Our travels turned us north today from Durham, North Carolina into Virginia and ending in Williamsburg. We spent the afternoon walking around the colonial town and briefly onto the William and Mary campus.
A number of the colonial buildings were closed, likely because of COVID. It would have been more disappointing if we had purchased the $50 tickets to enter the buildings, but we opted to just walk the streets, see some of the reenactors, and enjoy a beautiful fall afternoon.
The most interesting reenactor was in character as Patrick Henry, the first governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He sat on the porch of the Raleigh Tavern and to a small crowd of tourists, he talked about Williamsburg being the true seat of American liberty — “Not Philadelphia, not New York, not Boston.” He also discussed as a Christian, he was conflicted by owning slaves, but always did. He said when he lived in the Governor’s Palace, there was no better meal than the veal stew at the King’s Arms Tavern. It was a fascinating discourse on a wide range of subjects.
We also came across General George Washington riding his horse and occasionally stopping to talk with people about life in Williamsburg in 1776-77, and allowing children to pet the nose of his horse.
Some other images from our afternoon:
And, of course, we enjoyed seeing Virginia’s state bird — ones we don’t see as often in Maine any more.
Tomorrow we plan to visit Jamestown and Yorktown in the morning before spending the rest of the day with Agnes, my second cousin who is 93 and a wonderful southern lady.
T&C Southwest Adventure 2021 
A day in Williamsburg is a wonderful trip back into American history. Chatting with Patrick Henry and George Washington must have been a thrill. The last time I was in Williamsburg Thomas Jefferson gave me a tour of the
Virginia House of Burgesses… now that was memorable. Moderate storm here but not terrible. Have fun while the pull of New England grows.
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