Successful saddler Alexander Craig acquired this house in 1755. He lived in the left portion and operated his business on the right until his death in 1776. — — Map (db m227152) HM
Emigrant printer Purdie bought this house in 1767. He launched the Virginia Gazette in 1774. One of three local newspapers of the same name. — — Map (db m227155) HM
Richard Bland, student in 1725, the first to announce in a formal pamphlet that England and the American colonies were co-ordinate kingdoms under a common crown, 1764.
Dabney Carr, student in 1762, patron of the resolutions in 1775 . . . — — Map (db m66922) HM
Art Matsu, renowned football player, was the first Asian American student to graduate from William & Mary. A four-year starter at quarterback (1923–1926), he earned a national reputation while guiding William & Mary’s powerful offense. As team . . . — — Map (db m238116) HM
As the May 5, 1862, Battle of Williamsburg raged along the Bloody Ravine and in front of Fort Magruder, the Union commander sought to turn the flank of the Confederate defenses. Gen. Joseph Hooker was convinced that the right flank was unoccupied . . . — — Map (db m77991) HM
A critical part of the Battle of Williamsburg took place here on May 5, 1862. Union troops occupied the ridge to your right across present-day U.S. Route 60. The Confederate line of redoubts stood to your left on the ridge to the west. Felled timber . . . — — Map (db m164872) HM
(Preface) In April 1862, Union forces under Gen. George B. McClellan began a major campaign to capture Richmond, marching west from Fort Monroe up the Peninsula between the York and James Rivers toward the Confederate capital. A . . . — — Map (db m184908) HM
Lawyer Benjamin Waller acquired this property about 1746. It remained in his family for over 130 years. Waller held a variety of posts including Burgess, Clerk of the General Court, and Vestry of Bruton Parish. — — Map (db m227763) HM
Lawyer Benjamin was George Wythes law teacher. Waller likely used this building as his law office and as a clerk’s office for his many government positions. — — Map (db m227802) HM
By Avard T. Fairbanks, Ph. D. (1897-1987)
Created for the nation's bicentennial in 1976, this striking likeness has won national acclaim for portraying the spirit and indomitable will of the "Father of Our Country"
The first bronze . . . — — Map (db m190388) HM WM
In 1770, Mary Davis advertised lodgings for ladies and gentlemen, noting “Any ladies that may choose to spend a few weeks, whether for pleasure or education, may do it here both reasonably and conveniently.” — — Map (db m227037) HM
William Bryan and his heirs owned this property from the 1700s until 1818. After early residential use the building, served. as a grocery store and a school. — — Map (db m227734) HM
Mrs. Blaikley lived here from 1736-1771. Her obituary called her An eminent midwife…Who … brought upwards of three thousand children into the world.” — — Map (db m227159) HM
Acquired in 1769 by wigmaker Edward Charlton and his wife, Milliner Jane Hunter Charlton. Edward Charlton’s clients included Thomas Jefferson, George Wythe, Payton Randolph, and Patrick Henry. — — Map (db m227033) HM
Constructed as a store and residence in 1750, the building was converted into a coffeehouse and operated by Richard Charlton in the mid 1760s. In October 1765, the coffeehouse was the scene of resistance to the British Parliament's Stamp Act. — — Map (db m60299) HM
Mrs. Campbell opened her well resorted tavern in 1771, offering “Genteel accommodations, and the very best entertainment.” George Washington frequently dined and lodged here in the 1770s. — — Map (db m227774) HM
On this site in September 1775 Colonel Patrick Henry established camp grounds for Virginia troops who were to rendezvous and train at Williamsburg. Several Virginia regiments left here in 1776 and 1777 to join General George Washington’s army in the . . . — — Map (db m18179) HM
John Curtis IV built a rental property here in 1717. His daughter-in-law, Martha Curtis, and her second husband George Washington, managed it from 1759 to 1778. — — Map (db m226951) HM
Tailor David Morton operated a tailor shop here beginning in 1776. In June of that year he advertised that “journeymen tailors will meet with good encouragement by applying to David Morton.” — — Map (db m227753) HM
When Virginia seceded on April 17, 1861, Union and Confederate leaders alike saw the Peninsula as an avenue of attack against Richmond. Federal ships on the James and York rivers could guard an army’s flanks and escort supply vessels upstream. Fort . . . — — Map (db m77989) HM
John Burkett kept a tavern here “at the sign of Edinburgh Castle.” His daughter, later Christina Campbell, was also a well-known tavernkeeper. — — Map (db m227740) HM
On May 7, 1801, J. S. Watson, a student at William and Mary, wrote a letter detailing attempts at flying hot air balloons on the Court House Green. The third balloon, decorated with sixteen stars, one for each of the existing states, and fueled with . . . — — Map (db m16852) HM
This church, home to one of the oldest continuous congregations organized by African Americans, traces its origins to brush arbor meetings held by 1776 at a nearby plantation. The congregation moved to a Williamsburg carriage house and in 1856 . . . — — Map (db m167815) HM
This large redoubt was the center of a defensive line crossing the Peninsula. These earthworks, constructed by the command of General John B. Magruder, were a part of the system of fortifications designed to protect Richmond. Here on May 5, 1862. . . . — — Map (db m10572) HM
Here lie the remains of those members
of the
Galt Family
Who died between 1773 and 1866,
during which time five generations
served with great dedication and
skill as Chief Medical and Custodial
Officers the Institution . . . — — Map (db m226475) HM
After attorney George Davenport’s death in 1766, his widow, Catherine, took in lodgers until her death in 1771. The family owned the house until 1779, renting it to upholster Joseph Kidd just before the revolution. — — Map (db m227786) HM
Merchant Jackson purchased this property about 1773, likely living in the left side and using the right as a store. He sold a wide array of goods, including stockings, gloves, hats, knives, shoes, buckles, china and glass. — — Map (db m227750) HM
Apothecary and surgeon George Pitt inherited this property in 1757. He operated an apothecary shop, “The Sign of the Rhinoceros,” here until the mid-1770s. — — Map (db m227668) HM
This mid-eighteenth century building was the home of George Wythe, tutor and friend of Jefferson. Wythe was the first professor of law at an American college, and first Virginian signer of the Declaration of Independence. Washington used the house . . . — — Map (db m60248) HM
Gowan Pamphlet, ordained Baptist preacher, led clandestine religious gatherings of enslaved and free African Americans by the late 1770s. To avoid patrollers, they met in wooded areas outside Williamsburg. An enslaved worker at the Kings Arms Tavern . . . — — Map (db m189142) HM
In the eighteenth century, nearly all Virginians lived on rural farmsteads. When people traveled to Williamsburg, the journey took them past many such small plantations. Those they met along the way-whites of modest means, free blacks, and . . . — — Map (db m189455) HM
When Richard Brewster, gentleman, patented some 500 acres in this area on February 6, 1637 it was described as "the great Neck alias the barren neck". Cleared land then, the forest has since grown back. — — Map (db m25816) HM
Merchant John Greenhow acquired this building before 1782. An 1801 document identifies it as a tenement, or rental property. Little is known about its occupants. — — Map (db m227655) HM
John Curtis IV built a rental property here about 1717. Hartwell Perry purchased the building after the Revolution and used it as a tavern from 1782 to 1800. — — Map (db m226749) HM
William Holt kept a general store here from 1760 to 1770. Later occupants included Milliner Mary Dickinson and merchant John Lewis. — — Map (db m227661) HM
Built about 1772, this building was occupied by grocer M. Dubois until the late 1770s. He sold a variety of goods, including coffee, sugar, and scotch snuff. — — Map (db m227660) HM
Here are inscribed the names of those soldiers of France who died within these walls and in other hospitals of Williamsburg of wounds received during the Siege of Yorktown
Regiment d’Agenois
Aimont, Jean Francois • Allard. Andre • . . . — — Map (db m66932) HM WM
Using funds from the estate of British scientist Robert Boyle, the College of William & Mary established a school to educate young Indian men in 1697, just four years after the college’s founding. To encourage enrollment, in 1711 Lt. Gov. Alexander . . . — — Map (db m18164) HM
Militiaman Isham Goddin purchased this shop for £200 in 1778. He sold it in 1783 for £90, indicating the effects of wartime inflation and the collapse of property values after the capital moved to Richmond in 1780. — — Map (db m227766) HM
James Anderson, Blacksmith and Public Armourer, conducted his business on this site between 1770 and 1798. During the Revolutionary War, the Armoury employed as many as forty workmen -- blacksmiths, gunsmiths, tinsmiths, nailers, and gunstockers -- . . . — — Map (db m60415) HM
John Blair held a number of political positions between 1728 and 1771. His house is among the oldest in town. The right section dates 1720-1723; The left was added in 1737. — — Map (db m226932) HM
Built in 1765 by merchant John Carter and his brothers, the right half of the building operated as a general store for nearly 30 years. — — Map (db m227260) HM
Owned by John and Rebecca Shields Coke in 1806, this building was termed John Coke’s Office in 1809. The nature of Coke’s business is unknown. — — Map (db m227153) HM
Built about 1719, this building housed a number of taverns over the century. It was purchased in 1789 by jailer John Crump, who continued the tradition. — — Map (db m227254) HM
Highly successful tavern keeper Jane Vobe began operating here in 1772. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Nelson and other Revolutionary leaders were among her clients. — — Map (db m227029) HM
In the second quarter of the 17th-century, merchant George Menefie developed a 1,200-acre plantation just east of here he called Littletown. In March 1633, Dutch trader David DeVies observed that his two-acre garden was "full of Provence roses, . . . — — Map (db m9505) HM
Politician Phillip Ludwell III built this house in 1753.
Virginia’s first female printer, Clementina Rind, lived and published a newspaper here from 1766 to 1764. — — Map (db m227656) HM
Beginning about 1770, English milliner Margaret Hunter made hats and cloaks, mounted fans, and sold various clothing accessories here. — — Map (db m229968) HM
In 1706, Mary Whaley founded the "Mattey Free School" in memory of her son, Matthew, who died at age 9. In 1741, she left an endowment to educate the children of Williamsburg. In 1870, the College of William and Mary used these funds to build a lab . . . — — Map (db m189484) HM
Methodism entered Williamsburg when Joseph Pilmor, a "missionary" sent by Wesley, preached in the yard of the Capitol in August 1772. The new faith made only slow progress in the heavily Church of England/Episcopal town. On his first visit in 1781, . . . — — Map (db m167816) HM
The mound of earth in front of you was probably part of the dam for William Parks' paper mill. His mill was the first in Virginia for making paper and operated six years or more beginning 1744. Parks established the first permanent press in Virginia . . . — — Map (db m25813) HM
The Friends of African American History herald the achievements of local African Americans who owned and operated businesses in this triangle block prior to it coming under the jurisdiction of the Williamsburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority, . . . — — Map (db m189145)
Tailor and merchant Robert Nicholson ran his business here. He supplied uniforms to the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. — — Map (db m227258) HM
Respected Friend of the Students and Faculty of the College
Gordon S. Kray '73, Sculptor
This statue, a re-creation of the original marble by Richard Hayward (1728-1800) that stood here from 1801 until 1958, was given to the College of . . . — — Map (db m209351) HM
Orlando Jones, grandfather of the future Martha Washington, owned this house until 1719. Little is known of its use after that. — — Map (db m226944) HM
Built about 1755 by lawyer John Palmer, this house closely resembles contemporary dwellings in major English cities such as London and Bristol. — — Map (db m227727) HM
William Pasteur and John Minson Galt traveled to England to study medicine before returning to Williamsburg to practice. They were partners in this apothecary shop from 1775 to 1778. In addition to dispensing drugs, they provided surgical, midwifery . . . — — Map (db m60297) HM
For more than fifty years this was the home of Peyton Randolph (1721-1775), who served the Colony of Virginia in many of its highest governmental offices and became the first president of the Continental Congress. His father, Sir John Randolph, the . . . — — Map (db m60247) HM
Printers John Dixon and William Hunter published the original Virginia Gazette, did printing work, and sold stationery and books here during the Revolution. — — Map (db m227665) HM
Peter Powell lived and worked in this rental property starting in 1755, when he advertised that he would “carry on the business of a wheel wright and chair-maker near the Capitol.” — — Map (db m227781) HM
This was the house of successful merchant William Prentis and his wife, Mary Brooke Prentis. Their business, Prentis Store, stands a block to the west. — — Map (db m227748) HM
Merchant William Prentis oversaw construction of this store in 1740. His family managed the business until 1779. This is the oldest commercial building in town. — — Map (db m227657) HM
After receiving permission from the county court, a small group of Presbyterians began worshipping here in 1765. Besides Bruton Parish Church, this meetinghouse was the only authorized place of worship in Williamsburg before the American Revolution. . . . — — Map (db m79237) HM
This site was used from 1699 when Governor Nicholson designated it as one of two ports for Williamsburg, the colonial capital of Virginia.
This port was used primarily for the export of tobacco, the basis of Virginia's economy, and also as a . . . — — Map (db m76543) HM
Chartered February 8, 1693, by King William and Queen Mary. Main buildings designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
First college in the United States in its antecedents, which go back to the college proposed at Henrico (1619). Second to Harvard . . . — — Map (db m66923) HM
On the other side of the parapet is Quarterpath Road, a historic roadbed that for centuries linked Williamsburg to Allen’s Wharf on the James River. It runs behind the Confederate fortifications here, gaining additional importance during the Battle . . . — — Map (db m184202) HM
Because Lt. Col. Benjamin S. Ewell had made little progress on the Williamsburg defenses by late June 1861, Gen. John B. Magruder, commanding the Army of the Peninsula, replaced him with Gen. Lafayette McLaws. Capt. Alfred L. Rives, acting chief of . . . — — Map (db m171658) HM
This is Redoubt 2 in the Confederate defensive line across the Peninsula at Williamsburg. Like the other fortifications in the line, Redoubt 2 included platforms for cannons and a magazine within the parapet walls. A ditch surrounded the redoubt. . . . — — Map (db m184146) HM
Tailor and Merchant Robert Nicolson built this house circa 1751 and lived here until his death in 1797. He ran a successful store on Duke of Gloucester Street, supplying uniforms to the Continental Army during the Revolution. — — Map (db m227749) HM
Merchant Roscow Cole built this brick house by 1812. He sold a general assortment of dry goods, hardware, groceries, paints and clothing from an adjoining wooden store until the 1830s. — — Map (db m227747) HM
Built about 1745, this house was purchased in 1774 by William Russell, Clerk of the Virginia Court of Admiralty and the Williamsburg District Court. — — Map (db m227686) HM
The Associates of Dr. Bray, a London-based charity, founded a school for enslaved and free black children here in 1760. Located in Williamsburg at the suggestion of Benjamin Franklin, a member of the Associates, the school received support from the . . . — — Map (db m150349) HM
Merchant Joseph Scrivener bought this house in 1762. He lived here and operated a grocery type business until his death in 1772. — — Map (db m227677) HM
French Huguenot emigrant Jean Marot kept a tavern here, 1708-1717. His daughter, Anne, and her husband, James Fields, followed suit in the 1740s. — — Map (db m227736) HM
This first building at the College of William and Mary is the oldest college building in the United States. According to an 18th-century author, it was "first modeled by Sir Christopher Wren, adapted to the Nature of the Country by the Gentlemen . . . — — Map (db m79288) HM
In the last quarter of the eighteenth century, two black preachers, first Moses, then Gowan Pamphlet, began holding religious services out of doors for free blacks and slaves in the Williamsburg area. Although identified as an organized Baptist . . . — — Map (db m55352) HM
William Levingston, merchant of New Kent County, built the first theatre in English America on this site c. 1716. For three decades companies of actors entertained audiences at the "Play House" with latest successes from the London Stage. In 1745 . . . — — Map (db m60249) HM
Merchant James Tarpley built this store about 1759. He advertised a wide array of imported goods, including textiles, hats, china, cutlery, and jewelry. — — Map (db m227031) HM
The Battle of Williamsburg, fought on 5 May 1862, was the first major engagement of the Peninsula Campaign. Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, slowly advancing from Hampton Roads toward Richmond, encountered the rear guard of Confederate Gen. . . . — — Map (db m166339) HM
A 1770 property settlement called this structure…”The Blue Bell, a large house just behind the Capitol.” Long used as a rental, it variously served as a tavern, lodging house, and gunsmith’s shop. — — Map (db m227779) HM
The historic site was the seat of Virginia's colonial government for 75 years. Here in May, 1765, Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act and on May 15, 1776, a Virginia Convention unanimously proposed that the Continental Congress "declare the United . . . — — Map (db m60412) HM
Their Majesties King William & Queen Mary on February the eight, sixteen hundred and ninety-three, granted a charter establishing the College of William and Mary in Virginia “to the end that Church of Virginia may be furnished with a seminary . . . — — Map (db m66929) HM
A charter was granted by King William and Queen Mary in 1693, by fostering “good arts and sciences,” and by educating the youth in “good letters and manners,” the College has maintained its original mission as “a place . . . — — Map (db m18165) HM
The historic First Baptist Church of Williamsburg dates its origin back to early colonial days. Blacks were privileged to worship at Bruton Parish Church, but they were not fully included in the worship service. The Blacks built a brush arbor on . . . — — Map (db m167813) HM
Opened in 1765 by London jeweler and silversmith James Craig, the “Golden Ball” was universally recognized as the sign of a jeweler. — — Map (db m227682) HM
The Governor's Palace was the home of five Royal Lieutenant-Governors, two Royal Governors, and the first two Governors of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. An act by Virginia's General Assembly in 1706 authorized the . . . — — Map (db m60245) HM
Erected in 1715, the Magazine was colonial Virginia’s storehouse for guns, ammunition, and military supplies. The action of British Governor Dunmore on the night of April 20-21, 1775, in removing gunpowder belonging to the Colony, touched off the . . . — — Map (db m61632) HM
Here Patrick Henry first kindled the flames of revolution by his resolutions and speech against the Stamp Act May 29-30, 1765.
Here, March 12, 1773, Dabney Carr offered and the convention of Virginia unanimously adopted the resolutions to . . . — — Map (db m59791) HM
For protection against the Indians, the settlers built a log palisade across the narrows of the peninsula between the York and James rivers. This was about 1633. Middle Plantation (later Williamsburg) began as a settlement along this . . . — — Map (db m25817) HM
This was Virginia's chief prison which housed debtors and criminals and served as the jail for the General Court in the nearby Capitol. Here Blackbeard's pirates, captured in 1718, were confined until the day of their hanging. Leg irons, an exercise . . . — — Map (db m79241) HM
In 1773, when Williamsburg's Public Hospital opened, it was the first facility in America dedicated solely to the care and treatment of the insane. The original building burned in 1885. Reconstructed by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1985, . . . — — Map (db m61309) HM
During Public Times Virginia leaders often met at the Raleigh, Williamsburg's most popular inn. Here in 1769 a group of burgesses adopted the proposal of George Mason for a boycott of British goods. Five years later Burgesses again met in the Apollo . . . — — Map (db m60296) HM
In 1768, barber and wig-maker Walter Lenox moved “Red Lion” where he “Carries on his business… and … has good accommodations for private lodgers.” — — Map (db m227726) HM
Officials decided to build the Secretary's Office in which to protect the public papers of the Virginia colony after a fire destroyed the first Capitol in 1747. Completed in 1748, the building was designed to be fireproof. This building also . . . — — Map (db m60300) HM
Generals Washington and Rochambeau and their staffs arrived in Williamsburg on September 14, 1781. Here they gathered their troops and supplies prior to laying siege to Cornwallis at Yorktown 12 miles away on September 28, 1781.
The . . . — — Map (db m10123) HM
This original eighteenth-century building, expanded to its present size after 1751, housed one of the best known taverns in Williamsburg. It bears the name of its builder and first owner, Henry Wetherburn, who previously operated the Raleigh Tavern . . . — — Map (db m60414) HM
Col. William Finnie acquired this house in the 1770s. He was the officer in charge of supplies for the Southern Department of the Continental Army during the Revolution, and Mayor of Williamsburg from 1783-1784. — — Map (db m227964) HM
