A Window on Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg, Bicentennial Edition - In 1926 inspired by the foresight and enthusiasm of Dr. W.A.R Goodwin, then rector of Bruton Parish Church, Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., became interested in the preservation and restoration of eighteenth-century Williamsburg, and thereafter devoted his personal attention and resources in the fulfillment of this goal. The purpose of Colonial Williamsburg, in the words of the Board of Trustees, is "to re-create accurately the environment of the men and women of eighteenth-century Williamsburg and to bring about such an understanding of their lives and times that present and future generations make more vividly appreciate the contribution of these early Americans to the ideals and culture of our country." Today, the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg embraces about 175 acres, the heart of the old city. There are eighty-eight original eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century structures within and near this area. Several main buildings and many outbuildings that did not survive the years have been reconstructed on their original foundations after extensive archaeological investigation and historical research. Also, ninety acres of colorful gardens and greens have been re-created, using chiefly plants known to the eighteenth-century colonists.