At Work In Colonial Williamsburg

Today, it was back to Williamsburg. We started by walking around Merchant Square and having lunch at "The Trellis" an award-winning restaurant known for its dessert, Death By Chocolate. Of course, we had a piece of this seven layer chocolate wonder, a sugar high if there ever was one.

Then, it was on to historic Williamsburg. Each day different buildings are open. The photo above is the wigmaker's shop. The proprietors of these shops are remarkable. Not only do they stay in character and explain the wonders of their crafts, but they also are expert artisans and craftspeople able to actually make whatever their wares are. You can ask questions, which are answered efficiently and in the parlance of the era.
Then, we visited a blacksmith shop and watched the blacksmith work on a needed tool. His apprentices explained to the group of school children the importance of the blacksmith to the village. Besides making new tools and decorative items, his important function was to repair tools already owned by the farmers and merchants in the area. Many of these tools were handed down from father to son to grandson and had initially been brought from Britain.
In this photo, we visited the bookbinders shop. While the adjacent print shop, printed newspapers and pamphlets, the bookbinder job was to bind any printed books to prepare them for sale. Like the blacksmith, often the bookbinder rebound books, particularly Bibles, that had been in families for generations. Because books were not plentiful like today, books were cherished items and handed down to families through the decades.

Here is a photo of George Washington arriving at Williamsburg to meet with French generals, Rouchambeau and Layfette to plan the siege of Yorktown to send General Charles Lord Cornwallis home to Britain. Also, General Washington hoped to raise additional troops for the Virginia militia. Today's activities, "Citizens at War, 1776-1781," included a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Capitol balcony, a debate among the town merchants regarding the cost of war, the arrival of Benedict Arnold to reclaim Williamsburg for the British crown and then a rousing address by General Washington rallying his troops for the march to Yorktown.

We finished our day by having dinner at "The King's Table" restaurant, a favorite tavern of the citizens of Williamsburg. While a bit pricey, the fare was worth it as well as the entertainment and historic surroundings.