The Past Revealed: Archaeology at the Bray School

Tantalizing new research points to an impossible conclusion: the Reconstruction may have overlooked an original 18th-century building. More remarkable still is the possibility that it may have housed Virginia’s first school for the education of black children: the Bray School.

Archaeologist Mark Kostro details the story the soil tells as his team hunts for the conclusion suggested by Professor Terry Meyers’ research: the Bray School is found.

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Raising Williamsburg's Market House

A town’s market house was a bustling hubbub of vendors, shoppers, and business. Colonists from all walks of life mingled on market days: housewives, servants, slaves, and tavern keepers. The market was the heart of the community, and as such, it was tightly regulated and regularly inspected. Architectural Historian Carl Lounsbury introduces the latest reconstruction on Duke of Gloucester Street.

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in Archaeology & Conservation, Food and Drink | 6 comments

Giving Thanks in Colonial Virginia

Though Thanksgiving as we know it would not become a national holiday until Lincoln declared it in 1863, colonial Virginians found many occasions to give thanks. Journeyman cook Barbara Scherer tells us what was on the table, and explains that technically, you’re probably not roasting your turkey at all.

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in Food and Drink, Holidays | No comments