We had a great time in Williamsburg, without disturbing the time continuum; we stepped back into he past and saw life as it was in the 18th century.

We dined in Taverns like travelers used to do, strolled along ancient streets bordered by 18th century houses and shops, learned about the artisans of the era and their crafts, witnessed events like the beginning of the collapse of the Royal Government, listened to ghost stories and learned about the life of the early Americans in the 1700’s. It was delightful and very entertaining.

Capitol building.
This site was the seat of Virginia’s colonial government for 75 years.

Alternate view of the Capitol

Governor’s Palace and the gardens

The King’s Arm Tavern, featuring a menu of items served in the 18th century, and live entertainment of the era. We also liked the Shields Tavern for lunch.

Horseman bringing the news of the events that took place in Boston (the Boston Tea party).

Governor Dunmore on the balcony of the Capitol, informing the population about the punishments administered to the protagonists of the Boston Tea Party.

Citizens discussing the events on the day.

We also visited the inside of authentic 1700’s buildings, like the Wetherburn Tavern, where we learned what it meant to be a traveler in those days. A basic price for room and board was set by the authorities. That meant that for that price, you were entitled to a meal and a place to sleep. That did not mean you would have a private room, not even a private bed for that matter. The standard price meant; you would be sleeping with perfect strangers, in the same bed, in a room that would house about 20 people. If you had enough money to pay for “private accommodation”; you would sleep alone in your bed, but there would be multiple beds in the same room. Remember that bathing too often was considered hazardous to your health at the time, and that the bed linens were rarely changed, now just try to imagine the smell…. 😛 🙁

While in Colonial Williamsburg we visited the 1773 Public Hospital, which is the gateway to the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art museum. These were outstanding museums and well worth the time.

Example of a mental patient room in 1776. Patients were often called “inmates”.

In 1845, patient’s comfort had become more important as shown by the more comfortable furniture in the rooms.

Example of a portrait painted by a self-taught artist as seen in the Folk Art museum. This is the portrait of 2 young boys. (Did you notice that boys were wearing dresses back then?)

Times change but money problems remain the same…

Bear’s comment when we first started our visit of the area “I wish I had paid more attention in History class when I was young”. Actually, this place makes learning history fun, it is not at all like reading about it in a book and trying to remember dates. Of course, the history I learned in class was a little different, it had to do with the French and the war we lost against the British in 1759, but here, we learn about American history, and it is fascinating.

A quick reminder: This is the site of the first permanent British settlement in America. (On the main land, because there was a British settlement in what is now Newfoundland, in 1589). There had been some attempts before in other places, but these settlers either were massacred by the Natives or they went back to England because the living conditions were too harsh.

So, in December 1607, 104 men and boys, colonists under a charter granted by James I to the Virginia Company of London, set sail for America, and 4 and a half months later (April 1608), they arrived at the mouth of what is today the James River and found a good spot to settle their camp. They established the colony of Virginia, with James Towne as its capital. Their goal of course, was to establish a profitable colony so the Virginia Company could make money.

The area was already successfully inhabited by over 14, 000 “naturals”, the Powhatan Indians, who had lived there for generations. Their social organization was remarkable. You can imagine they were quite curious about these new settlers, the fact that they had no women with them, about their strange tools, and their way of doing things.

I won’t go into details, but times were hard, the colonists were starving, and although they were able to trade with the natives for food at the beginning, things were not always peaceful between the new neighbors, many died, but the colony did survive and would eventually thrive. The first women (2 of them, a woman married to a carpenter and her servant) would arrive in 1608. 90 unmarried women would arrive in 1620 in order to provide settlers with the opportunity to marry and start families. It took a while for the new colonists to find a way to be profitable, they tried many things, but they finally achieved their goal by growing Virginia tobacco which they exported to England.

Chief Wahunsenacawh (better known as Powhatan) ruled the area, and was the father of the famous Pocahontas, his favorite daughter, who saved the life of Captain John Smith twice during the first years of the colony. She also frequently visited the fort, bringing food and gifts from her father. In April 1613, Captain Argall kidnapped Pocahontas and brought her to Jamestown. While hostage, she received lessons in Christianity and converted, she was baptized. She later married John Rolfe, in April 1614; this marriage ensured peaceful relations between the Powhatans and the colonists. In 1616, she visited England with her husband Rolfe and their infant son Thomas, and was presented to the Royal Court. She died on March 21, 1617 in England and is buried in St. George’s Church in Gravesend, England.

Statue of Pocahontas

In 1619, privateers attacked a Portuguese ship and stole their cargo of African slaves, which they brought to James Towne. The status of these Africans in the colony is not exactly clear, there are records of black families owning land in the early days, what is certain though, is that by the mid 1700’s, laws had been passed and African Americans had lost all their rights and status, and were enslaved. 3 People, 3 different cultures, the British, the Powhatans and the Africans, their destiny and their interaction were to establish the foundation of what was to become the United States of America.

Jamestown was the capital of Virginia from 1607 until 1699, when the colony moved the government to Williamsburg.

What we can find in Jamestown today:

Today we can visit the Jamestown settlement, a replica of the fort where you can observe actors in costume living the way they would have been in the 1600’s.

You can observe a good demonstration on how to fire a musket! The picture on the right is blurry, because that was loud and even if I tried to be very still when it happened, the natural reaction to such a loud noise is to jump, which I did of course, but just a little bit 😉

You can also see a replica of a Powhatan Indian village.

This kind of structure, which has a name I can’t remember, housed one Powhatan family. The children were very important in the Powhatan culture; they started participating in sharing the chores of daily life as soon as they were able to imitate their parents (2 or 3 years old). They had specific chores to do, which were essential to the life of the community, like standing in a structure like this one and making a lot of noise, so the birds and animals would stay away from the garden (now I can just see my grandson Mathew doing that!) 😉

The Powhatans built canoes by bringing down a big tree in the water and then removing material from the inside of the trunk by burning and scraping. These canoes were very solid, floated well and were maintenance free for at least 50 years. The new settlers, who at first laughed at those canoes, soon learned their value and started to use them.

In this picture, the canoe is being made on land, but because of the sheer weight of these, originally they were made right on the water.

We can also climb aboard replicas of the 3 ships that brought the settlers to Jamestown.

You can just imagine how bad the conditions were on these ships, especially for such a long voyage. The flagship of the expedition was the Susan Constant;
With an overall length of 116’, and width (beam) of 24’10”, it carried 54 passengers and 17 crew, that’s 71 people my friends, on a ship where the total living quarter space is not much bigger than the size of our motorhome, if you take into account that they had to carry enough supplies to be able to feed 71 people during almost 5 months, and on top of that, all the tools and odds and ends they would need to establish a colony. Huh, hmm No thanks! I’ll pass!

Bear in front of the replica of the Susan Constant and “luxurious” sleeping accommodations on board the ship… and a picture of the Discovery, a smaller ship. I am not kidding when I say luxurious, because most passengers didn’t even have a bed; they slept on top of cargo boxes, or on the floor, wherever they could find a spot.

We then went to Jamestown Island, the archeological site. For years, they thought that the emplacement of the original fort had been lost to erosion, until archeological digs found stains in the soil that indicated wood had stood and rotted there, they had found the fort! It was originally about 200 yard from the water, but it is now very close to it, so they built a sea wall to stop the erosion around the island.

As usual, bear made a new girlfriend:

after his conversation with his new flame, we walked down to the original fort, where we can find today, the still-standing tower of a church built in 1686, using the foundations of the earlier church who had burned.

Abandoned in 1750, the church fell in ruins by the 1790’s, and although the tower remained intact, bricks for the other portion of the church were used to build the present graveyard wall. The first church on this site was built in 1617, and it is in that church that the first legislative assembly in America convened from July 30 to August 4, 1619.

It is interesting to observe the work of the archeologists who are digging on site, they are willing to stop and talk to you as you walk by.

They found many artifacts from the period who are now housed in the Archaearium museum not far from the fort. No pictures were allowed in the museum.

We started our visit of Charleston by taking a bus tour, in order to find out what there was to see and what Charleston was all about. Unfortunately, our guide, who was very knowledgeable, spoke so fast, that we could not understand what he was saying. We did asked him to slow down, but he replied that he had to fit 400 years of history into a 90 minute tour. So he did, but we managed to understand about a quarter of what he said.

We then took a cruise, to see the town from the water, that was very enjoyable. From the boat we could see the Charleston’s skyline, the gorgeous houses that were near the water, and also Fort Sumter, where the first battle of the Civil war took place.

While we were on the tour bus, Doug spotted the only knit shop in Charleston 🙂

Now he can’t blame me for that one, because he is the one who pointed it to me. After we got out of the bus, we walked back to the knit shop, appropriately names “Knit”. While Doug was browsing the Charleston Dining guide, I had a very enjoyable time in this 3 room shop full of gorgeous yarns, books, patterns and tools.

After Doug had suffered in the knitting shop for a few hours, we made our way to Vickery’s grill , a restaurant recommended by the knit shop owner. They serve Cajun food. Bear ordered a plate of Lowcountry boil (a mixture of different critters like shrimp, crawfish etc etc) served on a bed of creamy grits.

Charleston is also a good place to eat She-Crab soup, a soup made with female crabs and their roe (very good).

On our way back home that evening, we stopped by the Mercedes dealership and test-drove a Smart Passion 🙂 I totally fell in love with this tiny cabriolet full of clever features, like a back-up camera, fully retractable roof. And yes, it does have some trunk space and it is towable 4 down. How cute it would be behind the motorhome, like a little bunny tail! It only weighs 1700 lbs and averages 50mpg and it’s a pusher! like in the motornome, the motor is in the back! LOL LOL

The next day we decided to walk and go take pictures of things we had spotted the day before on the bus tour. There is a shuttle service in Charleston, it costs $9.00 for 3 consecutive days, it is very uncomfortable but worth it, you can step on and off as you wish, there are bus stops all around the historic district.

The historic society for the protection of Charleston is very powerful, the firefighters in this fire station have been asking for years to modify the doors so they can fit regular size fire engine trucks in the fire station, but they have been denied every time, so they have to make do with small size fire trucks 🙂

On our way to the town’s market, Doug and his new favorite girlfriend spent some time eating candied pecans and chatting, they do say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, the proof in in the pudding, or at least in the pecan! LOL LOL LOL

At the corner of the candy shop, we spotted this “work of art”, a telephone pole covered with chewed gum!

The City market

We visited the market where artisans from the area offer the fruit of their labors for sale. We found a lot of Sweetgrass baskets.

These baskets are a historically significant example of African cultural heritage that was transported across the Atlantic by enslaved African people. Coiled basketry, one of the oldest African crafts in America, appeared in SC during the late 17th century. Bulrush and palm, mainstays of coiled baketry, are ancient plants that are mentioned in the Bible. They are also prevalent in Africa, and their availability in the Lowcountry proved to be a welcome cultural connection the the homeland. Today, sweetgrass baskets are available for sale on the roadside stands along Highway 17 and at the City Market. You can observe artisans while they are making the baskets and ask questions, and, of course, make a friend, like we did with Mary Alice, who, while she was making a basket, explained to Doug, the secrets of making creamy grits. Here she is, posing with me and our brand new sweetgrass basket.

The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon

From the market we walked down E Bay Street and found the Old Exchange building, constructed between 1778-1781. It is one of the last formal structures built by the British Colonial Government in the American Colonies. It was built for the purpose of public meetings, splendid entertainment and office of the King’s Customs Collector.

Donwstairs, the Provost Dungeon was used mainly as a warehouse to store goods like rice, indigo, cotton and other staples of the colony waiting to be shipped or delivered.

After a siege of 42 days, on May 12th, 1780, Charles Towne fell to the British. With a large number of prominent patriots in the city, the British were concerned about an uprising of the “rebels”. They arrested many of Charles Towne’s prominent citizens who were seized from their homes and brought to the dark cellar. The Provost, earned the name “dungeon” and was used as such for two years until the British fled the city in 1782. The living conditions were horrible and many perished from diseases. While evacuating, they took with them the Bells of St. Micheal’s, 500 rice barrels filled with silver, 3, 000 loyalists and 5, 000 slaves.

The second floor of the building is where in 1788, delegates from around the state ratified the United States Constitution, becoming the eighth state to do so. It is also where, to celebrate the new country, Charleston entertained President George Washington with an elaborate ball in May of 1791.

In this pictures, I think the ghosts in this room are playing a trick on Doug’s shoes!

The pirate connection

Blackbeard, one of the most feared pirate in history. His name was Edward Teach, but he earned his nickname because of his long black beard. Prior to battle, Teach would braid his beard, dip the ends in wax, and would light the ends on fire, creating a shroud of smoke around his head. It was so terrifying to the people of the time, that many believed he was the incarnation of the devil, often causing the opposing crews to surrender their vessel without a fight.

Amongst his exploits, was the blockading of Charles Towne Harbor in May 1718, where he and Stede Bonnet held the whole city ransom for desperately needed medical supplies.

The following winter, his career came to an end, when on January 3rd, 1719, Lt. Robert Maynard and his crew engaged the Queen Anne’s Revenge (Blackbeard’s ship) and defeated the pirates. Legend has it, that after they cut his head, his body was thrown overboard and it is said to have swam 3 times around Maynard’s vessel before sinking into the sea!

The architecture

One of the main reason I wanted to visit Charleston was for the architecture. Charleston, before the Civil War, used to be a very rich city. The average income in today’s dollars would be about $350, 000. (Of course, we do not count the slaves in this average). These rich families were able to hire the finest architects and skilled labor to build their homes. The spared no expense. For example, one family built a 14, 000 sqft home, because they had 14 children and figured they needed 1, 000 sqft of space per child. The houses often have a narrow facade, but are very deep. One of the reason is that they were taxed according to how much of the house was facing the street, the other reason is that they were oriented to catch the breeze.

On many on the houses, we noticed what they call “earth quake bolts”. Charleston was victim of a violent earthquake and the houses had to be repaired. One of the ways they found to do this, was to insert a long metal rod in the space between floors, and with the help of a turn buckle, they realigned the walls. This reinforcement is the reason why so many pre-civil war houses are still in existence today in Charleston.

The Boone Hall Plantation

Doug thinks it is a conspiracy. He thinks that I purposely choose places to go where he will have to drive over a big bridge. I swear I don’t do it on purpose! Anyway, in order to go to the town of Mt Plaisant, we had to cross this bridge.

And this is the face he made while driving over the bridge, that my friends, is not a smile, it is a grimace.

We made it to Boone Hall Plantation, which is still privately owned, the two top floors of the main house are still used as a residence by the owners where they are in the area.

The house was actually built by a Canadian Embassador in 1936, after he bought the property for the price of $55, 000. He and his wife did not think that the old house (which was a regular farm house) was habitable, so they replaced it with what they thought was a suitable plantation house. As the tour guide explained, the first house had burned, the second house had been destroyed by the Yankees, the third house was destroyed by the Canadians and we can now enjoy the 4th house on the property ;).

Boone Hall is one of the only plantation where the Slaves house are still standing. Those little brick structures, would each house one family. These were the skilled slaves, and the ones that were serving in the house (the high class slaves). The field slaves resided in wood structures near where they worked, and these didn’t survive.

This is a good place to explore the “Gullah” culture. We enjoyed a live presentation on the evolution of this culture in the Lowcountry. The Gullah language is derived from many languages, mainly English, but with bits of Portugese, Spanish, etc. etc. It is spoken extremely fast, with a completely different rythm than English, on top of that, the sound “th” is pronounced either like a hard “d” or hard “t”, so although it is mainly English, it is very hard to understand. The Slaves that were brought here, came from many African countries and spoke hundreds of different dialects, in order to understand each other and communicate, they developed the Gullah language. They also adopted Christianity (which was surprising to me, since that was the religion of their captors, until they explained why). It turns out that they connected with the story of how God freed the Jewish Slaves from Egypt, and the African slaves believed that he would do the same for them if they prayed hard enough.

Last but not least, we ended our visit to Charleston by eating brunch at High Cotton, a wonderful little restaurant on E. Bay street. We ordered Crab Benedictine, (poached eggs staked on a crab cake on top of a slice of fried greed tomato) and covered with a nice hollandaise sauce. Served with either grits or house hashed potatoes. It was absolutely delicious.