The Williamsburg area seems to be designed with the idea of herding all the visitors though the visitor's center where they pay handsomely for different packages that include what they wish to see as only certain priced plans allow entry into certain buildings. I knew I didn't wish to pay $26 for a couple hours of looking around so armed with a stack of maps I approached from 199 aiming for the parking lot of the King's Arms Tavern where I might enjoy a brew. And indeed I did after touring the area looking for a place to buy film. That led me onto the campus of the College of William and Mary.William and Mary is a state university chartered by King William III and Queen Mary II in 1693. John Tyler is an alumni. I passed by the stadium as W&M scored a touchdown and peered through the bleachers at the game in progress as I wound my way back to the parking lot on Francis Street.
The nice lady at the visitor's center yesterday gave me a map and highlighted the streets on which I could drive while another person had told me "No, I couldn't drive in the historical district." I had a fried oyster sandwich, fries, and Michelob light under a trellis covered with vines in the garden area of the tavern. Quite enjoyable. After that a walk along the streets led me to notice that nobody was smiling and everyone seemed as hot and tired as I. But indeed what a treat.
A visit to one of the shops led me to know that they do have film, but they don't display such modern items. So I asked and got a seven dollar role of film. Indeed this was no place to be with an empty camera. The shops were loaded with colonial items at modern day prices, none of which I felt a need for so I accidentally kept the pen with which I signed my Visa bill at the tavern. I had picked up some soap and tea at the Jamestown gift shop and that took care of my shopping needs for one day.
There are 88 original buildings in the mile-long historic area. It re-creates 18th century Williamsburg. The Governor's Palace was completed in 1722 and later served as the executive mansion for the commonwealth's first two governors, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, until the capital was moved to Richmond in 1780. The original building was destroyed by fire a year later while being used as a military hospital for soldiers wounded at Yorktown and is reconstructed. The crafts of Williamsburg are displayed in the many trades shops by costumed employees who explain and demonstrate. Wetherburn's Tavern figured prominently in the commercial life and has been in continuous use for more than 200 years. Washington frequently visited the tavern. The courthouse of 1770 is one of the original buildings. There are several Inns and other places to stay in the immediate area and a turn around in the Williamsburg Inn driveway let me know it would be a most suitable accomodation. I left the area wondering when I had ever had such a history lesson. Bill Mears would indeed be proud of me and if I had looked though the history book he assigned for U.S. history in high school perhaps I would have a better background.
The town of Williamsburg itself is a small town with a population of of 11,500 and one wonders how many tourists. Interstates indeed accommodate the area that began as Middle Plantation in 1633, an outpost of Jamestown. It was adjacent to a palisade that the settlers built across the peninsula between the James and York Rivers. For 81 years this was the seat of government and the social and cultural center of Virginia, when in 1780 Gov. Thomas Jefferson relocated the capital to Richmond, 50 miles to the west.
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