SPECIAL REPORT
Walking, Riding, Boating Through History
BY: RANJITA BISWAS
By the middle of the 18th century Williamsburg was a bustling town with slaves, people from all professions, politicians and lawyers. It played a prominent role in the events leading to the Revolutionary War. The taverns were the nucleus of the community where heated political debates raged and the seeds of a growing rebellion against colonial rule were nurtured. However, Williamsburg's importance declined as the capital of Virginia was shifted to Richmond.
Laid out in 1699, Williamsburg was America's first planned city. Its Historic Area is America's largest living history museum, spread over more than 120 hectares.
The first point to touch base at is the huge Visitors Center, which sells tickets for different tours. A good idea is to watch a short film, Story of a Patriot, shown here free of charge, to get introduced to Williamsburg's history.
You can either explore the sites by walking or take a hop-on-hop-off bus, which goes on a circular route. From the moment we started out, it was a tour of discovery. A windmill that once ground corn stood on the path to the Governor's Palace and a horse-drawn buggy was carrying tourists around.
The "new" historic Williamsburg owes much to Reverend W.A.R. Goodwin, who became rector of the Bruton Parish Church in the early 20th century and campaigned to restore the historic church. The church reflects the solid representation of the community where the likes of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington often attended. It is the oldest operating church in the United States.
Goodwin's campaign soon expanded to restoration of the whole town, which was possible as he evoked the interest of the millionaire Rockefeller family. The restoration truly got underway in 1926, and 720 buildings that had been erected after 1790 were demolished.
Fortunately, the restoration has been done so cleverly and
tastefully that you don't feel it is purely a marketing ploy. Only the shuttle buses and the tourists themselves remind us that we are firmly planted in the 21st century.
The ambience has the effect of a place caught in a time warp. The houses look as if transplanted from an English countryside from the 18th century. It features shops, taverns and open-air markets in colonial style. The Governor's Palace and the Capitol building that had gone to ruin were reconstructed at the original sites with the aid of period illustrations and written descriptions. Adding to the aura are the employees dressed in the attire of that age. Down the Duke of Gloucester Street, amid old buildings, even the salespeople in the memorabilia shops wear old-time togs.
There are so many points of interest: Museums like the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum featuring world-class English and American silver, ceramics, paintings, prints and textiles dating from 1600 to 1830; the Merchants Square; and the College of William & Mary, which is the second oldest college in America. In fact, one day is not enough to explore Williamsburg, although some tour-bus companies in Washington, D.C. offer an ambitious attempt at it, with very early departure and late-night returns.
Even though I was somewhat familiar, through history books, novels and Holly wood films, with the nascent years when the United States, as we know it today, was gaining its foothold in the New World, it was this walk through history that gave me a feel of that era. It was good to discover, also, that careful preservation gives a city, and country, the depth of antiquity.
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