Day 6- Colonial Williamsburg
Yesterday when we were at the American History Museum we saw Paul Revere’s engraving called, “The Bloody Massacre in King Street.” This was probably the most effective piece of war propaganda in American history. It is not an accurate depiction of the actual events. It is most fascinating all of the innuendos. When I write my American Revolutionary book, I will go into more detail. As I mentioned yesterday most people could not read but they could all look at a picture and capture the emotional message it was giving. This engraving is based on the painting by Henry Pelham who created the first illusion of the Boston Massacre. Pelham was neither credited of paid for his work.
We have been eating with the same group of people who we really enjoy. Today I learned that one of them is a Son of the American Revolution. He said his grandmother hired a genealogist to do the research. He said he has all of the documentation and considers it a gold mine of information. To possess all of vital records for one’s ancestors is truly a gold mine, at least in my way of thinking.
Today we went to Colonial Williamsburg. We learned that Thomas Jefferson moved the capital from Williamsburg to Richmond. Richmond is more inland and he felt it was a safer place for the capital. When the capital moved, everyone left the city and it lay basically abandoned. William Archer Rutherford Goodwin an Episcopal priest wanted in 1903 to preserve the city. After all this is where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and many others met and decided the fate of America. Of course he did not have any money, so he talked John D Rockefeller Jr. to put up the money for the restoration. So what you have is a completely restored city just like it was from about 1689 to 1780. As we toured the Governor’s palace, we learned that there was a rather new high school and elementary school that had to be torn down to restore Williamsburg to its original state. She said that took some doing, and I believe it did.
The Episcopal Church is interesting as well. It is basically the Anglican Church of England. Everyone had to attend at least monthly or go to court and explain their absence and of course pay a fine. Now they weren’t really interested in saving your soul but wanted to make sure the King received what was due him. Three of Martha’s Washington’s children are buried in this Church’s graveyard.
More to Follow
Tom & Holly
