Traveling Thursdays: Vintage Williamsburg, Pt. 1

A recent acquisition to the Daveland photography archive was a large set of vintage 1950's images from Williamsburg, Virginia and other historic sites. As a young lad, I was thoroughly interested in history and Williamsburg was a mecca to me. My first visit there was during the summer of 1971, and then again in 1977 on a school field trip. One of these days I hope to return...with MY camera!

The first photo in this collection shows Kenmore in nearby Fredericksburg, a Georgian-style brick mansion built by George Washington's sister Betty and her husband, Fielding Lewis.

Next I have four images of the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, built in 1722.



Thomas Jefferson & Patrick Henry were two of the Governors who lived here. In 1780, the government moved to Richmond and the Palace became a hospital until it was completely destroyed by fire a year later.



Thanks to Colonial Williamsburg, who purchased the property in 1928, the building was faithfully reconstructed and can now be seen by guests as it once was.





The George Wythe House, seen in the next two photos, belonged to George Wythe, a leader of the patriot movement in Virginia, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and Virginia’s first signer of the Declaration of Independence.



The house also served as General George Washington's headquarters just before the British siege of Yorktown, and French General Rochambeau made the home his headquarters after victory at Yorktown. In 1776, the house accommodated Virginia General Assembly delegate Thomas Jefferson and his family.



What better way to view this historic city than by carriage?



The stockade...not a good place to be "hanging around."



In the same batch is this image from the Bennington Museum in Vermont, showing a dress on display that was worn while its owner was dancing with George Washington.



See more Williamsburg, Virginia photos on my Williamsburg web page.