Colonial Williamsburg

Bruton Parish Church is right in the centre of Colonial Williamsburg. This is an amazing project to preserve and recreate many 18th century buildings of the old capital of Virginia - before Richmond took over in 1781 - beating Pages/Hanover Town/Donald HQ by one vote. As well as the buildings you have people dressed up in costume - not just walking around, but also making things which they then sell. I bought a reprint of The Virginia Gazette from the 1770s which has an advertisement on the back page for a missing slave that used to belong to James Donald - the slave had also been in Scotland and "can speak Scotch and sings Scotch songs".

Williamsburg was where Robert Donald said in his letter to Washington that he used to see him a lot at the Governor's palace - it was Governor Dinwiddie in those days.

Are all my pictures slightly squint? Should take more water with it.
Anyway, this is not actually the building that Robert Donald would have gone to, as that was burnt down in 1781 when it was serving as a hospital for the Americans wounded at the battle of Yorktown - which explains why they moved the capital to Richmond that year. However, it is right on the spot and a recreation of the building so he would have recognised it if you took him there now. The inside is done up as it would have been in the time of the last governor - the one who gave land to Alexander - the pineapple chap, Dunmore.
I would have loved to have gone in - but I didn't have $46 on me! Seems a little steep. Actually, that does give you a two day pass to go and watch people do re-enactments around the town and entrance to all the other houses etc, but I would just like to go into this one!
They do have a dressing up place so that children can wear 18th century costume which I thought would be quite fun - I can bet you that one of my children would love that - and the other wouldn't. He would look great in a tricorne hat though. Neither of them are quite large enough - 18th century re-enactment seems to be a calling for the fuller-figured.
Wish I had had time to explore William and Mary College - I need to go back to that to get into their library as that is right next door to all these buildings.