We have spent the last three days in Colonial Williamsburg and
it has been a great experience. The community is made up of a combination of 18th
century restorations and reproductions with historical reenactments in
virtually every nook and cranny. Aside from the docents in period costume
within the buildings there are at least 20 reenactments every day with
appearances and conversations with different characters in history each day. The
reenactments range in duration from 15 to 90 minutes each. It is a little like being in the middle of the
TV / radio series “You Are There”. The
tone is set as you cross the walking bridge from the Welcome
Center. A brass plaque at the start of the bridge tells you that you are
leaving the present and walking back through time and there are a number of
markers along the way that indicate how things have changed over the last 240
years.
When you arrive Colonial Williamsburg each morning the
reenactments are set in 1775 and throughout the day time moves forward. By 5 PM
each day it is Sept 28th, 1781 and Washington’s troops are marching
off to Yorktown, Huzzah!
One of the casual nation builder reenactments we attended in
the back yard of the Bindery was with Dennis Watson portraying Alexander Purdie. Purdie’s Virginia Gazette
was the first American newspaper to publish the complete full text of the Declaration
of Independence on July 26, 1776.
We have attended several reenactments in the Governor's Mansion gardens portraying Patrick Henry, Martha Washington etc.
The portrayal and interpretation of Patrick Henry by Richard Schumann was very interesting and many of Patrick Henry's views still seem relevant today. Patrick Henry is best known for the immortal words: "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."
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