A fresh look at Colonial Williamsburg
How ongoing research and discovery revolutionize the way you experience history
By WP Creative Group
As America’s largest living history museum, Colonial Williamsburg certainly lives up to its name. Archaeologists regularly unearth new secrets at active excavation sites, while researchers collaborate to help connect the dots. All of this enables Colonial Williamsburg to better tell the stories of America’s founding. With new discoveries shedding light on the past — plus a lively cast of interpreters bringing the 18th century to life — this historic town simply pulses with activity. It’s an ever-changing, research-driven experience that you’ll want to return to again and again.
“We have a lot of archaeological and architectural projects that are implementing new research, and we’re constantly asking questions and looking for new information on buildings,” explains Matthew Webster, Executive Director of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Grainger Department of Architectural Preservation and Research. The Foundation oversees architectural preservation (reviewing structures for accuracy), protection and research (studying buildings, understanding their histories) in the two National Register districts and one Historic Landmarks district.
The Williamsburg Bray School gets a new interpretation
One example of how research and discovery can transform the present? The Williamsburg Bray School, the oldest known surviving school dedicated to Black education in North America. Started in 1760, the school aimed to convert and educate the enslaved in British colonies, starting with the first scholars: 30 students, 27 enslaved and three free.
The Grainger Department of Architectural Preservation and Research is in the process of investigating, stabilizing the structure, and “reverse engineering” it back to what it looked like when it was built 262 years ago.
In the meantime, visitors can learn the backstory of the school through several plays at the Hennage Auditorium located at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Good Progress tells the story from the perspective of Ann Wager, a teacher at the Williamsburg Bray School, and Elizabeth DeRosario, a free Black woman whose children attended that school. “The production enables you to explore education for enslaved and free Black children from two different perspectives,” explains Katrinah Lewis, Artistic Director of Museum Theatre at Colonial Williamsburg. Another show, (re)educate, explores the Bray School from the children’s perspective, using real stories and anecdotes pulled from the historical record.
“We have the ability and opportunity to take the history off of the page and make it live,” says Lewis. “Theater connects people to what was happening in the past on a heart level — it’s not just cerebral. It really reminds us that we are connected to the people that came before, that we have similar motivations, needs, and desires.”
Tradespeople and interpreters bring history to life
Some of the best experiences involve the people who call Colonial Williamsburg home. Tradespeople and interpreters engage visitors in lively dialogue and education, fully immersing them in 18th-century American life.
“We have just under 90 full-time employees that are either serving apprenticeships, working at the journeyman level or working as masters that operate the shops,” explains Ted Boscana, Director, Historic Trades and Skills at Colonial Williamsburg. Of the 20 kinds of artisans (such as a carpenter, wigmaker and blacksmith), everyone starts out as an apprentice and progresses through a five-level curriculum that takes five to seven years to complete. Through project-based initiatives, they learn the hand skills of their particular trade and the research that provides historical background knowledge. They even get certified through the National Association of Interpretation, empowering them to provide rich, deep presentations to the public.
“All of our shops are set up in an informal, free-flow environment, welcoming guests into the space,” explains Boscana, noting there’s no real beginning, middle, or end to a demonstration or discussion. This allows visitors to stay as long as they’d like, ask questions and depart once they’ve satisfied their curiosity. “And just this year, we launched a workshop series, the first step towards developing a Historic Trades and Skills Institute,” says Boscana. These hands-on workshops engage the whole family in 18th-century techniques and tools.
The Museum Theater Department digs into evidence to authentically present characters and stories. The Theater department shares different aspects of 18th-century history through various performance mediums ranging from one-act stage plays to on-the-street visitor interactions. The iconic Nation Builder program allows guests to meet historical figures like Thomas Jefferson and ask questions, like, “What were you thinking when you wrote all men are created equal?”
“The first thing we always do is go to what primary resource material exists,” explains Lewis, who might track people down in historical records, such as tax records, a deed, letter or diary. “Then we use secondary resource material [like books, research reports, or journal entries by historians] to build authentic stories around what we find in the historical records,” she says. They use this information to tell new stories every season.
“We’re constantly researching and utilizing what we learn to give us a fuller picture of who we were in the 18th century and who we are today,” reflects Lewis. “We tell these stories to fulfill our mission that the future may learn from the past.”
Research transcends to culinary experiences
Another recent discovery will literally give visitors a taste of history. The Williamsburg Inn’s Social Terrace rolled out its new Red May Pizza, and the idea of offering an ancient grain pizza sprouted from researching a historic windmill. The windmill has recently moved to the Historic Area where it will be an essential element alongside the Historic Farming program. Here, visitors can engage with site interpreters to learn about ideas of sustainability and daily life in the 18th century.
“We found out during this move that the windmill was actually a gristmill,” explains Travis Brust, Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage at Colonial Williamsburg. “That gristmill may have been used to grind the Red May wheatberry in its day.”
After talking with a farmer who works in Historic Farming, Brust learned that the Red May wheatberry was the first one to be commercially grown in Virginia in the early 1800s. It temporarily stopped growing for a while but was recultivated by a regional company specializing in organic, heirloom grains. After more research and development, the Food and Beverage team created and tested dozens of pizza dough recipes before they found a winner.
“The flavor profile is delicious, unlike anything else you could imagine,” gushes Brust.
This gives you just a taste of the rotating slate of diverse attractions and immersive opportunities that this historical destination offers.
Visit the Colonial Williamsburg website to start planning your historic adventure.
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