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.

Traveling Thursdays: Vintage Williamsburg, Pt. 2

Flashing forward to the 1960's, today's Williamsburg images are from July 1963. It appears that our photographer might have been staying at the Williamsburg Inn. Built in 1937 by John D. Rockefeller Jr., its purpose was to provide the region with a world-class, European-style hotel that provided "only the finest" for its guests.

Another option is the Williamsburg Lodge, opened by Colonial Williamsburg in 1939 to provide comfortable accommodations for travelers to the Historic Area. As the sign states, "Rooms and meals at moderate prices."



By the looks of her stance, it seems this poor woman missed the last carriage back to the hotel.



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



Fun in 1963; not so fun in 1763.



Closing up today's post with two more Governor's Palace shots:



What...no fast pass?



Happy Thanksgiving dear readers - I hope you have an abundance of blessings to be thankful for this year!

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

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.