Weekend Visit to Virginia, Fort Monroe and Colonial Williamsburg

by admin

Late November 2021, I spent two days in southeast Virginia for some history, visiting Fort Monroe on the first day and Colonial Williamsburg on the second.

Actor of Marquis de Lafayette

I had two Marriott cat5 free nights that were to expire at the end of 2021, so I was looking for places to spend them. One property on my radar was Williamsburg Lodge, an Autograph Collection. I visited the other two of Virginia’s history triangle (Jamestown and Yorktown), so I thought it would be nice to complete the trio. On the other hand, slightly down the road, Fort Monroe had always been on my mind. I passed it twice in the previous years but didn’t have an opportunity to pay it a visit. There settled my itinerary for these two days.

So on the morning of Nov 28, I left my home in northern DC suburb around 9am. It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving and traffic was heavy along I95 in Virginia (just like every previous time I headed south along it). I tried to wake up as early as possible, but a 9am departure was really the best that I could do. And it’s 11am by the time I reached Fredericksburg, Virginia.
I planned to visit Fort Monroe in Hampton today, which meant after Fredericksburg I could take the beautiful country road of US17, instead of bearing with the traffic along interstate 95/64 towards Williamsburg. The villages along US17 were sparsely populated, and it’s an enjoyable drive as ever. After a few stops along the way for fuel and lunch, I reached Fort Monroe at 2pm.

Fort Monroe

A third system fort on the eastern coast, and the largest of its kind. Fort Monroe was only recently decommissioned in 2011, and subsequently in NPS procession.

It’s a sensational feeling driving into Fort Monroe across its perimeter moat and through its single-lane gates that dated back to the military era, as I witnessed first hand the depth and strength of its ramparts. The following photos were captured before I left.

Main Gate
Main Gate
Main Gate
Main Gate
Eastern Gate

The first of Fort Monroe’s historical significance came from a site next to it where in 1619, the first enslaved Africans arrived in English North America. Unfortunately, beyond proper recognition and reflection, this fact had been seized by those on the extreme end of the political spectrum for upending the society.

Casemate Museum

Upon arrival, I first checked out Fort Monroe’s casemate museum, located on the southwestern corner of the fort.

Recreations of C&O Railway Terminal

It’s interesting that the exhibits started with the few luxury hotels on the fort’s doorstep, the most noticeable of which being the Chamberlin (now a senior care facility). Chesapeake and Ohio Rail Company built a railway to Fort Monroe, which helped supply the fort but also brought many holiday makers to its beach. I was rather surprised to learn that watching soldiers marching along the fort’s central parade ground was a favored afternoon activity for the guests at the nearby hotels, as I envisioned such an important military installation wouldn’t be so welcoming to outsiders.

Whistler-Hearn Plotting Board
Used for coast artillery personal to determine position and distance of enemy ships.
Model of 12-Inch Disappearing Gun

In 1886, the Endicott Board, named for Secretary of War William C. Endicott, recommended that the arrangement of guns placed in shoreline defense be revised. In lieu of the seacoast forts, detached batteries, which could be placed over a larger defensive perimeter, were recommended. The armament for these batteries varied, but the 12-inch disappearing gun was the most powerful. Its unique mechanism enabled the gun to be loaded and fired from a concealed position, thus affording the crew some protection. When fired, the recoil of the gun caused the carriage to recoil into its “down,” or loading, position hence disappearing behind the emplacement. The weapon could also be lowered and concealed when not in use. Currently, Battery Parrott and Battery DeRussy, built between 1897 and 1905, are the still existent examples of this type of detached batteries.
Confederate M1814 12-Pounder Bronze Gun-Howitzer

Cast in 1862, this piece represents the continued reliance of the artillery on muzzle-loading, black powder weapons until the very end of the 19th century. This particular howitzer was one of only 42 that were made at the Tredegar Foundry in Richmond, Virginia. It was captured by Union troops during the Civil War and was sent to Fort Monroe as a trophy. The painting in the background depicted its loading process.
Artillery Display in Casemate

Casemate as Living Room and Bedroom

The second of Fort Monroe’s historical significance came with the Contraband during US Civil War. While Virginia ceded from the Union, Fort Monroe remained with the Union throughout the entire Civil War. On May 23, 1861, three slaves belonging to Charles Mallory of Hampton, VA, escaped to Fort Monroe. Later their owner demanded that the runaway slaves be returned according to Fugitive Slave Act (which required slaves be returned to their owners, even in a free state). Then commander of Fort Monroe, Benjamin Butler, boldly and creatively argued that since Virginia ceded from the Union, it’s now a foreign country and that the law no longer applied. The slaves were thus “contraband of war” and would not be returned. This eventually led to the passage of Confiscation Acts in US Congress, paving the way towards emancipation.

Then there’s a casemate that was converted to a prison cell for Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president that was held in Fort Monroe for about 2 years, before being released without being prosecuted. It’s interesting that his release bond was largely paid for by people of the north, in a gesture of healing between the north and the south. However, some argue that by not pressing charges, he escaped crime without consequences.

Jefferson Davis’ Prison Bed
Casemate as Jefferson Davis’ Prison
US Flag in Jefferson Davis Prison Cell

Rest of Fort

After the casemate museum, I took a ~~walking~~ driving tour of the rest of Fort Monroe ~~(since it’s too large to travel by foot)~~.

Moat

Passage

Between Casemate Museum and Visitor Center of Fort Monroe. This was the fourth way to cross the moat surrounding the fort, in addition to three main gates. The low ceiling at this passage was designed to ward off cavalry attack.

Buildings in Fort Monroe
Private residence.
Buildings in Fort Monroe
NPS office.
Chapel of the Centurion
Quarters No. 1
The first structure built in Fort Monroe, now in disrepair.
Quarters No. 1
The first structure built in Fort Monroe, now in disrepair.
Oak Tree along Parade Ground
Estimated to be over 400 years old.
Buildings around Fort Monroe
Private residence.
Buildings around Fort Monroe
Private residence.
St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church

While Fort Monroe was managed by NPS, there seemed to be no access into most of the historical buildings (except the casemate museum). In addition, some of the buildings in Fort Monroe were actually private residences, which did take away some senses of history. Compared to a national monument, Fort Monroe to me felt more like a picnic ground for the local families.

Building in front of Parade Ground
Building in front of Parade Ground
Rampart
Arch Memorial at Bastion

This was original set as a memorial to Jefferson Davis, the confederate president. For some, this was an acknowledgement to heritage and history, for others, a symbol of oppression. The words “Jefferson Davis” were removed from this memorial in the last few years.
Lincoln Gun
The largest artillery piece when built.
Battery DeRussy

I drove north and took a look at Battery DeRussy before I left. Unfortunately the building was left in ruins and sealed off to visitors.

Since Fort Monroe was steps from the sea, I also checked out its waterfront.

Sunset Glow
The Chamberlin
One of the original hotels around Fort Monroe, now a senior living center.
Container Ship
Naval Station Norfolk

Old Point Comfort Lighthouse
One that predated the construction of Fort Monroe.

After that, I concluded my tour of Fort Monroe and made my way towards Williamsburg, the colonial capital of Virginia. By the time I arrived in town, darkness had fallen.

A quick search and I decided to have dinner at Josiah Chowning’s Tavern, located on the historic Duke of Gloucester Street.
It’s a restaurant managed by Colonial Williamsburg, with its interior restored to colonial appearances and its waiters dressed in colonial clothes, that its patrons might feel like travelling back in time.

Dinner

The back side of the menu mentioned that Josiah Chowning opened a tavern at the site (or nearby) that served “plain fare”. Judging by the lack of sophistication of what I got (above), I sort of felt that was historically accurate.

Tableware and Exterior

And here’s the complete description of Josiah Chowning’s Tavern, printed on the back side of the menu, click to reveal.

“I hereby acquaint the publick that I have opened tavern where all who pleafe to favour me with their cuftom may depend upon the beft of entertainment for themfelves, fervants, and horfes, and good pafturage.”
JOSIAH CHOWNING.

The “publick” that Chowning hoped to attract to his tavern with this notice in the Virginia Gazette was made up mostly of local residents—artisans, shoppers, farmers who sold produce at the market, individuals with business at the Courthouse, idle bystanders—and an occasional traveler.
In size, clientele, and services, Chowning’s resembled rural Virginia taverns located at ferries, crossroads, and courthouses or small English alehouses. Despite Chowning’s boast of the “best of entertainment,” he served plain fare and his drink selection was limited to rum, local beer, and cider. He may also have offered wine, brandy, and bowls of punch on demand. The few travelers who spent the night probably lodged together in a room upstairs.
Tavern keeping was often a precarious trade for modest operators like Chowning, who rented the tavern. Many keepers of small taverns lived on the premises with their families, who helped with the work of waiting on customers, cooking, cleaning, and laundering. Little is known about Josiah Chowning. When the tavern was reconstructed, Colonial Williamsburg believed it was located on this site, but we now know that a store and dwelling were here and that the tavern was somewhere nearby. Chowning’s business lasted less than two years, but its twentieth-century counterpart has accommodated travelers and locals for over fifty years.
Chairs, benches, and tables represent the sturdy furniture found in colonial taverns catering to the middling sort. Excavated fragments show that the blue and yellow peacock on the dinnerware was one of several colorful bird motifs used by early Williamsburg residents. Utilitarian stoneware tablewares, plain tin sconces, and simply framed maps and prints accentuate the informality of Chowning’s Tavern.

Williamsburg Lodge

Then back to the hotel that pretty much prompted this trip. Williamsburg Lodge was a cat5 Marriott property that’s just steps away from Colonial Williamsburg. For those that wanted to take a nap during tours of Colonial Williamsburg the location was unbeatable. Usually its nightly rate hovered above 200 dollars, which actually made it a pretty decent redemption of Marriott’s free night certificate. With dynamic redemption, most of the weekend nights (Sat-Sun) were priced at 40k points per night, above the free night threshold, so instead I opted for this Sunday night stay.

By the way, if paying cash, the hotel offered packages that contained two tickets to Colonial Williamsburg, which were much cheaper than purchasing tickets separately. Colonial Williamsburg also offered (slightly) discounted tickets to hotel guests, despite they never verified that I was actually a hotel guest.

Hotel Room
Hotel Room
Bathroom
Hotel Room
A dedicated dressing room on the left, which was a bit redundant for me.
Guest Room Lobby
Room Key
Uniquely designed for the hotel’s historic location.

The next morning I took a tour of the rest of the hotel before checking out. It seemed to me that conferences were a huge part of the hotel’s business with an entire wing dedicated to conference rooms.

Main Building
Used for checkin and conferences.
Guesthouse Buildings
Bar Area
Currently closed due to COVID.
Bar Area
Currently closed due to COVID.
Christmas Decorations
Lobby
Lobby
Passage
Conference area.
Passage
Conference area.
Chairs
Stairs
Conference area.
Lobby
Conference area.

Colonial Williamsburg

Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia between 1699 and 1780, after being moved from the infertile coastal town of Jamestown and before being moved to the more geologically central Richmond. Its downtown layout was mirrored by nowadays Washington DC, with an east-west thoroughfare (Duke of Gloucester Street / National Mall), a legislative capitol on the eastern side, an executive mansion on the northern side separated by an open lawn.
Nowadays, Colonial Williamsburg, a private non-profit organization restored and managed much of the property, with characters dressed in colonial clothes as guides or performing reenactments.

Drone Flight

Since I didn’t have free breakfast at Williamsburg Lodge, I drove to the nearby Williamsburg’s Merchants Square and grabbed some breakfast. Along with food, it also turned out to be a great place to launch my drone for an aerial tour of the colonial parts of Williamsburg.

Colonial Williamsburg explicitly prohibited drone operations on its property. The College of William and Mary explicitly prohibited drone operations in or around Zable Stadium. The following drone flight did not take off, land, nor overfly aforementioned properties. At the same time, not constituting legal advice, I and many others in the drone community interpret “operation” as takeoff, land, and the physical presence of the operator within.

Duke of Gloucester Street
Duke of Gloucester Street
North Williamsburg
Merchant Square
William & Mary College
Sunken Garden of William & Mary
The Wren Building of William & Mary

And here were a few panoramic photos.

Overlooking Colonial Williamsburg

Overlooking College of William and Mary

Finally, here was a collection of footage of my drone flying along Duke of Gloucester Street.

Governor’s Palace

One of the best restored buildings in Colonial Williamsburg was the Governor’s Palace, which I began my day with.

Governor’s Palace
Governor’s Palace
Governor’s Palace

If I compared Williamsburg to Washington DC, then this lawn before the governor’s palace was like White House South Lawn.
Actor of Marquis de Lafayette before Governor’s Palace
French general that assisted George Washington in nearby Battle of Yorktown.
Governor’s Palace

Well and Support Buildings
Guestroom
Office
Piano in Banquet Room
Dining Table
Dining Table

Weaponry Display
Weaponry Display
Weaponry Display
Drinking Vessels
Furnace

Decorated with royal coat of arms. Our guide mentioned the manual labor required to keep it running properly in winter.
Our Guide
Apart from the mask in hand looked pretty colonial.
Decorations at Governor Palace Entrance

A lion and a unicorn on both sides of the doorway. I could understand that the lion represented British monarchy, but I couldn’t make sense of the unicorn.

Governor’s Palace
Seen from the back side.

After a guided tour of the Governor’s Palace, our guide encouraged us to check out the remaining parts of the palace grounds, mostly its gardens, at our own pace. In particular, there was a maze nearby.

Maze

The guide recommended us to check out the maze behind the governor’s palace, so I did. It turned out to be much more complex than I initially thought. The goal for this maze was obviously to reach its center, which would be very easy should one ignored the “left arrow” at entrance and took a right turn instead (how devious). This photo was taken from the nearby mound overlooking the maze, which some groups quickly figured out the correct way of solving this maze, by sending a scout onto this mound and directing maze-goers through phone calls.

Garden
Lawn
Plants
Stable

Courthouse

After that I checked out Williamsburg’s courthouse. Unlike Washington DC, the courthouse was located in the center of Duke of Gloucester Street.

Courthouse
Courtroom Interior
Clerk Room
Magistrates Room
The fancier of the two side rooms.
Jury Room
The less fancy of the two side rooms.
Pillory

Sentencing from the courtroom was often swift and public, carried out just outside the courtroom. Before COVID they allowed visitors to post photos with these.

Capitol Building

Finally, on the eastern end of Duke of Gloucester Street was the restored state capitol building.
This was the site where Patrick Henry delivered his speech against the Stamp Act on May 15, 1776, and a year later, a Virginia convention unanimously proposed that the Continental Congress “declare the United Colonies free and independent states.” The original capitol building was destored by fire and rebuilt many times. Nowadays, the capitol building was restored to resemble the first capitol in the early 18th century.

Capitol Building
Capitol Building
Capitol Building
Capitol Building
General Courthouse

Where the governor sat in the center and his councilors sat around him. During colonial times the councilors were members of the upper assembly, body of judges in the court, also executive advisors to the governor. So by today’s standards they were in all three branches of the government.
House of Burgesses
Where the speaker would sit in the center. The speaker’s seat was saved from the fire and thus original.

R Charlton’s Coffeehouse

Next to the state capitol building was R Charlton’s Coffeehouse, which offered free sampling of coffee (or liquid chocolate) at the end of its tour. That’s where I came across the distinction between a tavern, where I had dinner last night, and a coffee house. A tavern was mostly for travelers, and by law must provide food and lodging, and was heavily regulated during the colonial times. In contrast, a coffeehouse was more a social place where local people gathered and chatted, and was less regulated.

R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse
Newspaper at Table
Boardgame
Service Counter
Cups
Charlton’s Office

With his account book on the table. Back in colonial times currency wasn’t that widely used and most of the time business was settled in credit, as recorded by the account book.

Next to the coffeehouse was an open-air theater, where actors would dress up as some historical characters and offer interpretations.

Actor for Patrick Henry / Thomas Jefferson

Apart from that, Colonial Williamsburg also had workshops of various trades around, where actors dressed in colonial clothing would recreate those trades and lives during the colonial period.
In particular, most of their products went back to reenactments, like the colonial clothing that the workers wore came right out of the weaver and leather workshop, their shoes came from the shoe maker. At the same time, some surplus was sold in the souvenir shops.

Cooper
Cooper
Chicken Raised in George Wythe House

I had no clue whether they would be turned into poultry on the menu. Given how everything else worked around here, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.
Leather Works
Printing Press
Shoes
At the shoemaker store. These were typical shoes in the colonial era.
Utensils Created by Blacksmith
Blacksmith
Pasteur and Galt Apothecary Shop

Building closed during my visit with this photo taken through the windows. In addition to dispensing drugs, they also provided medical services.
Weaving Machine
Spinning Wheel

Then there were the other historical buildings in town.

George Wythe House

George Wythe was tutor and friend of Jefferson. Wythe was the first professor of law at an American college, and first Virginian signer of the Declaration of Independence. Washington used the house as his headquarters in 1781 before the siege of Yorktown.
The Magazine
Where weaponry and powder were stored, unfortunately closed during my visit.
Market House

The city of Williamsburg erected a Market House on this site in the late 1750s. It provided a central location for procuring goods whose quality and price were regulated by city officials. Vendors from the countryside set up their wares both inside the Market House and at booth on the adjacent paved marketplace.
Prentis Store

Merchant William Prentis oversaw construction of this store in 1740. His family managed the business until 1779. This is the oldest commercial building in town.
Secretary’s Office
Next to capitol building.
Christiana Campbell’s Tavern
Presbyterian Meetinghouse

After receiving permission from the county court, a small group of Presbyterians began worshipping here in 1765. Besides Bruton Parish Church, this meetinghouse was the only authorized place of worship in Williamsburg before the American Revolution. “We intend to make use of a House in the City of Williamsburg Situate on part of a Lott belonging to Mr. George Davenport as a place for the Public Worship of God according to the Practice of Protestant Dissenters of the Presbyterian denomination”.
The Brick House Tavern

Still functioned as a hotel nowadays. It had an interesting slogan about “16 good rooms for ladies and gentlemen”.
Shields Tavern
Kings Arms Tavern
Bruton Parish Church

Horse Carriage
One might also opt for a horse carriage tour of colonial Williamsburg.
Debate

An impromptu debate burst between actors of Presbyterian pastor (left), who wanted to practice his religion without having to obtain government permit as religious freedom, and a British official (right), who insisted the permit system was set in place to make sure the pastor was educated with words of God and up to the task. This was probably as immersive as it could get to recreate scenes from the colonial period.
Duke of Gloucester Street
A bit like Washington DC’s national mall nowadays, where important buildings lined its sides.
Duke of Gloucester Street
A bit like Washington DC’s national mall nowadays, where important buildings lined its sides.
Houses
Houses
Houses

Art Museum

Most of Colonial Williamsburg’s sites opened till 5pm, with the exception of The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg that opened till 6pm. So between 5 and 6pm, I gave its art museum a brief tour.

Prince William, Duke of Gloucester

William was the only child of Princess (later Queen) Anne to survive infancy. Declared Duke of Gloucester at birth by his uncle, King William III, he became a Knight of the Garter at the age of seven. William was second in line to the British throne, but was frail from birth and died shortly after his 11th birthday. .Artist Edmund Lilly portrayed William with the insignia for the Knights of the Garter, including the ceremonial garter below the boy’s left knee.
Smoking Chair (1745-1755)

Immigrant Robert Walker (ca 1710-1777) produced cabinet wares with robust detailing and a stocky scale similar to that of furniture made in his native eastern Scotland. Like so many other craftsmen in the early Chesapeake, he learned the peculiarities of his trade in one place and transplanted them to another when he migrated.
Walker and his brother William, a prominent builder, were based in rural King George County on the Norther Neck of Virginia. They served a wealthy clientele, often erecting notable houses and supplying the furniture. This chair descended in the Fitzhugh and Ficklin families of Belmont Plantation near Falmouth, just up the Rappahannock River from Robert Walker’s shop.
Walker employed several journeymen and indentured servants and he trained multiple apprentices. Among the latter were Spence Monroe and his enslaved man, Muddy, both of whom were to learn the trade.
Chess Table

Even as the new United States affirmed its cultural identity in the early 19th century, many wealthy Americans continued to emulate European fashions. An extended “Grand Tour” through Europe provided some of them with firsthand exposure to Continental art and culture. Caroline County, Virginia, planter John Hipkins Bernard undertook such a tour in 1819 and ordered this stone tabletop while in Rome. .Bernard likely had the mahogany table base made by John Bowie or his brother Walter Bowie shortly after the stone top arrived in 1820. Both cabinetmakers worked in the Rappahannock River town of Port Royal, not far from Gaymont, Bernard’s hilltop estate. Family letters confirm that the Bernards used the table for playing chess.
Tulip Prymaid

English and European ships voyaging to the Far East stopped several times en route to restock provisions and to trade. Through this mechanism, goods from India and Japan also made their way into the holds of vessels returning from China. Initially, Europeans did not distinguish between these countries but tended instead to lump them together. Thus, although Chinese commodities dominated the trade, Indian and Japanese influences can be found as well. Inspired by these goods, Western craftsmen created chinoiseries, or eclectic interpretations of motifs from these cultures blended with European designs. The large tulip pyramids displayed above are excellent examples of chinoiserie. Although their pagodalike shapes were clearly inspired by Asian architecture, their decoration and use for forcing flower bulbs is decidedly Western.
Porcelain
Easy Chair
Made in England, 1710-1730. This looked suspiciously similar to the chairs in my hotel room.
Plate

This plate is from a large service custom ordered by Charles Izard Manigault of Charleston, South Carolina, during his six-year stay in China. The pieces were made and decorated in Jingdezhen and then sent to Canton, where enamellers added the Manigault coat of arms. Details within the arms denote Charles Manigault’s position as his father’s second son. The motto states that “it is better to anticipate than to avenge.” Relatively few Americans owned customized Chinese porcelain dinner and tea services, but several Low Country families were among those that did.

Porcelain
Porcelain
Condiment Containers
Condiment Containers
Forkware Collection
Soup Containers
Soup Tureens in Animal Shape
Desert Bowls
Desert Bowls
The Four Quarters of the Globe

By about 1770, when the Derby porcelain factory produced this impressive set of figures representing the four quarters of the globe, Europeans had adopted fanciful images of the foreign lands with which they traded. Europe considered herself the seat of learning and the arts; the globe in her hand represents her dominance of the world. The mystery and danger of Africa are alluded to by that figure’s elephant headdress and the scorpion he holds. America was depicted as an Indian with arrows and feathered garb; an alligator symbolized the bizarre new creatures of the Western Hemisphere. Asia, gowned in silk, offers an incense burner; the purple camel at her side is a reminder of the trade caravans that brought first contact with that continent.
In reality, however, the European view of these regions was more profoundly shaped by the lucrative commodities they possessed. Asia’s importance to world trade lay in her silks, porcelains, and tea. The Americas yielded gold, silver, cocoa, and sugar for the international market, and Africa was the source of coffee and slaves.
Porcelain Objects
Doll House
Mechanism Driving State Capitol Clock

All manner of goods were imported from England to the early South, including mechanical objects for marking time. A remarkable survival, this clock movement was housed in the cupola of the Virginia Capitol in Williamsburg. It was likely installed in the 1750s, soon after the Capitol was rebuilt following a disastrous 1747 fire. Much like the movement in a tall case clock, the mechanism drove the large hands on the clock dial or dials that were mounted on the exterior of the cupola. It was attached to a bronze bell that marked the hours.
Writing of this clock in 1785, Noah Webster observed “Here is the only public clock & bell of consequence in Virginia.” After the seat of government moved to Richmond in 1780, the movement was used in the steeple of Bruton Parish Church and possibly the cupola of the Williamsburg-James City County Court House on Duke of Gloucester Street.

I left shortly before the art museum’s closing time at 6pm. It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving, traffic was dense along I95 in Virginia, but was still moving at highway speed, bringing this trip to Virginia to an uneventful end.

END

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