continued… After seeing the entire Continental Army encampment, we went over to the farm. This recreation was based on a real farm owned by Edward Moss that had existed at that time. We don’t remember the details now, but he had a lot of acres, so this was a tiny microcosm of what the actual farm was like.
The house was two rooms. There was a spindle wheel in the parlor, and “Edward” was making thread. He explained that prior to the rebellion, textiles were imported from England. But when the Patriots had ordered a boycott of all British goods, people had to start making their own textiles. He said that thread was made out of a variety of materials. The easiest and most popular yarn material was wool, but today he was using cotton. Even though cotton grew well in Virginia, it was unpopular because it was difficult to separate the seeds out (the cotton gin had not yet been invented).
Friday, August 1 – Since Eric and Keith were still on west coast time, they slept much later than normal. Our plan was to go back to Williamsburg to go to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, which was about 20-miles east of Jamestown. Yorktown was the town where the final major military engagement in the American Revolution took place in 1781. The British had set up a base at Yorktown. Washington marched his troops down from New York for a siege on the base. The French navy secured the Chesapeake, so no British supplies or reinforcements could get in to aid the troops in Yorktown, nor could the British escape. After the Patriots won this battle, a peace treaty was negotiated and signed, giving the United States sovereignty over itself.
Like Jamestown, there were two different historical attractions. One was an archeological tour run by the National Parks Service (NPS) and the other was a “living history museum” — meaning it was a recreation of what life was like back then — which was run by the same organization that ran the Jamestown Settlement.
The day was grey and very windy, and felt kind of ominous. However, there was no rain in the forecast and the temperature was pleasant. It was a nice change from the oppressive heat that we’ve experienced since arriving in Virginia.
The museum opened at 0900, but between the late start and traffic, we arrive until 1100. Parking was free. The tickets were $22 for 13+, so $2 more per person than the Jamestown Settlement. Like Jamestown, there was a large, nicely laid out and beautifully decorated indoor museum and an outside area with recreations of what life was like towards the end of the War of Independence.
Christi sitting with George Washington in front of the museum.Continue reading →
Continued… Upon arrival at the tavern, we were immediately ushered into a room that was lined with chairs. Fortunately, we’d arrived just as the doors were opening and got seats. Within minutes, it was standing room only. A black woman came in and told us she was one of the slaves who had worked at the tavern. She gave us her personal background. If we recalled correctly, she was sold away from her mother at around 12-ish to the tavern and that the people at the tavern became like surrogate family to her. She gave us the tour through her eyes as a slave.
The Raleigh Tavern was established around 1717 and burned down in December 1859, so this building was a reconstruction. They had provided guests with lodging, food, drinks, entertainment, and a stable for their horses. She’d said that not everyone got a private room — rooms were often shared with several others, often strangers. And not everyone got a bed — sometimes people slept on the floor.
She gave us some background on the importance of taverns back in the pre-revolutionary era. Basically, few venues could host big events, so taverns were a popular venue. The Raleigh regularly hosted balls when the court and legislature were in session, making it a high profile networking location.
Taverns became pivotal as the rebellion gathered steam. The patriot rebels certainly couldn’t meet in the Capitol building or Anglican Church as they were controlled by the British. They couldn’t meet in any of the other churches because of the laws about keeping doors and windows open, and they certainly couldn’t meet outdoors where any passer-by would hear their subversive talk. So taverns became critical places for planning. It was in this tavern that the Continental Congress was first proposed.
We went into the next room, which looked a lot like the coffeehouse, with a small beverage service area and a table with several chairs. A game, a newspaper and a book were laid out, indicating how the patrons spent their time in here. She gave more information about taverns, such as they sold liquor, beer, wine and ciders, which added to their popularity.
continued… After we left the blacksmith shop, we continued east down Duke of Gloucester Street to the Capitol Building, which was at the end of the street.
This was the side of the building. We had to make a right turn on Blair street to get to the entrance.
continued... We picked a restaurant called Dog Street Pub, which served traditional British food. It was decorated in the colonial theme and the staff wore period costumes.
Eric ordered a sampler platter, which had ham, cheddar, stilton cheese (which wasn’t crumbly like Trader Joe’s stilton), apples, beets, hard boiled egg, salad greens, chutney and black bread. He loved it. Keith ordered bangers and mash, which was sausage served on a bed of mashed potatoes and peas and smothered in gravy. Keith liked the sausage and the potatoes, but he didn’t like the gravy… and since the gravy covered everything, he didn’t love his meal.
