Williamsburg Carpentry Trades

 September 20, 2022 ~ By Jarret

I’ll start by saying that Williamsburg couldn’t have been a better fit for me when it comes to a trip not intended just for relaxation, but instead a trip with a little learning and purpose in mind. When it comes to learning, I learn best by a visual format with props you can touch and feel and the ability to ask questions and interact. So, needless to say, Williamsburg fit this to a “T”.

There were numerous tradesmen and tradeswomen who gave demonstrations of their craft. The gratifying thing with each and every one of them is that their work had a tangible purpose. For example, the tailor painstakingly makes period-authentic garments for his fellow Williamsburg citizens. And they also have a connection with history, with real tradesmen and women of the past. This was something very satisfying to me, as it’s not common to see our clothes or shoes being made in front of us.

Woman sharpening a saw blade.  Note the tavern mugs being used for drinking water.

And of course, the people who work with wood are definitely some of the people I  most wanted to meet. This craft in this historical setting combines two things I love: woodworking and increasing my knowledge of how woodworking and house building have been done in times past. Colonial American architecture, in particular, is something I always find attractive and want to learn more about.

There were two shops I visited related to these crafts: the cabinet shop and the joinery shop. First, my mom and I visited the cabinet shop. As we entered the first room of the shop, we were greeted by a row of beautiful furniture that had been built without the benefit of modern power tools. Next, as we stood at the back of a crowd of people, I was impressed by my mom identifying the species of a few slabs of raw wood. This was a reminder of where I got my love of woodworking - my mom has done wood projects her whole life and gave us kids a lot of teaching and the freedom and encouragement to use tools and develop creativity and confidence in a variety of crafts from a young age.

As the crowd thinned out, we learned briefly about the cabinetmakers as well as the harpsichord makers, who operated in the same shop. A funny thing that occurred was when the cabinetmaker showed a brand new drop-leaf table he’d recently finished, noting that the interesting swivel-leg design was common in the late 18th century. My mom let him know that a similar coffee table in our rented cottage had an unfortunate height/width ratio, as well as a missing leg and two compromised legs, which caused continual hazard to our food and drink. She even jokingly offered to take an original 1700’s leg that he’d found at an antique sale and fit it to our sad coffee table.

Explaining the history of an antique table leg

Next, I visited the joinery shop on my own. I learned that joinery in the context of the late 1700’s essentially meant being a finish carpenter, which also included building your own doors and windows. One thing that really interested me was when one of the carpenters pulled down a well-worn book, which was a dictionary of architectural styles. He commented on the use of Doric columns which were prevalent in that era, such as we’d observed at the US Capitol, and how George Washington chose simpler Tuscan columns for Mount Vernon. Then he showed me some commonly used tools, many of which were typical saws and planes, but I hadn’t seen molding planes in person before.

Our time at these and most shops was fairly brief, so I’d love to go back and learn much more about the tools the carpenters were using and see more projects being worked on. In another life, I could see myself working in one of these shops for a few years, and I think I’d find great satisfaction in using my mind and hands to preserve history and beautiful architecture.

Duke of Gloucester Street and The Restoration of a City

 September 16 – 21, 2022, by Amy

Duke of Gloucester Street, running east to west through the heart of what is now known as Colonial Williamsburg, has undergone substantial changes since the sturdy leather boots of our founding fathers strode its cobbles.  In the ensuing years, the city saw many changes, the advent of motor cars brought filling stations and garages, the telephone brought poles and wires down the center of it.  And then came WWI, causing expansion and hastily constructed buildings of all kinds, jammed cheek by jowl with their genteel old neighbors. 

A horse trots down shady Duke of Gloucester Street

The history of the restoration of Duke of Gloucester Street and the surrounding town is exhaustive, and would require multiple blogs, but it really began with the dream of one man, a former rector of Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, the Reverend W. A. R. Goodwin, in the mid-1920s.  With much persuasion, John D. Rockefeller, Jr caught the vision and provided the majority of the finances for the huge endeavor. 

To restore the city to its former state, many buildings had to be removed entirely, and many more repaired.  Some, that had succumbed to fire or other disasters were rebuilt, after extensive research, on their original foundations.  Today the street, and surrounding city, is not the same as when George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry raised their voices over an ale in the Raleigh Tavern in days of yore, but their boots echo on the pavement still today. 

A crowd gathers outside the Raleigh Tavern to hear stirrings of independence

With concession to the needs of the modern visitor, the city has been painstakingly restored to become the world's largest living history museum.  Attention to detail can be found everywhere.  Signage is kept to a minimum, trash receptacles are old barrels, stoneware mugs or steel flasks are carried in leu of water bottles by the authentically costumed interpreters that roam the streets, run the various shops, and ply the trades.

Shops, trade buildings, private residences, and rentable colonial homes are scattered along DOG Street, its parallel streets of Francis and Nicholson, and several cross streets.  

Wm Prentis Shop 1739

The shop in the photos below was a family favorite as it was chocked full of fun colonial era toys, crafts, and loads of books.

Toys for kids of all ages

Door handle to the Wm Pitt shop

Not all the buildings are open for shopping or touring, and their days and hours vary.  Instead of signs, a flag is placed in front of open buildings.  On the left side of the photo below, you can see the elderly shop owner of Dubois Grocery placing a flag by the steps.

To add to the flavor of bygone days, horses, pulling a variety of conveyances, could be heard clip-clopping down the streets all day long.  For a leisurely tour of the city, one could purchase tickets for a carriage ride.  We kept so busy on our feet that we never even found the time to look into this option. 

The center of the streets are paved with modern asphalt, but the sides of streets, sidewalks, and paths between buildings are paved with cobbles, random bricks, or other materials.  In many areas oyster shells fill planters and empty stretches near buildings.  

Little pocket gardens fill the spaces between the buildings, with fragrant flowers nodding over rustic fences.

Horses peacefully grazing near the north end of Botetourt Street

The Brick House That Isn't Made of Brick

 Sept 16 – 21, 2022, by Amy and Honoria

 

The Brick House

Situated on Botetourt Street, just a bit off Duke of Gloucester Street, this cozy cottage seems to have a variety of names.  Directly behind the Brick House Tavern (a historic tavern with “16 Good Rooms for Ladies and Gentlemen”), the residence was used in the 1700s for a wheel and cart shop.  It is sometimes referred to as The Brick House Shop, or simply The Brick House, but the building has a metal plaque stating The Brick House Tavern Store.

Our sign that we were almost home

A bit of history from the Colonial Williamsburg website:

[The Brick House Shop is a two-bedroom house located behind the main Brick House Tavern on Botetourt Street. In the 18th century, the shop was used by two entrepreneurs to carry on the "RIDING-CHAIR MAKERS business, in all its branches; and likewise make carts, and all kinds of wheels."]

Full of the charm of period furnishings, our house just fit us.  Barely.  Upstairs there was a petite bathroom under a slanted roof and an equally petite bedroom, furnished with two full-size beds. 

Downstairs in the main living space was a leather sofa bed where the boys slept, a couple of small tables and two leather chairs.  At my advance request, a small refrigerator was brought in.  Food in the colonial taverns is pricy, so this modern concession and a nearby grocery really helped with the cost of feeding eight hungry people. 

The remaining room downstairs was my bedroom with a four-poster, and an attached bath, the latter which I shared with the family.

Four-poster bed downstairs

Downstairs bedroom

View from the bedroom

 The old bench out front was a pleasant spot to rest during the day, but at night the mosquitos came out in droves to torment us. 

A shady corner to wait

Tired, hot and itchy from mosquitos, but ready to explore some more

Following is a short blog about the house, and a sneak peek at some other exciting aspects of our time in the city.

The House at Williamsburg

By Honoria (age 12)

From a mock trial you are allowed to participate in, to buying authentic souvenirs at the realistic old-fashioned shops, Colonial Williamsburg is an astonishing place to see and interact, in the lovely state of Virginia. My experiences have been great, and my favorite part of it all was the old-fashioned cottage we got to stay in.

Coming home to The Brick House

The genuine wood floors, leather couches and chairs, and out-dated patterned cloth used as curtains or carpets were the eye-catching features of the house. The springy beds, and squeaky floorboards, made me feel as though I were experiencing the 1700’s for real! I loved walking up the stair-runner placed along the wooden steps. The bathrooms were not as out-dated as the rest of the house, and I enjoyed the modern touch to the house, though I still appreciate the old part of the cottage as well. Me and my sisters also enjoyed the small closet we found, with a pull-switch light bulb. It served as a small play-area and helped our imaginations soar.

The original old house that we stayed in was amazing, eye-catching, authentic, and I really enjoyed living in the small cottage in the old town of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

Through the gardens, the back way to The Brick House

On to The Revolutionary City of Williamsburg

 September 16, 2022, by Amy

After four busy, eventful days in Washington DC, we rented a vehicle and traveled a few hours south to Williamsburg, VA.  We are eight people, with eight pieces of luggage (one, a hard-shell the size of a Buick Town car).  The Ford Explorer was a 7-passenger vehicle.  Jarret was not only our patient driver, but an intrepid packer-of-the-luggage.  The large suitcase stood up between the front and middle row.  Oh, and we also each had a backpack fit in there somewhere!

Along the route we came across a posh rest area, that not only had historical significance, but lots of snack and drink machines.  The latter of course being utilized, despite our recent lunch in DC.

Posh rest area

Rest area history sign

This would be my third visit to Colonial Williamsburg.  The first time in the spring of 2015, with daughter, Alyssa, when we were on our train trip around the country.  The following spring Alyssa and I, along with my parents, were able to stay in the heart of the Revolutionary City for five days.  My love of history (though not a penchant for memorizing dates) certainly came from my parents.  In the days to come, I would balance the reliving of sweet memories, with exploring the city with my young family.

Arriving in modern Williamsburg, we made a supper stop at Second Street Bistro.  A trendy place, with a typical Friday night crowd, we none the less had a delicious meal, with excellent service.  

Asian salad with a side of salmon at Second Street Bistro

It was fully dark by the time we drove the remaining few miles into Colonial Williamsburg, and settled into The Brick House, our home for the next five days. 

Unlocking The Brick House door for the first time

Real keys, for a really old door

The Washington Monument

September 15, 2022 by Jarret and Lachlan

 

Another thing that I’ve never had a chance to do is to go up in the Washington Monument. I’ve long been fascinated by this structure, which is another one that’s massive on a DC scale. It was even the tallest building in the world when it was completed, though not for long. At 555 feet, 5-⅛ inches tall, it does however still holds the record as the tallest freestanding masonry structure in the world.

 The last two times we went to DC, the elevator was in the process of being repaired/upgraded, so I assumed that it would be unlikely that we’d have an opportunity to go up in the elevator this time. I was happily wrong! On the previous two trips, we’d only admired it from the outside, which is rewarding in and of itself. It has a simple, elegant beauty. We’d learned why the color of the marble changed at about ⅓ of its height, since progress was halted for a period of over 2 decades, and also that the monument was damaged in an earthquake in 2011. But we’d never been inside.

Visible color change in the upper stone, as it was
quarried at a later date.

The chamber you enter after a brief intro by a NPS park ranger is pretty old, but the only original items were the cast-iron columns. A statue of George Washington was the highlight of the chamber, and is the most accurate statue of him in existence, as it’s from actual casts of his face and limbs. After a chance to view the chamber and statue and have questions answered, we got into the elevator.

        

The elevator ride was surprisingly short for a 500’ ride! The observation deck at the 500’ level is all indoor, with two small windows on each of the four sides and history pieces interspersed throughout. 

Lachlan wrote about the views:

“I didn't expect the views to be so good! I loved how the lack of skyscrapers made the view of the monuments the best in the entire city. You can see pretty much everything, with the Capitol building to the east, the Jefferson Memorial to the south, the Lincoln Memorial to the West, and of course, the White House to the north.”

East view, the United States Capitol and National Mall

South view, Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial

West view, WWII Memorial in foreground, then a long reflecting pool, and Lincoln Memorial

North view, The White House

I agree 100% with Lachlan’s comments. I somehow didn’t expect the White House view to be so good, in particular, since it had seemed hard to see from most angles on our past trips. It was an incredible new way to take in the National Mall we love, as well as the city beyond.

At the top there was information and a cutaway model of how the top of the monument was constructed. 

Display of the engineering, as well as how repairs are done

Cutaway of the amazing design of the stonework

There was a little treat on the ride down the elevator. We hadn’t realized that the doors had windows on them, because they’d appeared as simple frosted panels. But a video in the elevator told us to watch for the windows to become clear at a couple of points on the ride down. At these points, some special “commemorative stones” were revealed, which was a really cool bonus to finish the experience. This was another tour that was well worth our time.