Williamsburg, Jamestown & Yorktown – October 2022

Williamsburg, Jamestown & Yorktown – October 2022

by Kim · Published November 9, 2022 · Updated November 9, 2022

Williamsburg, Jamestown & Yorktown – October 2022

After leaving Maine, we headed south to Williamsburg, Virginia for four nights. Our goal was to visit three historical towns, Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. It was a such a great few days. We stayed at the Wyndham Resort.

Dale and I arrived to Williamsburg and headed straight for the colonial era part of the city.

One of the first sites that greeted us as we entered colonial Williamsburg.

The governor's palace.

Still somewhat fresh after our drive down from Delaware.

The leaves that lined the streets were still in autumn mode.

There were many tours going on. You can walk around Colonial Williamsburg, but if you want to attend a tour or enter buildings you have to buy a ticket.

There were many buildings that lined the main street. I could imagine that it must have looked very much like this in the 1700s.

I liked the red door of this building.

This beautiful setting is in the cemetery of the three-centuries-old Episcopal church.

This lady looked very handsome in her period costume.

Govenor of the colony from 1768-1770.

I wouldn't mind living in this home!

This is from the common area of William and Mary University looking down main street.

The John Blair House, one of the oldest in colonial Williamsburg. I think he was the architect who designed William and Mary College.

Notice the costumed woman sitting next to the home. These employees made sure you had a ticket to enter.

I really enjoyed being transported back in time.

How miserable it would be to be locked in this!

A colonial man explaining the types of guns.

The farmer's market.

The state house.

There were quite a few people dressed for Halloween.

I'm assuming this represented civil war era? There weren't any signs.

The Compton Oak, growing on the Court House Green in Colonial Williamsburg, is over 70 feet tall and 97 feet wide, with a trunk that is 14 feet around.

There were several bridges that made for beautiful photo opportunities.

On the coast of Yorktown. It's a small town that is basically one big historical park.

The National Park Service has an app that guides you along the tour route and explains what you are looking at. This is one of the stops on the tour.

Dale explores one of the many redoubts that were built and used by Washington's troops during the battle of Yorktown.

This is the Moore House where Gen. Cornwallis and Gen. Washington negotiated the terms of the surrender in October of 1781.

This is one of the many beautiful sights we enjoyed during the Yorktown driving tour.

These British canons were just a few of the weapons confiscated from the British when they surrendered to Gen. Washington in Yorktown. These are located at the spot where the surrender took place.

This boat was moored at the small Yorktown Harbor. It's not an exhibit, it's an actual sailing vessel that was looking for new crew members.

Dale discusses current events with George Washington on the waterfront of Yorktown.

Our guide pointed out gun shot damage to the wall of this building that was left from the civil war.

Our history ghost tour guide describes the original owner of this building.

Dale listens to the tour guide as we stand on the campus of William and Mary College.

The French play a major role in our victory at Yorktown. Some of those who were killed are buried here. Someone has put out fresh flowers.

Part of the beautiful Yorktown Battlefield driving tour.

This was built 100 years after the victory at Yorktown to commemorate the event.

The Colonial Parkway is a twenty-three mile scenic roadway stretching from the York River at Yorktown to the James River at Jamestown. It connects Virginia's historic triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

The Williamsburg tunnel was built along the Colonial Parkway in 1936.

Entrance to the main part of the settlement. There is an entry fee that gets you into the grounds and museum.

There is quite a bit of property to investigate at the Jamestown Settlement.

The tarps cover active archeological digs.

Some of the graves outside the church.

The refurbished exterior of the church.

A statue of John Smith overlooks the James River. On September 10, 1608, Smith became president of the council for the colony. He installed a policy of rigid discipline, strengthened defenses, and encouraged farming with his order that all must work or face starvation.

Location of the first Jamestown church.

The church was built in 1608, the year the settlers arrived. There are several graves in and around the church, including a knight. Pocahontas married John Rolfe here in 1614.

Archeologists excavated the church site and a reproduction was built on top. The original remains are safely underneath a hollow floor.

We had lunch at Dale House Cafe!

Faith was a central part of the settlers lives. The church was one of the first buildings erected.

This part of the church was the only visible remains of the settlement. When archeologists began digging, they found so much more.

This is the full skeleton of the 14-year-old boy. The missing bone in the chin area is because he had a rotten tooth that was so infected it slowly eroded his bone.

This is another forensic reproduction created from one of the skulls unearthed at Jamestown. He died when he was about 14 years old.

According to archeologists this skull was used by forensic sculptures to create the face you see. This is what she would have looked like. She died during the first winter when people were starving. Marks on the skeleton, along with the location of her remains, make it seem that she was eaten by the other settlers after she died.

One of the cannons at the Jamestown Settlement.

Geese were very common during our travels up the East Coast. It was not unusual to see them grazing in baseball fields and other fields. This was at the Jamestown Settlement.

This is a reproduction of the "Glass House" where Jamestown Settlers created glass products.

You can buy products made by the Jamestown employees at the Glass House.

The shore of the James River where the first permanent English settlement was located.

Related

You may also like...