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