The third area of Colonial Williamsburg that we walked through is referred to as “Capitol” and includes this legislative building and burgesses who had such an important role in how the colonies became a nation. Let’s first start with the building itself.
Before we go any further, let’s see where we are on the map of the city.
the Capitol – Revolution and Royal Government
“What are the founding principles of American democracy? Discover how Virginia’s colonial leaders first declared independence from Great Britain and established, or restricted the rights of the people.” (info from website)
history of the building and the legislature
“After fire destroyed (for the third time) the Jamestown Statehouse in 1698, the burgesses decided to move the colony’s government to Middle Plantation, soon renamed Williamsburg. On May 18, 1699, they resolved to build the first American structure to which the word “Capitol” was applied. The structure today is basically the same as what was first built.
“Henry Cary, a contractor finishing work on the College of William and Mary’s Wren Building (the legislature’s temporary home) took charge. He raised a two-story H-shaped structure—really two buildings connected by an arcade. Each side measured 75 feet by 25 feet.
“The first floor of the west building was for the General Court and the colony’s secretary, the first floor of the east part of the building was for the House of Burgesses and its clerk.
“Stairs on one side led to the Council Chamber, a lobby, and the Council clerk’s office; stairs on the other side led to three committee rooms. A second-floor conference room connected the classically corniced structures, and a six-sided cupola on the ridge of the hipped and dormered roof crowned it all. Though the west wing was completed by July 1703, it took Cary until November 1705 to finish all the work.” (information is from the history of Colonial Williamsburg website www.history.org)
So let’s look at what these words are describing:
The first floor houses this courtroom that looks much like what was in the courthouse but much larger and fancier. This court handles more serious cases for the whole colony and any cases the lower court sends its way.
The House of Burgess is for the representatives of the colony, and they really did the work of the colony.
In this room Patrick Henry delivered his “Caesar-Brutus” speech against the Stamp Act on May 29, 1765. Henry, George Washington, George Mason, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, and others played their parts in the legislative wars that ended in revolution.
This smaller, fancier room was for the House of Lords. The men who governed here had been chosen by the governor and represented England’s views.
This conference room between the 2 legislative bodies was where they could meet together to talk over issues.
Lord Dunmore and the Colonial Assembly
Remember Governor Dunmore from the previous post and how he almost single-handily forced Virginia into the Revolutionary War? Well here’s some information that I found on Wikipedia on how he interacted with the legislative body for the colony.
Since he seems like he wanted to lead the colony as an autocrat when he came to Virginia, Dunmore tried to govern without consulting the House of Burgesses of the Colonial Assembly for more than a year, which made an already tense situation worse.
When Dunmore finally convened the Colonial Assembly in March 1773, which was the only way he could deal with fiscal issues to financially support his war (against the Indians) through additional taxation, the burgesses instead first resolved to form a committee of correspondence to communicate their continued concerns about the Townshend Acts and Gaspee Affair to Great Britain. Dunmore immediately postponed the Assembly.
Many of burgesses gathered a short distance away at the Raleigh Tavern and continued discussing their problems with the new taxes, perceived corruption, and lack of representation in England. When Dunmore reconvened the Assembly in 1774, the burgesses passed a resolution declaring 1 June 1774 a day of fasting and prayer in Virginia.
In response, the burgesses were called into the conference room along with the representatives of the House of Lords, and Dunmore immediately dissolved the House.
The burgesses again reconvened as the Second Virginia Convention and elected delegates to the Continental Congress. Dunmore issued a proclamation against electing delegates to the Congress but failed to take serious action. In March 1775, Patrick Henry’s “Give me Liberty, or give me Death!” speech delivered at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond helped convince delegates to approve a resolution calling for armed resistance. (The Gunpowder Incident we talked about in the previous post happened the month after Patrick Henry’s speech.)
Oh the problems this man caused. Now on to more buildings in this area of Colonial Williamsburg.
Public Gaol – Pirates, Thieves, and Other Prisoners
“Thieves, runaway slaves, debtors, and political prisoners once paced the cells of the Public Gaol as they waited to be tried – or hanged. Perhaps its most notorious inmates were several pirates who had served under Blackbeard and were captured with him in 1718. Self-guided exploration of the cells where prisoners were held as they awaited trial and punishment.” (info from website)
Virginia’s general assembly ordered a “substanciall brick prison” built in Williamsburg soon after it decided to make the city the colony’s new capital. Known as the Public Gaol, the building’s construction was authorized in August 1701. Contractor Henry Cary got the job, along with the job of building the Capitol and the Governor’s Palace.
Strong timbers were laid beneath the cells to prevent “under mining.”
Before the American Revolution, prisoners were usually free persons accused of serious crimes waiting for their trail at the capitol, persons jailed for debt (when creditors became responsible for costs of imprisonment in 1772, the number of debtors went down—no reason to carry a person’s debt if the creditor was going to be responsible for it), suspected runaway slaves until claimed by their owners or proven to be free.
Leg irons, an exercise yard, food slots, and criminal cells have been restored to their early appearance.
inside of a cell: a place to sit, a window, and manacles ready to be used
Probably quite a few prisoners were housed in each cell making it cramped, dark, and smelly.
Did you notice the 2-story building on the first picture of the jail? It’s for the jailer and his family to live in. After these quarters were built in 1722, many of the 10 subsequent keepers welcomed this benefit.
Some jailers owned enslaved men, women, and children who also lived and worked on the property. Behind the jail were the grounds the jailer could use.
At another stop, we asked about the wooden structure on the right side of these pictures. We were told that it was to replicate the frame used for hangings. In reality it was located a couple of miles away from the jail. A prisoner would have been carted to it in a wagon, have the noose put around his neck, and the wagon would go on without him. The use of a trapdoor, which would have been so much more humane if hanging could ever be called humane, wasn’t “invented” until about 100 years later.
lunch at tavern #2
Lunch happened before we learned about hanging, so I hope you can transition with us as we go to Shields Tavern for lunch.
In the early 1740s, James Shields assumed proprietorship of the tavern that his father-in-law had operated several decades earlier. Today guests dine on southern comfort foods inspired by “colonial receipts [recipes].”
Wetherburn’s Tavern – Haven for Travelers
After lunch we walked down the street to Wetherburn’s Tavern that was open for tours but not meals.
“Merriment and conviviality were specialties of the house at Wetherburn’s Tavern. Get a glimpse into the private lives of Henry Wetherburn, his family, and his slaves, who made the tavern one of the most successful of the 1750s. The tavern and the dairy out back are both original buildings.” (info from website)
Remember when we talked about the rules governing the maximum rates charged at taverns for overnight guests? While tavern keepers kept to these levels (because the other tavern keepers would turn them in to the authorities if they violated the law), at least this one tavern owner came up with a way to make more money.
The basic beds that could be rented looked like these pictures. Multiple beds in one room and another bed in a hallway. This was the “public” side of the tavern.
Wetherburn, however, enlarged his initial tavern and built “private” rooms for overnights, fancy dinners, important meetings, and impressive dances.
Wetherburn had a couple of rooms on the first floor that could be used for a number of purposes: private dining room, drinks before a dance or concert, quiet meeting.
Gunsmith Shop – Arming the Populace
“See how our gunsmiths make rifles, pistols, and fowling pieces using the tools and techniques of their 18th-century predecessors and uniting many skills from forging iron to working wood.” (info from website)
When I asked Barney what his favorite place was in Colonial Williamsburg, without hesitation he said the gunsmith shop. With his experience with guns of all types while in the Marine Corps, he enjoyed learning more about how they were built in the last half of the 1700s.
Colonial gunsmithing required the skills of a blacksmith, whitesmith [someone who makes items from tin], founder, and woodworker to build a gun. A finished weapon required fine detail work on iron and steel, the carving of decorative designs, hammering and casting brass and silver into complex shapes, and engraving hard and soft metals. These skills were usually learned in an apprenticeship lasting 5 to 7 years. A male youth began his apprenticeship between the ages of 12 and 14 years and completed it by the time he was 21.
Because imported firearms were cheaper than those made in Williamsburg—typical of many goods in colonial America—the gunsmith mainly repaired arms and other objects. Gunsmiths often repaired axes and other items made by blacksmiths, cast shoe buckles and other items like bells, and sometimes repaired silver objects. (Information in both of these paragraphs are from Colonial Williamsburg’s website.)
When I saw this round shot and the device next to it that was used to make the shot, I mentioned to the gunsmith that I remembered Mel Gibson in the movie The Patriot making shots from his sons’ toy soldiers. The gunsmith said this was the only accurate part of the movie. Oops.
Presbyterian Meetinghouse – A Place for Dissent
“In a time where only the Anglican Church was Virginia’s official religion, what did everyone else do on Sunday? Although Catholics and other non-Protestants were denied religious freedom, the government allowed many dissenting Protestants to worship in meetinghouses like this one.” (info from website”
The outside of this meetinghouse was just a plain building, just like the inside. But we found out some interesting information while walking around inside. The Anglican Church is the church of the colony. But the Presbyterians were beginning to make their presence known in 1763.
But it’s this information on the free exercise of religion in Virginia that we found so interesting since we’re used to this freedom.
By 1776, toleration for dissenters from the Anglican church was beginning to be acceptable, but the free exercise of religion in Virginia was a long way off at the beginning of the American Revolution. In the 1770s, Presbyterians and Baptists repeatedly petitioned the General Assembly to repeal laws that restricted dissenting worship and required payment of the Anglican church tax.
R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse – Hearsay and “Hot Liquors”
“Step back into the time of the Stamp Act [middle of 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 website)
So what’s the big deal about a coffeehouse in Colonial Williamsburg? We have a Starbucks every mile or so in major cities and towns. But this coffeehouse is unlike what we know.
Charlton’s Coffeehouse stood just a few steps from the colonial Capitol, its convenient location making it a popular stop for Williamsburg elite. Around tables that held steaming cups of coffee and chocolate, gentlemen and politicians met to make deals and strengthen connections.
Perhaps more important to history than the private salons shown in the following pictures was the front porch, a simple shelter spanning the building’s face. Here, the colonists’ objection to England’s Stamp Tax resulted in a vicious mob. The story goes that George Mercer, a stamp agent just sent from England, was chased down Duke of Gloucester Street by an angry crowd that protested the tax. It was on the porch of this coffeehouse, Mercer took refuge and was protected by no less a person than Governor Fauquier.
Our guide for the coffeehouse said that here every man was equal and could have his say. Conversations over important issues of the day filled the air.
A young woman in costume came over and asked if she could sit with us for a while. We soon realized that she was there to provide us with the opportunity of having a discussion like what they had in the 1760s. We didn’t realize the time period she was in so started asking questions like we were just before the Revolution so had to make a quick change in our thinking and conversation topics. Had I realized she’d be reflecting the 1760s, I would have introduced myself as Marjorie instead of Margie!
Wigmaker – The Height of Colonial Fashion
“Fashion was just as important in the 18th century as today – maybe even more so if you wanted to be part of the “in crowd”. Routinely wearing a wig may seem strange to us, especially for men, but it communicated the wearer’s elegance, his station in society, and even his occupation to his fellow colonists. With the skill of a barber and hairdresser combined, our wigmakers fashion “perukes” of quality and distinction.” (info from website)
Williamsburg, the capitol of Virginia, was the center of commerce and government, and provided an excellent opportunity for wigmakers and barber-hairdressers to make their trade a lucrative business. Barber and wigmaker establishments were generally located within or near taverns. This provided a consistent location to serve the needs of the customers—a place where one could openly discuss politics, day-to-day activities, and transact business deals.
Tradesmen, merchants, clergy, military, ship captains, and landed gentry patronized the wigmaker. Those who could afford wigs represented 5% of the total population of Virginia. Wigs were not only fashionable, but also served as a way to convey one’s status within the community. (Information on this shop is from Colonial Williamsburg website.)
Our wigmaker told us that the shop primarily made and cleaned wigs for the men when they were in town and doing business with others. Women used wigs for balls and other fancy evenings.
On the table are various types of “hair” that could be used for wigs depending on how much someone wanted to pay. Wealthy men could have wigs made to fit their own heads, while others used standard shapes for their wigs.
Silversmith – Symbols of Wealth and Status
“Silver cups, teapots, and spoons were not just for show. They were a good way to “store” your assets. Skilled smiths transformed coins and outdated silverware into fashionable pieces for the dining room, parlour, and personal adornment. Drop in and see how our silversmiths turn ingots into works of art.” (info from website)
Since silver wasn’t available as a metal already in the colonies and because the colonies were to send items to England, not to import them, silver-makers in the colonies were challenged.
These pictures are of the back room where the real work was done with silver-making tools from the 18th century.
Milliner and Mantua-Maker – Prepare to Be the Belle of the Ball
“Fancy yourself an 18th-century customer, shopping for boxes, drawers, and bundles full of the latest ornaments and accessories, called millinery. Consult with the mantua-maker about updating old gowns to bring them into the newest 18th-century fashion.” (info from website)
In the 18th century, millinery shops were almost always owned by women. From fabric sold in the shop, milliners would make items such as shirts, shifts, aprons, neckerchiefs, caps, cloaks, hoods, hats, muffs, ruffles, and trim for gowns.
In addition to being a tradeswoman who made fashion accessories, the milliner was also a businesswoman who sold a wide range of fashionable imported goods. Often a milliner in the colonies would advertise that she had just imported from London the very latest in gowns, haberdashery, jewelry, hosiery, shoes, “and other items too tedious to mention.”
The other primary 18th-century woman’s trade was that of making gowns for dances and other events. A gown maker was on par with the tailor; both were skilled in cutting, fitting, and sewing. However, they usually were not able to sell fabric to their customers so had a good client base. In the 18th century, fabric accounted for the largest part of the cost of clothing. (Information in these paragraphs is from the Colonial Williamsburg website.)
I asked the women if they made the corset on the wall in the right-hand picture. The woman on the left who told us about the shop said they did, calling it a “stay,” and said she loved wearing hers because it was the only way she could sit on a stool all day sewing without a back to lean against.
I looked up the meaning of the word “stay” and found this definition: “Stays turned the torso into a stiff, inverted cone, raising and supporting the bust, and providing a solid foundation on which the garments draped.” Makes sense.
This is the end of our second day at Colonial Williamsburg, but I still have more to share with you. You’ve probably been wondering when, why, and who prompted the restoration of this city. The short answer is John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The long answer is what we’ll look at in our final post on Colonial Williamsburg.
