The second house we visited during our Christmas visit to Colonial Williamsburg was the Everard House, just across the road from the Governor’s Palace. Its location shows that this was the home of an important man in Virginia. Thomas Everard was a wealthy planter and civic leader. One of the oldest houses in Williamsburg, the Everard House is furnished with 18th-century antiques and was meticulously restored to its early appearance.
Thomas Everard was the major of Williamsburg, clerk of Court for York County, and clerk to the Secretary of the Colony of Virginia. As a patriot, he helped choose the delegates to the Continental Congress.
rags-to-riches story
But Everard’s personal history is really a rags-to-riches story. He was born in London and orphaned by the age of 10. At that time he was admitted to Christ’s Hospital, a school for orphans that is still in operation today. The school opened in 1552, marking the beginning of the social services in Tudor England. At Christ’s Hospital, Everard learned bookkeeping and record keeping skills that would set him up for the rest of his life.
In 1735, Everard was discharged from Christ’s Hospital in the care of his uncle, Edward Everard, and a London merchant, Edward Athawes. Everard heard of a job opening in Virginia, so he applied and became apprenticed to Matthew Kemp who lived in Williamsburg.
Everard trained for 7 years in the Secretary’s Office, the first 4 under Kemp (who died in 1739). Within a year of completing his apprenticeship, Everard received his first public appointment as clerk of the Elizabeth City County court. Everard served in many other public offices, including clerk of the York County court from 1745 until his death in 1781, deputy clerk of the General Court, clerk of the Secretary of the Colony’s office, mayor of Williamsburg (he served two 1-year terms), and was a member of the Court of Directors of the Public Hospital.
In the mid-1750s, Thomas Everard purchased the property to build his lovely home. By the 1770s, Everard had become a very prominent member of the Williamsburg community. He owned a house and property in Williamsburg, 600 acres of land just outside of town and more than 1,000 acres of land in the western part of Virginia. He had a number of slaves who lived and worked on the property. At least 2 of these slaves wore livery to greet Everard’s guests and determine their reason for coming to see Mr. Everard. He also had at least 2 of his slaves who would accompany his carriage as he rode the 13 miles to Yorktown to attend to business at the county court.
personal life reflects his rise in prominence
Everard’s upward move in prominence in the community was helped by his marriage in the mid-1740s to Diana Robinson, a member of a prominent local family. Thomas and Diana had two daughters, Francis (nicknamed “Fanny”) and Martha (nicknamed “Patsy”). Diana died in the late 1750s or early 1760s, leaving her daughters to help manage the household for their father.
In 1765, Francis married Reverend James Horrocks, rector of Bruton Parish Church just down the street, president of the College of William and Mary, Commissary to the Bishop of London (making him the highest ranking church official in the colony), and member of the Governor’s Council. Busy man.
Reverend Horrocks died in 1772 while he and Francis were in Europe. At that time Francis, who was in poor health herself, returned to Williamsburg to stay with her father. She stayed at the house until her death in December 1773.
Martha lived with her father until at least 1774 when she married Dr. Isaac Hall and moved to Petersburg, Virginia, 49 miles away. Martha and Isaac would eventually inherit property and slaves from both Thomas and Francis.
back to the house
On our visit to the Everard House, which has been restored to its 1773 appearance, the home was ready for the wedding of the older daughter, Francis, who was married about 5 years after her mother passed away.
The first room we saw was the living room that was set up for the wedding since weddings were held in a home rather than in the church. Windows let in light, and mirrors strategically placed reflected the light to lighten up the room and make it appear larger.
See the prints on the wall? They are from the seed catalogues like what we saw in the Wythe House. 
Yes, the room was painted in a bright green color.
Remember when we toured the joinery where the finished touches were put on the inside of home? Here’s an example of the handiwork done at the shop.
The dining room was set up for the wedding reception. Again, windows and mirrors, along with the bright yellow wall covering, lighten up this room.
yellow makes for a sunny look 
windows and mirrors lighten the room
This close-up of the food for the wedding reception highlights a pound cake. The name comes from its ingredients: a pound of sugar, a pound of flour, a pound of eggs, and a pound of butter. Yum.
The Everard House is noted for its fine staircase with its elaborately turned balusters, sweeping handrails, and richly ornamented carving on the stair brackets done by the joiners.
Upstairs the first room we saw was Francis’ room where her wedding dress was being shown off. It looked awfully familiar to us. I asked our guide if the milliners had made it during the fall, and she said they had.
The following picture is from our first visit to Williamsburg on our way home from Canada when we spoke to the women working in the Millinery shop.
Here are some other views of Francis’ bedroom and her trunk ready to pack to go to her new home.
bedroom view 
trunk is ready to pack
Across the hall is Martha’s bedroom that’s been set up as a guest room with leather travel bags and trunks.
On the side of Martha’s room is a short hallway leading into another, smaller room that could have been used for a slave to sleep nearby or for storage.
short hallway to a back bedroom 
a staff bedroom
Back downstairs, we walked to the back of the house to get to Everard’s bedroom and office. Since many citizens would need to talk with him, they could either come around back to his office or knock at the front door and be led down the hallway (and follow Barney). These back rooms were enclosed during the restoration since air conditioning/heating was added to keep the house in good condition from the weather and humidity changes.
walkway to the back of the house 
stairs to a bedroom on one side and an office on the other
In Everard’s bedroom, the wing chair is in front of the fireplace. The “wings” help circulate the warm air from the fireplace inside the chair. Clever.
Across the hall from Everard’s bedroom is his office where he did his work for the courts and where he met with citizens who needed his help.
office 
work space
His desk has tools of his trade and a beautiful leather-covered box with a lock.
tools of his trade 
leather-covered box with a lock
And of course his bookcase had the green cloth inside to protect his books.
Outside are some of the outbuildings. The brick building on the left is the kitchen and the rest of the cook’s domain.
brick building is the kitchen 
cook’s domain
After walking through this lovely home, we took Duke of Gloucester Street to see these buildings around the Capital: the Coffeehouse (again), the Apothecary, and the bakery. Then we were ready for a little sit-down at the Liberty Lounge (for military visitors).
Charlton’s Coffeehouse – Hearsay and “Hot Liquors”
Across the street from the Capital is Charlton’s Coffeehouse where we could “Step back into the time of the Stamp Act [1760s] and learn about the fashionable world of the coffeehouse, where Williamsburg’s citizens and visitors met to share news, transact business, and debate politics. Meet people of the past and converse over coffee, tea, or velvety chocolate – prepared in the 18th-century style.” (info from the website)
We so enjoyed the experience we had the first time we came to Williamsburg on our way home from Canada, that I wanted to return (and so I could try the hot chocolate!). However, our experience today was totally different from our first time.
The wreaths on the doors included tin containers for pouring hot drinks. The outside window dressings included coffee beans; so clever, right?
wreath has a tin container for hot drinks 
good use of coffee beans
Our tour guide gave us a different slant on these 2 rooms in the coffeehouse. While we knew that men of all classes came in for discussions on the day’s events, today’s guide told us that women could also rent them for their own social gatherings. Of course, only the well-to-do men and women would come here, because more than half of the population of Williamsburg were indentured servants and slaves who had to work from sun-up to sun-down.
meeting room for coffee and conversation 
smaller room that could be rented
Our host today was “Gowan Pamphlet (ca. 1748–1809) [who] became the property of Jane Vobe, the widowed keeper of King’s Arms Tavern, sometime before 1779. As an enslaved tavern worker he would have performed any necessary duties, from preparing and serving meals to guests to cleaning the rooms or tending the stables. During court days in the capital city, he would also have had the opportunity to observe fascinating conversations about the course of the Revolution and the principles at stake.” (info from the website)
Gowan told us the story of how he was ordained in 1772 and eventually became a Baptist preacher in Williamsburg. He started preaching in the woods outside of town at what was called a brush arbor. Those who came to listen were both black and white, slave and free. This early church became the First Baptist Church that still meets today in Williamsburg.
Here’s his story:
Mrs. Vobe had attended the Anglican Church and had taken Gowan with her until the the Presbyterian Church because an option for the citizens of the city after the Revolution. At this new church, both were taught all of the scriptures, including those that said that all men were equal in the eyes of Jesus. This truth was missing at the Anglican Church. In 1793, he was made a freed man and so was able to be a full-time Baptist preacher.
After hearing Gowan speak for about 10 minutes on the truth against slavery, we walked downstairs to the original kitchen area where coffee and hot chocolate were served.
Apothecary – The World of Colonial Medicine
“What was it like to be sick or injured in colonial times? Meet the apothecaries and learn how medicine, wellness, and surgical practices of the 18th century compare to today.” (info from website)
“A large collection of British delft drug jars for storing medications line one wall, and antique implements for compounding and dispensing drugs are also displayed, with some items original to the site.” (info from website)
“Some of the ingredients that were used in colonial remedies are the basis for modern medications. They included chalk for heartburn, calamine for skin irritations, and cinchona bark for fevers. Later it was discovered that cinchona bark contains quinine for malaria and quinidine for cardiac conditions.” (info from website)
“Williamsburg apothecaries also sold cooking spices, candles, salad oil, anchovies, toothbrushes, and tobacco, making them true precursors of today’s drugstores.” (info from website)
bakery – best ginger cakes ever!
Behind the Raleigh Tavern is the bakery. Today fountain drinks and sandwiches are available and . . . their famous ginger cakes that they bake fresh every day. I love gingerbread!
Ovens are on the left, and our baker is on the right. What was interesting is that these cakes are exactly the same as one I enjoyed while we were at the Fortress Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. It was operational during the mid-18th century so it would make sense that a similar recipe would have been used—but they looked and tasted the same! I searched the internet and found a recipe for Colonial Williamsburg ginger cakes so I can’t wait to try making them!
baking the ginger cakes 
ready to serve
I asked our baker about the importance of these cookies/cakes during the 1700s, and he went on and on about their history after the spices from the East would have become available in Europe and America.
Liberty Lounge
Down a pathway next to the millinery ship is a lounge for current and former military personnel and their families.
What a nice place they have for those who have served us well. In the next post we’ll visit the rest of the trade shops, see some more views of the streets, enjoy their wreaths, and see more then and now pictures.
