With origins dating back to the 1650s, this church structure is only part of the story of this Episcopal parish community. The church was built in the 1730s, with additions in the 1770s. During the Revolutionary War, troops from the British, American, and French armies all used the building and its grounds. In 1825, the church was converted into a school, Hickory Neck Academy, and part of the original structure demolished. During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate troops used the site. When the school closed in 1907, the church was reconsecrated and is still in use as an Episcopal church.
This brick Georgian manor dates to around 1735, originally sitting on a large plantation with a long history stretching back to the earliest European settlements in Virginia . Architect Richard Taliaferro, Powhatan's first owner, most likely built the house. It passed through many hands in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. During the Civil War, a fire destroyed the interior of the house, and while it was rebuilt, many of the details of the original architectural style were lost. In 1948, a restoration project returned the house to an appearance similar to its original state. The house sits amid ancient oaks and is now part of a resort.
The oldest building on the campus of the College of William & Mary, the Wren Building dates back to 1695 when construction began. The building is named in honor of English architect Sir Christopher Wren, and despite several fires that required reconstruction of various parts of the building, it remains the oldest academic building in continuous use in the United States. The College of William & Mary is a historic liberal arts university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Originally established as a royal college in 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest higher education institution in the United States after Harvard University. William & Mary was the first college in the United States to become a university, the first to have a Greek-latter fraternity, the first to establish an honor code, and the first to establish schools of Law, Modern Languages, and Modern History. The school also boasts numerous alumni influential in the early history of the country, including Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler; sixteen members of the Continental Congress and four signatories of the Declaration of Independence; Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall; and Speaker of the House Henry Clay. Several of the original buildings on campus have been restored to their eighteenth century appearances. Today the College of William & Mary is a state-supported public research university with over 8,000 enrolled students.
The President’s House at the College of William & Mary is the oldest residence for a university administrator in the United States. Constructed in 1733, this historic mansion has housed every President of the College of William & Mary except for one (Robert Saunders, who chose to stay in his own home during his tenure from 1846-1848). During the American Revolution, it was occupied by both rebels and Redcoats during the Battle of Yorktown. The house was damaged by fire and renovated several times before being restored to its colonial appearance in 1931. Recent work on the home has blended modern amenities while maintaining the historic appearance of the residence. The house has been visited by multiple U.S. Presidents, members of the British monarchy, and hundreds of leading public intellectuals and scholars. Today the house remains the official residence of the William & Mary president and is also used to receive visitors and hold events for students, faculty, alumni, and prospective donors.
The Brafferton is the second oldest building on the College of William & Mary campus. Constructed in 1723, it is one of three surviving colonial buildings, along with the Wren Building and the President’s House, that make up the college’s Historic Campus. While today serving as the offices for the president and provost of William & Mary, the building originally housed the college’s Indian School. Established as part of William & Mary’s charter in 1693, the Indian School was intended to provide some Native Americans with a Western education in the hopes that they would spread European culture to their tribes. In this aspect the Indian School largely was a failure, and closed when funding was halted during the American Revolution.
Bruton Parish Church is located in the restored section of historic area of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. Dating to 1677, the church is a well-preserved example of colonial religious architecture. The excellent condition of the church is largely due to an extensive restoration effort funded by John D. Rockefeller Jr. during 1938–1939, which restored Bruton Parish Church to its original appearance. This active Episcopal parish is known for its exceptional music program, a musical tradition dating back to 1755 and includes multiple choirs and candlelight concerts.
The Wythe House was built in 1754 by Richard Taliaferro, George Wythe's father-in-law. Wythe would inherit the property following his marriage to Elizabeth Taliaferro. George Washington used the house as his headquarters just prior to the Battle of Yorktown. The building went through several owners until it came into the possession of Reverend Dr. W. A. R. Goodwin in 1926. From there, it would pass into the care of Colonial Williamsburg in 1938. It would be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
The Governor’s Palace was the official residence for the royal governors of colonial Virginia during much of the eighteenth century. Constructed from 1706-1722, the Palace housed seven royal governors and two post-colonial governors, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. After the Virginia capital was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond in 1780, the house served as a hospital for American soldiers during the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. The Palace was destroyed by fire later that year. In 1930, archaeologists from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation excavated the site and uncovered the original foundation. The entire palace was reconstructed in 1934 and furnished with historically accurate items. Today the Governor’s Palace is a part of Colonial Williamsburg and is open to the public.
The Peyton Randolph House was built in 1715 by William Robertson and purchased by Sir John Randolph in 1724. As it was passed down the family, it has hosted several notable guests, such as George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. The house is now part of the Williamsburg Historical District, though part of it remains a private residence. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Built around 1770, the James Semple or Randolph-Semple House follows the Classical Revival style. It is an example of Palladio's Roman Country House adapted as a wooden-framed building. Though it has not been proven, some ascribe the design of the house to Thomas Jefferson, who lived in Williamsburg during the period of the house's construction and whose drawings of the house at Monticello are very similar to this one. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation acquired the building and restored it in 1932, repairing dilapidated structures and removing a wing added in the nineteenth century. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1970, and the National Register of Historic Places recognized it for its architectural significance in 1974.
Bassett Hall is a wood frame mansion house built in the mid-1700s that is part of Colonial Williamsburg. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. lived in the house with his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, during the early years of the restoration and rebuilding of the colonial capital. The couple donated $68 million to support historic restoration within the area and spent several weeks at the home twice a year. The Rockefeller family bequeathed the house and grounds to Colonial Williamsburg in 1979. The restored house is open for tours with a Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket. The tour of the home also includes a tour of the outbuildings and fourteen acres of gardens and woodlands and the opportunity to ask guides questions about the history of the region from the colonial era to the restoration and preservation of Colonial Williamsburg.
This exemplar of Virginia plantation architecture dates back to the 1750s. Richard Taliaferro designed and David Minitree built the house for Carter Burwell, grandson of prominent landowner Richard Carter. The house retains its original woodwork, created by English craftsman Richard Bayliss. The Carter family owned the home for almost one hundred years, until the 1830s; for nearly another century, the house's structure and design remained intact. In the late 1920s, an exterior renovation sought to give the manor a grander appearance, which altered the original Georgian structure. The house was formerly owned by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and is now in private hands and under conservation easement.
Built in 1769 along the Great Warwick Road by William Harwood, this Civil War-era plantation is now a living history museum. The two-story Georgian-style home includes a twenty-four acre plot of land with two cemeteries and three outbuildings. The home was used as a resting place during the Revolutionary War. During the Civil War the home was used as a hospital. Newport News acquired the building in 1995 and restored it to its current condition.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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Heritage tour of architecture dating from Virginia's colonial era, ca. 1650 to 1770. The tour includes historic homes, churches, government buildings, and several buildings on the campus of the College of William and Mary, representing a range of architectural styles. To make this a walking tour, start in the middle and stick to the properties in central Williamsburg.
