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VA |
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| County |
James City |
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| Population |
11,998 |
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| Location |
Peninsula |
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Colonial Willamsburg, VAColonial Williamsburg, established in 1654, is a historic town in southeastern Virginia, located on a tidewater peninsula between the estuaries of the James and York Rivers. Though administratively independent of it, colonial Williamsburg serves as the seat of James City county.
History of Colonial Williamsburg, VA
Known as Middle Plantation to its first British settlers in 1633, the town stood within a 6-mile (10-km) stockade built to fend off attacks from the native Powhatan Indians. Following the burning of nearby Jamestown in 1699, it became the capital of Virginia and was renamed to honour King William III .
In the decades preceding American independence, Williamsburg became the political, social, and cultural centre of the British colony in America. It was home to the state's first theatre (1716), first successful printing press (1730), first newspaper (1736), and first paper mill (1744). Patrick Henry gave his historic address against the Stamp Act here, in 1765, and on May 15, 1776, the Virginia Convention passed resolutions urging American independence from Britain. Ironically, the city declined in political importance following independence, when the VA state government was moved to Richmond in 1780. During the Civil War, Williamsburg was held by Union forces from 1862, when they defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Williamsburg.
Colonial Williamsburg, VA, as we know it today, is a restoration of a section of the earlier colonial town. The work of restoring colonial Williamsburg was started in 1926, when Reverend William A.R. Goodwin, rector of Williamsburg's Bruton Parish Church, formulated the idea and convinced philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. , to sponsor it. Colonial Williamsburg's historic district has since been expanded and is now about a mile by a half-mile. Over 500 buildings have been restored or reconstructed. The interior of exhibit buildings such as the old Capitol, Governor's Palace and Gardens, and Raleigh Tavern are decorated as they were in the 1700s. The entire area of colonial Williamsburg, VA has been carefully landscaped to match drawings and descriptions of its appearanc in colonial times, and costumed hosts, craftsmen and soldiers bring the history of colonial Williamsburg to life.
Economy and Higher Education
The College of William and Mary, the second oldest school of higher learning in the country (second only to Harvard University), was founded in colonial Williamsburg, VA in 1693.
Today, colonial Williamsburg 's economy depends mainly on services to the Eastern State Hospital (founded in 1773), the College of William and Mary, and tourism.
Location of Colonial Williamsburg, VA
Colonial Williamsburg is located in the beautiful, pastoral countryside of VA, 27 miles (43 km) northwest of the major city of Newport News.
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