Show williamsburg RESTORED 4 AN 4 0 M IWO VY the stocks in colonial williamsburg fascinating history of the old center of the colony of virginia prep prepared bred by national geographic society washington ashington D C service williamsburg ILLIAMS BURG since abeen williamsburg its recent restoration has been one of the most popular historic spots in the old dominion state the restoration is dedicated to the hope and purpose that the future may learn from the past it is designed to preserve and a nd recreate the symbols and memorials of a creative and colorful period of american history the compelling reasons for its restoration to lie in the historic background of the city and in the intrinsic simplicity and alluring beauty of its architectural form colonial williamsburg grew from the seeds of thought and purpose which were planted by the devotees of liberty it is necessary if you would understand the significance signi fica nce of the restoration that you should pause upon the portals of the city restored and appraise the educational bior I 1 and social values inherent in its historical background A map of the territory given to the virginia company by king james I 1 under the royal charter of 1606 would show that it first embraced a strip of land from 75 to miles wide extending along the atlantic ailanti c seaboard from what now is south carolina to the present canadian border within these bounds or just beyond it then was confidently believed would be found the shores of the great western sea which would thence afford a near route to india and to other eastern lands virginia had a vast area then neither gold nor the shores of the pacific ocean having been discovered within this area the charter of 1609 extended the bounds of the colony to the shores of the western sea wherever those shores might be this territory in both documents was named virginia from time to time this area was curtailed by subsequent royal charters or by ceded territory so that in 1753 the virginia territorial claims embraced the area now included in the western part of pennsylvania and the states of virginia west virginia kentucky ohio indiana and illinois the area now included within the states of michigan and wisconsin was added and the virginia claims were confirmed by the conquest in 1779 of the northwest territory by george rogers clark it has been held says the author of A brief and true report concerning williamsburg and virginia that the history of the chief city of a country is in great measure the history of that country itself 1 and if there be any truth in this philosophy y it will be left to the reader to judge how much greater would be that truth if the chief city should also be the only city of consequence in such a country for through those years of the eighteenth century in which it was the metropolis of the virginia colony williamsburg was not only the seat of virginias government but also the prin principal cipal seat of its religion education society commerce comm erce and fashion now in a national park jamestown williamsburg and yorktown located within a radius of 20 miles upon the virginia peninsula which lies between the james river and the york are inseparably united williamsburg was the successor to jamestown while the fame of yorktown grew out of the high resolves initiated by the house of burgesses in williamsburg these three places have recently been embraced within the bounds of the colonial national historical park williamsburg howe however verg is not owned or controlled by the national park service they now are being physically united by the colonial national historical park highway which has already been built from yorktown to the outskirts of williamsburg liams burg and is designed to be extended to jamestown the voices which echo from deserted jamestown from the wilderness outposts of middle plantation and from yorktown must be heard if the voices which speak through williamsburg restored are to be understood jamestown James iown became the first permanent en english 9 lish settlement in america when n on may 13 1607 the c colonists ts landed there and named their place of settlement for king james there they built a church and later a statehouse and simple homes there in 1619 convened in the church the first representative legislative assembly held in the new world there they tried communal government which was soon followed by starving time there they had dealings with autocratic governors and took part in bacons bacans rebellion in 1676 how williamsburg was created during this rebellion jamestown was burned and sir william berkeley the royal governor who had roundly damned education printing presses and bacon and his followers made the rebellion of 1676 the prophecy of the revolution of 1776 seasoning sickness and the abundance of other trials and dis contents culminating in the fire which in 1698 1693 again destroyed the statehouse brought to a climax the thought of abandoning jamestown for a more nearly central location for the capital of the colony near jamestown midway between the james river and the york was middle plantation soon to become williamsburg the seeds of this place had been sown by the indians on a rampage in 1622 during which fully one third of the english settlers in virginia were massacred consequently at a grand assembly of the council and burgesses holden at james city jamestown in 1633 it was ordered that a palisade be built across the peninsula from estuaries of the james river and the york about six miles so that a region of safety for the inhabitants and their cattle might be secured extending eastward to old point comfort at the end of the peninsula meanwhile middle plantation had been chosen as the site of the second college in what is now the united states the college of william and mary was destined to play a dominating part in the history of virginia in the establishment of williamsburg as the second capital of colonial virginia and in the culmination of the thought of the bestol restoration aaion of williamsburg |