On Location Series #29–Historic Williamsburg, Virginia

Williamsburg started as the capital of the Virginia Colony in 1699. Jamestown’s initial capital was the first-lasting English-speaking settlement founded in 1607 as we know that time and area today as the New World in Eurocentric history. Colonial leaders lobbied the Virginia Assembly to move the capital from Jamestown to Middle Plantation. The new city was renamed Williamsburg in honor of England’s then-current monarch, King William III.  Another thing to note is that Williamsburg celebrated its 300th Anniversary in 1999. 

Williamsburg was one of America’s first planned metropolises, and it also became a center of learning. Well-known political leaders arose from the College of William and Mary (founded in 1693), Such US Presidents as; Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler. The first hospital established in America for the care and treatment of mental illness began in Williamsburg in 1773 (which consequently is centered on ghost stories as of today). General George Washington assembled the Continental Army in Williamsburg in 1781 for the siege of nearby Yorktown and American independence. Today, Williamsburg is known globally as the foremost center for preserving and interpreting the United States colonial history as the College of William & Mary still stands today.   

 

Now, with the history out of the way… 

What a day for a visit at old Williamsburg township as the weather was splendid, no complaints whatsoever. I was accompanied by my little boo boo along with great friends, the Acosta family. We explored the African American site, the first schoolhouse in the town for black folks. We visited a Native American section of the city while examining the old courthouse. The old town has had the touch of modernization as restaurants, including gift shops, were all located on the other side of town.

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One thing we could not drive in but had to walk on the walkways that took us through the beautiful scenery of the grounds.  We saw Windmills that were standard from time along with remnants of farms houses.  We also seen horses throughout the area and baby lamb in the yards of homes.  I viewed people riding horses and carriages on the streets and tour guides giving a vivid history of the famous municipality.  They were excellent with their depth of knowledge, especially their unique understanding of history correlated with the political theater in colonial times to our current situation now.  The guides were also dressed in that time; the aesthetic viewing fashioned a near completion of the past (minus the human bondage thing we call slavery). 

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We ran across a woman, a guide who I forgot her name, unfortunately. She was station outside of the museum. The museum was an entranceway to the old public hospital that treated mental illness a long time ago. One of the attractions, morbid to a fault, is that the abandoned hospital is supposedly haunted, the ghost of residents who passed away while in the state’s care. This lady gave us a fascinating history of how patients were sent there by the state, custody exchange for sometimes an undisclosed amount of time. My friend Chris gave an account of a facility in the northeast part of the country closed for nefarious reasons. It appeared that the public hospital of Williamsburg suffered the same fate of Chris’s disclosure.

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The guide, however, gave accounts of hauntings yet not in the hospital itself.  The guide continued to say that her co-workers stated they heard and seen people in the hallways near the evening or night.  She admitted never seen or heard apart from her walk home.  A few months ago, the lady said that she and her husband were walking home and stop by the cemetery.  She stated that there was a statue that she wanted to get a closer look.  When they entered the garden, she knew they made a mistake.  She felt a presence that was cold and unfriendly.  She and her husband overheard noises of people talking, low murmurs, and a ghostly figure walking by her in the near ground.  At that point, they left promptly and never returned, hoping nothing left with them—meaning no spirits becoming their company. 

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Well, there you have it. This visit to historic Williamsburg was one of the most intriguing travels I have been on in a while. Please enjoy the pictures and check out the videos below. Thanks again for taking out the time to listen.

The cemetery—- https://youtu.be/uhz-wfGQDGI