Well, we arrived to our next
destination after just a 93 mile drive on Sunday June 12. It's located in Williamsburg, Virginia, where we planned to stay for just 5 nights. We're scheduled to leave Friday. This park is the Williamsburg RV Park and Campground. Very wooded, sites were fairly well-spaced. The office building is also the clubhouse, pool area, etc. Adjacent to that building is the miniature golf course. Appeared to be a great place for kids. Although we didn't take advantage of any of those things--we were too busy--we enjoyed the park. As we pulled into our site we met neighbors Eric and
Deb from Ft. Meyers, Florida who are traveling to Indiana to have their bedroom
slide fixed on their Newmark motorhome. Hmm, sounds like problems other friends
have had, eh, Bob and Sharon…
We decided to take it
easy on Monday, get our bearings and decide how we wanted to spend the next few
days here. We knew we wanted to see Williamsburg, and also decided on Jamestown
and Yorktown. Boy, are we glad we did! Tuesday was the day for Williamsburg.
Williamsburg
Our first stop in Colonial Williamsburg was the visitor center.
After the English
colonists arrived in Jamestown in 1607, the area that we now know as
Williamsburg became a settlement known as Middle Plantation, which was founded later in 1632 . (It
was a built as a defensive palisade against the native Powhatan tribes that had
previously inhabited the area, and who had caused massive killing and
destruction in Jamestown in 1622. More on that later.)
Williamsburg
became the temporary capital of Virginia Colony after Jamestown burned in 1676.
Located just 12 miles away, members of the House of Burgesses felt that the new
location was both safer and more pleasant environmentally than Jamestown, which was
humid and plagued with mosquitoes. (The salt marshes along Jamestown Island
provided ample wetlands for a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Ugh!) It served
as the capital of Virginia Colony from 1699 to 1780, and became the
center of political events in Virginia leading to the American Revolution.
The
College of William & Mary was founded in 1693 in Williamsburg, by Reverend
James Blair, named in honor of monarchs of the time. We ran out of time, so didn’t
have an opportunity to visit the campus, but it is beautiful.
In
1698, the rebuilt Statehouse in Jamestown accidentally burned, again, so the temporary capital of
Middle Plantation became permanent. Middle Plantation was then renamed
Williamsburg in honor of King William III of England.
The
first purpose-built psychiatric hospital in the U.S. was built here in the
1700s, called the Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds,
established by the Virginia colonial legislature to make “provision for the support and maintenance of ideots, lunaticks, and
other persons of unsound minds.” (I think I know a few folks who would fit
right in…) It was capable of housing 24 patients, and included yards for
patients to walk and take the “air in,” as well as a fence to keep the patients
out of the nearby town.
In
April 1775 the “Gunpowder Incident” took place. It was a dispute between
Governor Dunmore and Virginia colonists over gunpowder stored in the
Williamsburg Magazine. Dunmore, fearing rebellion, ordered his royal marines to
seize the gunpowder and hide it. Patrick Henry led the Virginia militia to face
Dunmore, who threatened to destroy Williamsburg if it was attacked. Patrick
Henry demanded the gunpowder be returned. A standoff ensued and the dispute was
resolved when payment for the powder was agreed upon. This encounter was acted
out on the Palace Green, in front of the Governor’s Palace. Here are a few
photos.
The
Revolutionary War broke out in 1776, following the colonies’ declaration of
independence from Britain, and the capital of Virginia was moved again, in
1780, this time to Richmond. Then Governor Thomas Jefferson thought its
location in Williamsburg was vulnerable to British attack, so it was moved but
Williamsburg still retained its status as a venue for many important
conventions, and the College of William & Mary continued to grow, as did
the mental hospital. (By the way, we did not take in the hospital either. Ha!
Had we taken every tour and visited every site, we would’ve needed a week+ just in Williamsburg.
We just didn’t have enough time.)
Years
passed, and by the 20th century Williamsburg still remained a sleepy
little town. Even though new structures were interspersed with the old
colonial-era buildings, the town remained complacent. (For example, on June 26, 1912 an editorial was run in the
Richmond Times-Dispatch that “Tuesday
was election day in Williamsburg, but nobody remembered it. The clerk forgot to
wake the electoral board, the electoral board could not arouse itself long
enough to have the ballots printed, the candidates forgot they were running,
the voters forgot they were alive.”)
Thankfully
the dream of one Episcopal priest was to change and expand the future of
Williamsburg, turning it into a “living museum.” One of the largest historic
restorations ever undertaken in the U.S. was championed by Reverend W.A.R. Goodwin
of Williamsburg’s Bruton Parish Church. He did manage to save his historic
church by 1907, in time for the 300th anniversary of the founding of
the Episcopal Church in Virginia. By 1923 the colonial-era buildings were
deteriorating; their survival was at stake.
Goodwin
procured support and financing from John D. Rockefeller, Jr; Colonial
Williamsburg was created. Its mission: to celebrate the patriots and early
history of America. Today, based on attendance, Colonial Williamsburg has
become America’s oldest and largest live interactive history experience. It
covers 301 acres, and shares the experiences of colonial life: candle-making
and gardening, basket-making and cooperage, weaving, blacksmithing,
cabinet-making and that of the apothecary.
We
share some photos of establishments in the main historic era, and along the
Duke of Gloucester Street. We tried to have lunch at one of the taverns along
that street, but the wait was just too long: 45 minutes to an hour+. (I should
point out that the reason the Duke of Gloucester Street is so wide is because a
railroad line ran through the town at one point. At one point it even ran
through the destroyed Capitol building before it was restored.)
Near
the end of our visit to Colonial Williamsburg on Tuesday, we took in a tour of
the historic Capitol building. So very cool to see the very rooms where much of
our legislative history began.
Since
we couldn’t get in for lunch at any of the taverns, we decided to eat at Peter
Chang’s award-winning Chinese Restaurant on Richmond Road, outside of the historical
area of Williamsburg. Dick had sesame chicken and I had Kung Pao chicken, all
preceded by egg rolls and Wonton soup. Yum-yum! Did I say, Yummy? There was
enough left over to take home for another meal!
From
there we headed back to our camper to rest up and recoup for our day in
Jamestown on Wednesday.
Jamestown
Here again our first stop was to the visitor center. Now, for a bit of history.
Jamestown is the site
of America’s first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It’s where the
British Empire began.
In late 1606, 3 ships
with English entrepreneurs set sail from London to establish a new colony in
the New World. They made landfall in the new world on April 26, 1607 after a
short stop in Puerto Rico.
By May 4, 1607 the land
was established as “James Fort” by the Virginia Company of London, and served
as the capital of the colony for 83 years, from 1616 to 1699 when it was moved
to Williamsburg. At that point Jamestown ceased to be a settlement, and has since
become just an archeological site under cooperation between the Colonial
National Historical Park and Preservation Virginia. (Nearby Jamestown
Settlement, which we did not visit, is a living interpretive site operated by
the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation.)
Initially, the
colonists were welcomed by the local Virginian natives, the Paspahegh Indian
tribe, part of the Powhatan Confederacy of around 14,000 natives, ruled by
their paramount chief known as “Chief Powhatan.” At first the Indians welcomed
the colonists with dancing, feasting and tobacco ceremonies. They provided
crucial provisions and support for survival, but the colonists (all men and
boys, no women) were “not agriculturally inclined” since many in the group were
gentlemen and not used to physical labor. And, actually, they had never planned
to grow their own food. Within 3 years relations between the colonists and
Indians went south, leading to the total annihilation of that Indian tribe.
In 1608 the Virginia
Company brought 8 Polish and German colonists to Jamestown, some of whom built
a small glass factory. This was when the first 2 European women arrived to the
settlement.
Two-thirds of the
settlers died before arriving ships brought life-saving supplies and more
settlers from Germany, Poland and Slovak countries in 1608. Despite the arrival
of the supply missions, that also added to the number of starving settlers, it
appeared that without major relief Jamestown would cease to exist. To add to
this dire existence, investors of the Virginia Company of London, who had
expected reap rewards from their speculative investments, made demands on the
leaders of Jamestown. They specifically demanded the colonists send commodities
sufficient to pay the cost of the voyage. Captain John Smith, at that time the
3rd president of the Council at Jamestown, delivered a bold and much
needed wake-up call to the Virginia Company, that in order to make the colony
more self-sufficient, practical laborers and craftsmen were needed.
On June 2, 1609 a third
fleet of 7 ships set sail for Jamestown. Although most of the ships made it to
Jamestown, a hurricane-like storm separated the fleet. The flagship, carrying
most of the supplies, was deliberately driven into the reefs of Bermuda by her
captain in order to prevent her destruction. All aboard landed safely, but they
were stranded on Bermuda for about 9 months. The Jamestown colony was in worse
shape than ever, facing rampant starvation. This is what is known as the
“starving time” from 1609 to 1610; all but 60 of the 214 colonists perished due
to disease and starvation, including 1 of the women. There is scientific evidence that the
settlers at Jamestown had reverted to cannibalism during this time. Some of the
survivors had even deserted to the Indians.
On May 23, 1610 the
ships from Bermuda arrived. By this time many of the surviving colonists were near
death and Jamestown was judged not to be viable. Everyone was boarded onto 2 of
the ships, which then set sail for England. However, on June 10, 1610 these 2
ships were met by another relief fleet as they descended the James River into
Chesapeake Bay. This, granted Jamestown a reprieve, and has been called The Day of Providence. These ships
brought supplies, but also additional settlers. There was still a critical
shortage of food.
Relations with the
Indians was still not good, leading to conflict. It wasn’t until after the Jamestown
leaders captured Chief Powhatan’s daughter Matoaka, better known as Pocahontas,
that the chief accepted a peace treaty.
Among the colonists who
survived the third fleet of supplies was John Rolfe. He brought with him a
cache of untested tobacco seeds from Bermuda, which had grown wild there after
being planted by shipwrecked Spaniards years before. By 1614 he had begun to
harvest tobacco successfully. Prosperous and wealthy, he married Pocahontas,
bringing several years of peace between the colonists and natives. While accompanying
her husband on a public relations trip to England in 1617, sadly, Pocahontas
died on March 21. The following year her father Powhatan died. The Powhatan
Confederacy was turned over to his brother, a fierce and stubborn warrior named
Opchanacanough.
The high cost of the
trans-Atlantic voyage caused many English settlers who came to Jamestown to
become indentured servants in exchange for the passage, room, board, and the
promise of land or money, agreeing to work for 3 to 7 years. Some of the
immigrants were called redemptioners, purchasing a portion of their voyage on
credit and, upon arrival to Jamestown, borrowed or entered into a work contract
to pay the remainder of their voyage costs. The first documented Africans came
to Jamestown in 1619, and included about 50 men, women and children. They came
aboard a Portuguese slave ship that had been captured in the West Indies and
brought to the Jamestown region, and worked as indentured servants.
In 1619, the first
representative assembly in America, convening at the Jamestown Church,
established one equal and uniform government over all of Virginia. It would
provide “just laws for the happy guiding
and governing of the people there inhabiting.” The assembly became known as
the House of Burgesses, subsequently becoming the Virginia General Assembly. At
first only men of English original were permitted to vote, but after protesting
and refusing to work, the vote was open to others on July 21, 1619, thus ending
the first labor strike in American history.
The new chief of the
Powhatan Confederacy, Chief Opchanacanough, attempted to eliminate the English
colony once and for all. On the morning of March 22, 1622 they attacked
outlying plantations and communities up and down the James River, in what would
become known as the “Indian Massacre of 1622.” Over 200 settlers were killed,
or about 1/3 of the English-speaking population. Jamestown was spared by a
timely warning from a Virginia Indian employee. It’s interesting to note that
of the 6,000 people who came to Jamestown between 1608 and 1624, only 3,400
survived.
In 1624 Virginia became
a royal colony, thanks to King James revoking the Virginia Company’s charter.
Another Indian attack
occurred in 1644, under the leadership of Chief Opchanacanough. He was captured
in 1646, and while in custody, an English guard shot him in the back (against
orders) and killed him. The Powhatan Confederacy began to decline.
Opechancanough’s successor then signed the first peace treaties between
Powhatan Indians and the English, requiring the Powhatan to pay yearly tribute
payments to the English and be confined to reservations.
Jamestown burned in
1676, eventually to be rebuilt. It was during this time that the Virginia
legislature moved the legislature to Middle Plantation. When the Jamestown
statehouse burned again in 1698 the legislature again temporarily relocated to
Middle Plantation. Rather than rebuilding at Jamestown again, the capital of
the colony was moved permanently to Middle Plantation in 1699. Middle
Plantation was soon renamed Williamsburg.
The permanent move to
Williamsburg caused the old town of Jamestown to slowly disappear. Those who
continued to live in the general area attended services at Jamestown’s church
until the 1750s when it was abandoned.
During the Civil War,
in 1861, Jamestown was occupied by Confederate troops, with a peak force of
1,200 men. Union forces attempted to capture the Confederate capital of
Richmond, and did capture Yorktown in April 1862; the Battle of Williamsburg
was fought the following months. With these and other developments, Jamestown
was abandoned by the Confederates. (Once in Federal hands, Jamestown became a
meeting place for runaway slaves.) Following the Confederate surrender at
Appomattox, the oath of allegiance was administered to former Confederate
soldiers at Jamestown.
In
the years after the Civil War, Jamestown became quiet and peaceful once again.
A private party purchased Jamestown in 1892; in 1893 they donated 22 ½ acres of
land to what is now Preservation Virginia, in order to preserve this historical
area.
The
James River had eroded a great portion of the western shore of Jamestown,
erroneously concluding that the site of James Fort lay completely under water.
A sea wall was constructed in 1900, with federal assistance, to protect the area
from further erosion. In 1994 the archaeological remains of the original 1607
fort, which had been protected by the sea wall, were discovered.
The
discovery of the foundation of the first brick statehouse building at
Jamestown, circa 1646, in 1932 is credited to George Gregory of Richmond.
However after much naysaying from historians and peers, Dr. Bill Kelso, an
American Archeologist, found artifacts near the Jamestown Memorial Church tower
in 1994, thus giving credence to the idea that most of the James Fort was yet
to be discovered. (Dr. Kelso currently serves as Director of Research and
Interpretation for the Preservation Virginia Jamestown Rediscovery project.)
We
first toured the Visitor Center, taking in a 15-minute movie to whet our
appetites for what we were about to see.
Our
first stop on the grounds was to this monument, built to commemorate the 300th
anniversary of the Jamestown settlement.
Since
1994, a major archeological campaign has been conducted, under Dr. Kelso’s
direction. The goal: locate archaeological remains of the first years of
settlement at Jamestown and the subsequent growth of the town.
Since
it began, the campaign has discovered more than 2 million artifacts with more
being discovered almost daily, and it has uncovered much of the fort, the
remains of several houses and wells, a palisade wall line attached to the fort,
and graves of several of the early settlers—some of them important figures of
the time.
We
were fortunate to go on an archeological tour with senior staff archeologist
Daniel Schmidt, who has been working this site his entire career, since 1994.
His wealth of knowledge and information, as well as a bit of humor thrown in,
made for a very interesting couple of hours.
The
following photos show the excavation, grave sites, and Jamestown Memorial
Church and graveyard. We were enthralled.
After
our tour ended, we walked to the Archaearaium to personally view the thousands
of artifacts on exhibit. We did stop for a quick and yummy lunch at the Dale
Café (onsite), though.
The
Archaeararium is completely clad in copper, paying tribute to the early
settlers; copper was an important metal to the early settlers. There were so
many artifacts that it was hard to take them all in! On exhibit were 2
skeletons found at the fort; unfortunately, strict rules prohibited us from
photographing them. We were able to photograph everything else, if we chose to.
Right
outside the Archaeararium is the foundation for the original statehouse.
Please
put Historical Jamestown on your bucket list. You will not be disappointed! We
passed on the Jamestown Settlement, which offers a museum, reenacted
interpretations of the English fort, a Powhatan village, and full-size replicas
of the 3 ships that brought the settlers from England.
Oh,
and before I forget, our entrance to Historical Jamestown was only $5 with our
National Park Senior Pass (and $0 at Jamestown)!
Thursday
we spent the day at Yorktown.
Yorktown
At the visitor Center is a museum, and a theater where a 15-minute video is shown explaining the important part Yorktown played in the founding of our country. Among many other items in the museum were these authentic and original tents used by General George Washington. Pretty cool!
Yorktown is one of the
8 original towns formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. It’s most famous as the
site of the siege and subsequent surrender of General Cornwallis to General
George Washington and the French Fleet, on October 19, 1781, during the
Revolutionary War. Although the Revolutionary War would last for another year
this British defeat at Yorktown effectively ended the war.
Originally called York,
for the ancient city of York in Yorkshire, England, it became Yorktown at the
end of the Revolutionary War. It was founded in 1691 as a major port on the
York River for colonists to export tobacco to Europe. The town was the base of
General Cornwallis during the 1781 siege, the last major battle of the
Revolutionary War. At that time the town had reached the height of its
development when it had between 250 and 300 buildings, and a population of
almost 2,000 people. The year was 1750.
Thomas Jefferson, in
his Notes on the State of Virginia
from 1781-82, noted that the York River at Yorktown “affords the best harbour in the state for vessels of the largest size.
The river there narrows to the width of a mile, and is contained within very
high banks, close under which the vessels may ride.”
After the state’s
capital moved from Williamsburg to Richmond, population in Yorktown and other
rural areas dropped significantly. In addition, the tobacco crop was exhausting
the soil, and farmers made the move to mixed crops, which required less
slave labor.
Yorktown’s historical
Main Street is located on a bluff above the river and floodplain. The
buildings’ architecture along this street is almost exclusively original to the
colonial era. It includes 9 buildings that have survived since the pre-Revolutionary
period.
Yorktown’s most ardent
patriot was Thomas Nelson, Jr. Born in Yorktown in December 1738 to a family
prominent in Virginia society he completed his education in England. Returning
home to Yorktown, he joined his father’s mercantile business, married, and had
11 children. He served in the House of Burgesses and then 2 years as a delegate
to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where he was the first
Virginian to sign the Declaration of Independence. In 1781 he was elected the 3rd
governor of Virginia, succeeding Thomas Jefferson. With the rank of brigadier
general, he commanded the Virginia militia at the siege of Yorktown. Shortly
after Cornwallis’s surrender, he took ill and died on January 4, 1789. This is
his house, built by his grandfather Thomas Nelson. It still bears the scars
from artillery bombardment during the siege. Notice the cannon balls embedded
in the exterior walls.
Also on this road is
the historical Yorktown Victory Monument, commemorating the victory in the
Revolutionary War. It was installed in 1884.
In May 1781 General
Cornwallis moved his army into Virginia from North Carolina following a
difficult and costly southern campaign. He believed that if Virginia could be
subdued the states south of it would return to British allegiance. Cornwallis
and his troops, on orders from his superior officer, moved to establish a naval
base on the lower Chesapeake Bay area, choosing the port of Yorktown for his
base. Early in August he transferred his army there and began to fortify the
town and that of Gloucester Point across the York River. When Cornwallis received word that the allied troops were advancing he set up his headquarters in this cave.
Meanwhile, a large
French fleet under Admiral Francois de Grasse sailed up from the West Indies
for combined operations with the allied French and American armies; he
proceeded to blockade the mouth of Chesapeake Bay cutting off Cornwallis from
help or escape by sea. At the same time General George Washington began moving
his forces and that of a French army under General Rochambeau, toward Virginia
to attack Cornwallis by land. Washington
led over 17,000 men, while Cornwallis attempted to defeat them with his
8,300-man garrison at Yorktown. The date: September 28, 1781. Three days later
the Allied army under Washington commenced bombing the British positions at
Yorktown. On October 17, just 9 days after intense round-the-clock bombardment
that wrecked the town of Yorktown, Cornwallis requested a cease-fire to discuss
surrender terms.
On October 18, 1781,
officers from both sides met at the home of Augustine Moore to negotiate the
surrender terms for Cornwallis’s army.
Two days later, on
October 19, 1781, Cornwallis formally surrendered his army.
The American victory at
Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. It secured
independence for the U.S., and significantly changed the course of world
history.
Another site we did not
visit was the Yorktown Victory Center that chronicles the Revolutionary War, through
exhibits and historical interpretation in a re-created Continental Army
encampment and 1780s farm. We just didn’t have enough time or energy! We did, however, walk through town and took these photos of historic buildings and homes, and other interesting stuff.
As we left the Visitor Center area we drove through the Yorktown battlefield for a while, where we came upon the Yorktown National Cemetery.
Wow! These past 3 days
have been so filled with information on the history of our nation. It really
came alive for us; we can’t fathom people having no interest in how our country
came to be.
Thursday we had lunch
downtown Yorktown at the Carrot Tree, which happens to also be the owner of the
Dale Café in Jamestown where we had lunch Wednesday. Quite a coincidence, since
we didn’t know this before we went in to be seated. Then, it was off to Ben
& Jerry’s for ice cream. Yum-yum! Actually it was a double Yum-yum, because
lunch was fabulous!
We returned to our
camper to do preliminary preparations for our departure early Friday morning.
Although we had just 115 miles to go, we wanted to arrive at our next
destination, Virginia Landing in Quinby, Virginia, in plenty of time to get set
up on a site with full hook-ups since we were going to be there for 2 weeks.
(We were told there were very few.)
That night it rained,
and rained hard! Thunder and lightning all around, and in nearby Richmond winds
were clocked at over 60 mph. We were fortunate in that we didn’t receiving
anything but rain.
Rain continued the next
morning as we did final packing, but we were out of Williamsburg by 9 a.m. We headed east on I-64 to Route 13 North,
through the 20-mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The toll for our unit
was $22.00. It was first time our RV traveled under the sea! We arrived
shortly before noon, but alas, the rain continued as we set up! It poured! And,
it was windy, too. Ugh…
We really didn’t get a
good look at the area until Saturday, when we woke to beautiful clear skies and
sunshine. Temps hit the high 70s, but humidity was low, so that was good.
Virginia Landing is a
Thousand Trails park, right on Hog Island Bay, which leads to the Atlantic
Ocean. It’s 5 miles from Quinby on a narrow 1 1/2 lane road in an RV with 2-way traffic! In its heyday this property “supposedly” was
owned by a wealthy business man, who entertained other wealthy folks, including
movie stars and politicians. The property originally had a mansion on it, an
airstrip, a golf course, as well as huge dock for his huge yacht. Apparently he
went bankrupt so the property was sold. It was eventually developed into this
RV park and campground, with an area for private residences, as well.
Saturday
was beautiful! No clouds, sunshine, and wind. We did nothing but walk the
property and sit outside to relax the entire day. Dick read and napped; I read
and knitted. Good day!
Today,
Sunday, was another relaxing day. The temps had hit 85° by mid-morning with no
wind, so we stayed pretty much indoors all day. (It gave me opportunity to
finish this blog!)
That’s
it for this week. Hope you enjoyed our trip down history lane! Seriously, you
need to put the area of Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown on your bucket list.
Amazing!
Until
next week,
RJ
and Gail
As we neared the
mainland we decided to stop at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, their most
active launch range, used for launching scientific balloons and research
rockets. It was so interesting. Formed in 1945, Wallops is primarily a rocket
launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other
Federal agencies. More than a dozen types of sounding rockets, small expendable
suborbital and orbital rockets, and high altitude balloon flights carrying
scientific instruments for atmospheric and astronomical research are launched
from here. They also launch flight tests of aeronautical research aircraft
including unmanned aerial vehicles. Since it was founded, over 16,000 launches
have been made from their site.
As we neared the
mainland we decided to stop at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, their most
active launch range, used for launching scientific balloons and research
rockets. It was so interesting. Formed in 1945, Wallops is primarily a rocket
launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other
Federal agencies. More than a dozen types of sounding rockets, small expendable
suborbital and orbital rockets, and high altitude balloon flights carrying
scientific instruments for atmospheric and astronomical research are launched
from here. They also launch flight tests of aeronautical research aircraft
including unmanned aerial vehicles. Since it was founded, over 16,000 launches
have been made from their site.
We arrived just before lunch, so Dick and I headed
to Loraine’s, a local restaurant, for a lunch of cream of crabmeat soup, a crab
cake sandwich (that we split), salad and ½ pound of peel and eat shrimp.
YUM-YUM!
