Just got back from a history trip to the "Historic Triangle"- Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown. After 3 days there we headed to Goochland County where hubby's Huguenot ancestors settled after arriving in Jamestown in 1700, and even found the approximate location of their land grant (a highway runs through it now). From Goochland we went to Charlottesville for a visit to Monticello and the iconic UVA Rotunda.
I was very impressed with the Historic Triangle. I hadn't visited Williamsburg since I was a kid, and of course at that time did not really appreciate it. For those who might not remember, the timeframe recreated is the 1770's, just prior to the Revolutionary War, as residents of the time grapple with the issue of whether they want independence from Britain or not. While sometimes a bit on the Disney side of cleaned-up history, it seemed to be that they are beginning to grapple with the totality of history, including slavery and the uncomfortable fact that many residents were Royalists. We took various tours and found all the guides to be enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The various craftspeople doing demos - wigmaker, blacksmith, weaver, shoemaker, tinsmith, etc. - were all passionate about what they did, and conveyed that passion to us. We stayed at one of the official hotels - the Williamsburg Woodlands. It was heavy on tour groups and people with kids, but the staff were friendly and helpful, and a full breakfast buffet is included in your rate.
The next day we went back in time to Jamestown, circa 1607-1699. Visiting Jamestown is interesting as there are two places to see. Historic Jamestown is an NPS site located at the actual site of the settlement, and is now an active archeological dig. There's a museum there of artifacts they've discovered. There's also "Jamestown Settlement" which is a few minutes away, and is a re-creation of the Jamestown settlement - basically a fake version of the real thing down the road. Jamestown settlement also has an extensive museum tracing the history of Jamestown, from the first landing in 1607 all the way up to 1699 when the capital was moved to Williamsburg. The museum details the clashes with the Powhatan natives, the role of Pocahontas, the actions of Capt. John Smith, and how Jamestown was the place where the first slaves were brought to the English settlements in 1619. We went to Jamestown Settlement first, which worked out well, as when we went to the real Historic Jamestown, we already had a lot of background knowledge to appreciate what we were seeing.
Then we went forward in time to 1781 to Yorktown, where Britain's Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington after the Siege of Yorktown. Yorktown, Cornwallis, and the battle there were things I'd learned about in school decades ago and had pretty much forgotten, so it was nice to return there as a grown up to get a much better understanding of the significance of Yorktown. We only had time for half a day at Yorktown, and I wish we'd allowed more time. There's a brand new visitor center that just opened in April 2017, and like Jamestown, has an extensive museum tracing the origins of the Revolutionary War through the war itself and the aftermath. There are also outdoor exhibits, like the recreation of a battlefield campground, but we didn't get to see nearly as much of that as we liked.
We took a short detour to Goochland County, where hubby had an appointment to visit the Huguenot Library to do some genealogical research. He managed to pick up a few tidbits, including that a couple of ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War. (As opposed to my ancestors in New England who were apparently staunch Loyalists, as they fled to Canada immediately after the American victory and didn't return for over 100 years.) On our way to Charlottesville, we stopped at one of the numerous wineries in the area for a tasting, strictly for research purposes, of course.
Monticello of course was magnificent. It was Jefferson's masterpiece, and a place he'd created for himself and hoped could be passed down to his children and grandchildren. Everyplace you looked, there was some small incredible detail that just added to the wonder of the place. I loved it. It brought home to me how brilliant Jefferson was as a scientist and intellectual, while at the same time how incredibly impractical and shortsighted he was financially. I hadn't realized that he died over $100,000 in debt, which required his family to sell Monticello and everything in it just to pay off the debts - so much for creating a masterpiece to pass down to family. As with the other places we'd been, the guides and materials present a much more nuanced view of Jefferson than the one-dimensional rah-rah version that was a standard part of history studies when I was in school, and with that he became much more of a real person. The Monticello society is still grappling with some of the history, especially slavery and the Sally Hemings history, and any internal struggles Jefferson may have had. But it seems that they are trying more than they used to, and are doing more research into the lives of the enslaved individuals. But in my opinion, Mount Vernon is much further along in the process of acknowledging of how enslaved people were an essential part of the estate's history, and in exploring Washington's own moral grappling with the matter.
Charlottesville is still in shock from recent events. The spot where that beautiful young woman was murdered still has flowers, and the walls of the buildings facing the site have been covered with chalked heartfelt expressions of love for her and expressions of love trumping hate. Local shops display small signs with two simple graphics - one with "C'ville" written on a heart, and the other that simply says "Heather" with a small heart next to it. The Confederate statues are still covered, and at the site of that horrifying torchlit rally at the Rotunda on UVA's campus, officials have placed a piece of hard plastic on the ground in front of Jefferson's statue asking that all candles be placed on the plastic so as to avoid damaging the statue. Practicality in the midst of shock. The people of Charlottesville seemed determinedly friendly. Shopkeepers all said hello when we entered, passersby on the street nodded or said hello, people held doors open for each other, and even when boarding a bus, passengers said hello to each other. We stayed at the 200 South Street Inn, which I can highly recommend. The owner said his business is down about 20% and said that other businesses have had it worse. It's a beautiful little college town that was totally unprepared for what descended on them, and they are still reeling from it.
All in all it was a great trip, although my head is swimming with all the history!! It was a good time of year to go as there were few crowds anywhere we went, which made for a much nicer experience.
We have visitors arriving from N. Dakota tomorrow, so more history is on tap for me - Ft. Frederick, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Mount Vernon are all on the schedule for next week!