Williamsburg, VA served as the colonial capital of the Colony of Virginia from 1699 - 1776 and then as the seat of Virginia's state government until 1780 when the capital of Virginia was moved to Richmond. From then on Williamsburg was left a quiet country town. Although later it would suffer scars from the Civil War; neither time nor war could tarnish its brilliance.
The restoration of Williamsburg to it's current 18th century appearance was the dream of Rev. Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin who became the rector of Bruton Parish Church in 1903. In 1926 his dream became reality when he met with philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
In 1934 President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Williamsburg to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the restoration. He told the nation on this visit, "The atmosphere of a whole glorious chapter in our history has been recaptured."
Today, the Historic Area of Williamsburg is both a living history museum as well as a living city with the motto: "That the future may learn from the past." |
