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In Podcast #8 the Virginia Trekkers journeyed to Colonial Williamsburg in the Coastal Plains region of Virginia. Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia after Jamestown and before Richmond (it was the capital from 1699 to 1780). Explore the Governor’s Palace where Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry once lived. Visit Bruton Parish, one of the oldest churches in America and find out which famous Patriots used to attend there. See Raleigh’s Tavern, a place of colonial feasting and dancing, but which also became the temporary meeting place of the House of Burgesses. Take a look at the old Capitol building, and find out how it burned down. Finally, learn about colonial homes, transportation, and how they punished criminals. Come on! Let’s go trekkin’!
The capitol building burned down five times. The first three were in Jamestown and were actually called state houses then. But after the third one burned down they moved the capital to Williamsburg in 1699. They didn’t want the new capitol building to burn down so they built it without fireplaces and forbid the use of candles or pipes. Yet soon people started complaining that it was too damp inside so they build some fireplaces. And guess what happened... Yep, it burned down! So they built another one, but then the capital was moved to Richmond in 1780. The capitol building in Williamsburg was used for different purposes until it burned again in 1832. They rebuilt it to look like the original one from the early 1700s (the 4th one). Let’s hope this one doesn’t burn down! (Facts from Williamsburg website)
Photo credits “The Capitol” on Flickr
SOL Correlation:
VS.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony by
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c)explaining how geography influenced the relocation of Virginia’s capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg to Richmond;
VS.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by
b) identifying the various roles played by Virginians in the Revolutionary War era, with emphasis on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry;
Coastal Plain
