Colonial Williamsburg: Fine Millinery

Ladies, do you need a new hat? How about the Fine Millinery shop in Colonial Williamsburg? These November 1955 images show a charming young lady eager and ready to assist you in store located on the Duke of Gloucester Street.

Another view of the shop from April 1956:

Let’s zoom in for the signage; I can’t help myself.

Same shop, from November 1955, with a different employee dressed in period garb:

The shop was still there during my 2017 visit, but appears to have lost its decorative signage that surrounded the top window:

See more Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia photos at my main website.

1940's Colonial Williamsburg

Today’s trio hails from 1947 and shows Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. I have no idea what the building is in the first shot (bad blogger); since it’s the first sequential shot in the batch I acquired, it could even be from Fredericksburg. I CAN, however, definitively say that the next one is the Governor’s Palace: 

Still there when I visited in 2017:

A 1940s view of the rear of the Palace:

…and how it looked in 2017:

As a final note before the weekend, if you’re superstitious, you might want to avoid anyone that looks like this who goes by the name Mrs. Voorhees:

Especially if you’re near a lake.

See more Colonial Williamsburg photos at my main website.

Williamsburg Wrap-up

Time to wrap-up my Virginia travels with this post summarizing some of the highlights of my Colonial Williamsburg visit. I began my morning at the R. Charlton Coffeehouse, where I enjoyed a delicious cup of hot chocolate. The good stuff. Not Swiss Miss.



The employees there were all dressed in period appropriate garb, and spoke as if it were the 18th century. No knowledge of anything from our current time period.



The Governor's Palace was at the top of my list; I captured it at sunset shortly after my arrival:



...and took a tour the next day.



By no means opulent like one might expect, it is still tasteful and classy!



I am not really much of a tour person; I prefer to stroll through areas at my own pace without questions from other tourists. What makes Williamsburg special are the craftsman that work throughout the area, practicing the trades that were mastered during this time period.















And even just seeing the "characters" that inhabited the streets. It was like stepping back in time. Until you saw a slob of a tourist trampling by. Kind of like Christopher Reeve looking at that modern day penny (some of you might get that reference).





Naturally I was drawn to the cemeteries. Love those handcrafted headstones that show the ravages of time.



Here's proof that Coke kills:



Overall I had a wonderful time in Colonial Williamsburg. Would I go back? Definitely. Does it need to be anytime soon? Probably not. Two days was plenty to tour and absorb the 18th Century, as it was envisioned during its 1930's restoration.

More Colonial Williamsburg photos at my main website.

Going to William and Mary

As a young lad, I ate up history like a bowl of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. After my first visit to Williamsburg at the age of 7, I knew I wanted to go to William and Mary. Alas, life had other plans for me. By the time I had reached the age of high school, my grades fell a bit short and my interests had also shifted, and I ended up attending Indiana University. No regrets. But who says you can never go back? At the age of 53, I returned to the campus of William and Mary for a visit. Founded on February 8, 1693, I was greeted by the statue of Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt. He was the Governor of the Colony of Virginia, 1768-1770 and a respected Friend of the Students and Faculty of the College. Gordon S. Kray, Class of 1978, is the sculptor. His statue is a re-creation of the original marble by Richard Hayward (1728-1800) that stood here in front of the historic Wren Building from 1801-1958 (now in the Botetourt Gallery of the Earl Gregg Swem Library) and was given to the College of William and Mary by thoughtful alumni on the occasion of the 300th anniversary October 23, 1993.



A closeup of the top of the Wren Building:



I was delighted to be able to go inside...especially without having to attend classes!



I am a staircase nut; they can give such interesting perspectives for a photographer.



The back side of the Wren Building:



Tucker Hall:



A statue of President James Monroe:



One last shot of the Wren Building:



I sometimes wonder where I would be today if I had attended this historic College. Would I have ended up working in Colonial Williamsburg? Maybe I would have opened that Ice Cream Shoppe that I planned to open. Oh the ideas we have when young!

More William and Mary photos at my main website.

Dinner in Williamsburg

I stayed in Colonial Williamsburg for two nights, so was able to dine twice on Duke of Gloucester Street, aka the main drag of the historic area. My first evening I chose Chowning's Tavern, which is a 1941 reconstruction of what historians believed to have been here during the 18th Century.



Touted as a less stuffy establishment where reservations are not needed, the interior is colonial also quite informal. A bowl of peanuts greets each diner once they are seated.



Real candlelight versus a faux electric one was a nice touch.



While the lock on the door looks old, I had to remind myself that this building's true history is 1941.



My second night began with cocktails on the back terrace of the Williamsburg Inn.



My friend Harriet who had moved from San Diego to Virginia Beach was able to join me for dinner. What a wonderful surprise!



For my last night in town, I chose King's Arm Tavern, where I had dined back in 1971 and fell in love with their Cream of Peanut Soup. The original restaurant opened in 1772, while the reconstruction where we dined was built in 1949.



The interior was more formal than Chowning's, and a reservation was definitely required here, as the snooty girl in front reminded me. Once we passed her reception area on the porch, all was well.



I repeated history by starting with the Cream of Peanut Soup. Just as good as I remembered.



A tasty Pork Chop followed.



And naturally dessert was required. A slice of Chocolate Pie with Peppermint Stick Ice Cream.



We both had a wonderful time there. I look forward to returning one day!



More Colonial Williamsburg at my main website.