorktown is a private residence owned by the National Park Service but one of our blogger friends has a family connection to it.

 It was built in about 1709 by a local baker and sold to John Ballard in 1727.  During the revolution, the British Army tore down most of the outbuildings and dug trenches and built embankments from which they could be protected in battle.  The interior was modernized before the property was purchased by the park service in 1968.

Christiana Campbell's Tavern, Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

Christiana Campbell's Tavern is one of the colonial eating establishments run  by Colonial Williamsburg.  It is locate behind the Capitol and is said to have been George Washington's favorite. It specializes in seafood which is served along with colonial style entertainment and good conversation with the costumed characters portraying the colonial personalities.

The first photo is the front of the tavern with its long porch.  The second is the garden patio immediately to the rear while the final photos is the gazebo in the side yard.

In colonial times, taverns served food and beverages and rented rooms to travelers.

William And Mary At The College Of William And Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia

The statues of William and Mary oversee one of the entry ways to the College of William and Mary.

Colonial Chicken Coop, Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

This chicken coop complete with netting and natural timber frame work kept the family poultry contained while still allowing them to free range to a degree.  Keeping farm animals in the backyard may seem odd by today's standards, but apparently was the norm in colonial days for those who lived in Colonial Williamsburg in the late 1700's.

Wren Building Cupola and Vane, College of William And Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia

Atop the Wren Building on the campus of the College of William And Mary is a cupola and weather vane with the year it was chartered, 1693, emblazoned in the tail of the vane.  The Wren Building is the original college structure.

Merchants Square Farmers Market And Dogs, Williamsburg, Virginia

You always know when it's market day at Merchants Square because the smell of food, flowers, and craft glue wafts through the air and the dogs are out in full force to take it all in. The market is open every Saturday morning from Spring through Fall. 

Talbot's Window Box At Merchants Square, Colonial Williamsburg, Williamburg, Virginia

In keeping with the season and burgeoning flower population, Talbot's at Colonial Williamsburg's Merchants Square takes advantage of its flower box and beautiful display window to show case some of it wares.

Bowden-Armistead House, Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

The Bowden-Armistead House is a beautiful Greek Revival structure on Duke of Gloucester Street in historic Colonial Williamsburg. It is a private residence and, despite its location it was built just before the Civil War. Lemuel Bowden, the builder, was later elected to the US Senate.  Articles on the Colonial Williamsburg website indicate that when it was completed, his mother refused to live in the home with him as she was a strict secessionist and he was a Union sympathizer.  Despite not being a "colonial" structure, this property draws a great deal of attention from passing tourists.

Flowers And Gardens, Williamsburg, Virginia

These flowers are blooming on the campus of The College of William and Mary as the weather warms. Gardening and the beauty it creates is a major endeavor locally.  In addition to these, Colonial Williamsburg maintains a number of world class gardens and offer garden tours throughout the Spring and Summer, some of which are now in progress. Click here to learn more about the tours.

Greenhow Store, Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

The Greenhow Store in Colonial Williamsburg offers a variety of colonial items similar to those sold by Mr. Greenhow in the 18th century including wrought iron, willow baskets, fabrics, tinware, and porcelain. 

Indian School At The College Of William And Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia

This is "The Brafferton" on the campus of the College of William and Mary.  In 1697, four years after the college's founding, an Indian school was started in an effort to educate young Indian men in reading, writing arithmetic, and the principles of Christianity. In 1711, "tributes" were paid to area tribes who sent students although tribes outside Virginia also sent student.s This building was constructed in 1723 to house the school.  The small building in the second photo is the kitchen for this building. The American Revolution in 1776 cut off the financing and the school closed shortly thereafter.

The building now hosts the office of the President and Provost of the college.

Hartwell Perry Tavern, Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

As indicated on the Colonial Williamsburg's electronic map, "Hartwell Perry owned and operated an "ordinary," as colonial taverns were sometimes called, on this site from the mid-1780s until he died about 1800. The sign out front is a "rebus." It depicts a deer, a well, and several pears. "Hart" is another name for a deer, and an alcoholic beverage made from pears is called "perry", so the sign stands for Hartwell Perry. The building is not open to the public."