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Featured Articles from Past Issues

Winter 2010

Monticello Was among the Prizes in a Lottery for a Ruined Jefferson's Relief

by Gaye Wilson
Web exclusive
Extra Images

In Praise or Damning Caricature

An Early Seventeenth-Century Identification Badge
by Bly Straube
Web exclusive
Extra Images

Williamsburg Again Has an R. Charlton's Coffeehouse

A place to consider the roles of refreshment, debate, and ideas on the cusp of revolution
by Michael Olmert
Web exclusive
Sidebar: Exploring the Coffeehouse
Coffeehouse Screensaver

Ossabaw Island Pigs

by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Ossabaw Island Pigs Slideshow

The Many Faces of Willie Balderson

A Photo Essay
Web exclusive
Willie Balderson Slideshow
Willie Balderson Animation

The Indian Origins of Lacrosse

by Anthony Aveni
Web exclusive
Lacrosse Word Search

Autumn 2009

Laundries

Largest Buildings in the Eighteenth Century Backyard
by Michael Olmert
Web exclusive
Laundries Slideshow

"The Greatest Practical Approach to Exactness."

The Problem of Apportionment and Washington's First Veto
by Jack Lynch
Web exclusive
Extra Images

A Colonial Williamsburg Christmas Under the Tree

A Photo Essay
Web exclusive
Christmas Slideshow

Some Pumpkins!

Halloween and Pumpkins in Colonial America
by Mary Miley Theobald
Web exclusive
Pumpkin Carving Patterns
Pumpkin Gnocci Recipe Card

Captain Smith Departs

The Question Still Remains: Hero or Betrayer?
by Andrew G. Gardner
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Trace Captain Smith's route
Extra Images

Christmas Frolick

And Sing and Tell Stories Together
Web exclusive
Christmas Frolick Word Search

Spring 2009

Working Carts and Wagons

People Require Something with Wheels
by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Carts Slideshow

Offices

A late eighteenth-century development, the office outbuilding drew a line between family and commerce
by Michael Olmert
Web exclusive
Offices Slideshow

Deism

One Nation Under A Clockwork God?
by James Breig
Web exclusive
Deism Word Search

Colonial Williamsburg Fourth of July

by J. Hunter Barbour
Web exclusive
Fourth of July Slideshow

Winter 2009

Debating the Bill of Rights

"What No Government Should Refuse, or Rest on Inference"
by Jack Lynch
Web exclusive
View Magnified Image

To Boldly Go

Captain James Cook and the Search for the Northwest Passage
by Andrew G. Gardner
Web exclusive
Sidebar: Finding One's Way

Coping with Cold

by David Robinson
Web exclusive
A Williamsburg Winter Slideshow

Captured in Watercolors

Elizabethan England's First Glimpses of New World Fauna
Web exclusive
View Magnified images

Here are Chick, There a Chick, Everywhere a Chick, Chick

Colonial Williamsburg's Chickens
by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Chickens in Williamsburg Slideshow

Autumn 2008

Celebrating the Colonial Williamsburg journal's 30th Anniversary

Autumn 1978 - Autumn 2008
by Mark Jacobs

Gambling

Apple-Pie American and Older than the Mayflower
by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Gambling Slideshow

With Boughs of Holly

by Mary Miley Theobald
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Image Comparison Feature

Company for Christmas

by Christopher Geist
Photos by Craig McDougal & Tom Green
Web exclusive
View Magnified Images

Once Popular and Socially Acceptable: Cockfighting

by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Cockfighting Slideshow

Christmas in Prints

by Michael Olmert
Web exclusive
Crossword Puzzle

Summer 2008

The Truth About Betsy Ross

by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Take the Betsy Ross Challenge

An Accidental Republic?

by Jack Lynch
Web exclusive
Zoom in on the U.S. Constitution

When Whiskey Was the King of Drink

by Mark Miley Theobald
Photos by Dave Doody & Tom Green
Web exclusive
Extra images

New Life for the The Carolina Room

by Robert Doares
Web exclusive
Carolina Room Slideshow

Powering the Eighteenth Century

by Abigail Schumann
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Powering the Eighteenth Century Slideshow

Colonial Carriage Rides

by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Colonial Carriage Rides Slideshow

Spring 2008

Plants of an Age

Photos by Barbara Lombardi
Web exclusive
Slideshow

Play Ball!

Colonial Games and America's National Pastime
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Play Ball! Slideshow
British Bashers Slideshow

Smart as an Ox

Beasts of Burden: Bright, Gentle, and Strong
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow
Audio Slideshow

The Emergence of Popular Culture in Colonial America

by Christopher Geist
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow

All That is Substantial and Beneficial in a Trial By Jury

by James Breig
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow

Winter 2008

Message From The President

An Integrated, Interactive, Interdependent Agenda

Little Iron Horses

Hard Working Canadians Have Rich Heritage
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow

Tools of the Trades

A Photo Essay
by J. Hunter Barbour
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow
Historic Trades Screensaver

Stuff and Nonsense

Myths That Should by Now Be History
by Mary Miley Theobald
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Crossword Puzzle

Battle Tactics

by Christopher Geist
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow

Northwest Passage

by James Breig
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Video clips

Holiday 2007

Message From The President

Frequent Recurrence to Fundamental Principles

Rattle-Skull, Stonewall, Bogus, Blackstrap, Bombo, Mimbo, Whistle Belly, Syllabub, Sling, Toddy, and Flip

Drinking in Colonial America
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow

Courtship, Sex, and the Single Colonist

by Andrew G. Gardner
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow

Milking Devons

Picture Perfect Cattle for Colonial Williamsburg
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow

Beyond Applause

Photo Essay
by Abigail Schumann
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Slideshow

In "the country wherein it hath pleased the divine providence to appoint our lot,"

Early American Jews Found Freedom to Celebrate Autumn's High Holy Days
by Robert Doares
Web exclusive
Extra images

The Town of the Nativity

Columbus' Christmas City
by Dennis Montgomery

Autumn 2007

Fighting... Maybe for Freedom, but probably not

Slaves and free blacks in the Revolutionary War
by Lloyd Dobyns
Web exclusive
Video clips
Extra images

Native Numerals

Among American Indians, Numbers Counted for More than Math
by Anthony F. Aveni
Web exclusive
Extra images

The Bugs that Bugged the Colonists

The weevil wrought evil, but the bee brought sweetness and light
by David Robinson
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Crossword Puzzle
Extra images

In Search of the Frenchman's Map

by Michael J. Lombardi
Web exclusive
View the map close up

The Works at Falling Creek

"No fitter places of Mines, Wood and Water for Iron"
by Christopher Geist
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Extra images

Summer 2007

The Golden Age of Counterfeiting

Cashing in on Colonial Currency
by Jack Lynch
Web exclusive
Sidebar: A Counterfeiting Silversmith
Counterfeiting slideshow

Goods

by J. Hunter Barbour
Web exclusive
Trades products slideshow

Wills Simple and Elaborate

Bequests, Gifts, and Legacies
by James Breig
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
View the wills close-up

Rare Sheep

From Hog Island and Leicester
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Colonial Williamsburg's Rare Sheep

Kitchens

Places Apart
by Michael Olmert
Web exclusive
Extra images

Spring 2007

Message From The President

The Occasion of the Queen's Return
Web exclusive
The Queen's Jewelry Box

"One of the most intriguing might-have-beens in American History"

Jefferson's Tardy Constitution
by Jack Lynch
Web exclusive
Zoom in on Jefferson's written Constitution

Voting in Early America

by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Voting screensaver

Anniversaries and the Origin of History

A Jamestown 400th Anniversary Story
by Michael Olmert
Web exclusive
The Queen's 1957 visit to Jamestown slideshow
The Queen's 1957 visit to Jamestown slideshow with zoom feature
The Queen's 1957 visit to Jamestown movie

Equine Equanimity

It Takes a Special Sort of Horse
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Colonial Williamsburg's American Cream Draft Horses

Presidential Portraits

"Stuart is all the rage, he is almost worked to death...."
by Ellen G. Miles
Web exclusive
Zoom in on the presidential portraits

Winter 2007

Virginia's Jamestown was the continent's first permanent English settlement. So how is that Massachusetts's Plymouth has precedence in the minds of so many Americans?
by James Axtell
Web exclusive
Extra images

"We are starved"

by Ivor Noël Hume
Web exclusive
Extra images

"Things which seame incredible"

Cannibalism in Early Jamestown
by Mark Nicholls
Web exclusive
Sidebar: "Such a dish as powdered wife I never heard of"
Download Percy's A Trewe Relacyon
Extra images

Acrostical Valentines

A Young Man's Fancy Turns to Fad: The Lovers' Literary Campaign of 1768
by Jon Kukla
Web exclusive
Printer's Trade
Flash interactive: Make your own acrostic

Gossip, Flattery, and Flirtation

The Art of Eighteenth-Century Letter Writing
by Andrew Gardner
Web exclusive
The Quill Pen
Flash interactive: Write with a quill pen
Extra images

Weaving, Spinning, and Dyeing

Dexterity and Detective Work
by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
The Weaver

Holiday 2006

Message From The President

Reaffirmation

Bogged Down in Cranberries

by Mary Miley Theobald
Web exclusive
Extra images
Cranberry Recipes

Asynchronous (Adjective: Not coinciding in time)

Eighteenth-Century Clothes for a Twenty-First-Century Pose
Web exclusive
Asynchronous Fashion Photography Zoomable Slideshow

Once Around the Colonial Seasons

by Anthoni Aveni
Web exclusive
"To the handsomest young Country Maid"
Extra images

Tools for the Times

Modern Shop Reproduces Antique Implements
by Ed Crews
Photos by Tom Green
Web exclusive
Toolmaker Slideshow

"A Much More Respectable Bird... a Bird of Courage"

A Short History of the Turkey
by Andrew G. Gardner
Web exclusive
Turkey Slideshow
Turkey Recipes

Wassailing through History

by Robert Doares
Web exclusive
Extra images
Wassail Recipe

Autumn 2006

Message From The President

History Need Not Be Distant

The Art and Mystery of the Apothecary

by Robin Kipps
Web exclusive
Apothecary Trade Slideshow

Revolutionary City

A Colonial Adventure
by Lloyd Dobyns
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Revolutionary City Slideshow

Town Coach

Elegant, Eye-Catching Eighteenth-Century Vehicle Travels Colonial Williamsburg Streets
by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Town Coach Slideshow

Personable Pooches

by Graham Hood
Web exclusive
Dog Buttons Slideshow

Seeing the Light

A Close Look at Eighteenth-Century Optics
by James Breig
Web exclusive
Extra images

The Technology of History

Modern science is helping to solve the puzzles of the past
by Michael J. Lombardi
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Extra images

Summer 2006

Message From The President

The Revolution Returns

"The Monstrous Absurdity"

The Gunpowder Theft Examined
by Mary Miley Theobald
Web exclusive
Extra images

Colonial Williamsburg

An Artifact of Popular Culture
by Christopher Geist
Web exclusive
Notable Williamsburg Visitors Slideshow

"Throw down your arms, ye villains, ye Rebels, Disperse!"

by Dennis Montgomery
Web exclusive
Fields of Fire—Four Views of the Fatal Day

Captain Jack Jouett's Ride to the Rescue

Did Virginia's Paul Revere Spare Thomas Jefferson the Acquaintance of a British Hangman?
by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Extra images

Spring 2006

Message From The President

Aspirations

A Look at the Revolutionary City

by James Horn
Web exclusive
Revolutionary City Slideshow

"Every part works in harmony"

The Venerable Craft of Basketmaking
by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
The Basketmaking Craft Slideshow

A Man of Firmness

Justice John Blair and the Letter of the Law
by Jack Lynch
Web exclusive
Extra images

Handiwork

by art direction by Abigail Schumann
Photos by photography by Tom Green
Web exclusive
Hands Slideshow

The Alternative of Williams-Burg

"Monster madness... the Patriots are in high Spirits just now."
by Robert Doares
Web exclusive
Extra images

Winter 2005-2006

Message From The President

Telling the Story

Rare Breeds and Other Creatures

by Barbara Brown
Photos by photography by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Animals of the Historic Area Slideshow

Making, Baking, and Laying Bricks

by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
The Brickmaker Trade Slideshow

Cool, Calm, Clean

Dairies were the most elaborate of outbuildings, and the cleanest
by Michael Olmert
Web exclusive
The Dairy Slideshow

Slave Conspiracies in Colonial Virginia

by Mary Miley Theobald
Web exclusive
Extra images

Finding Slaves in Unexpected Places

Keeping Blacks in Bondage Was Not a Southern Monopoly
by James Breig
Web exclusive
Extra images

Astronomers and Stargazers

Eyeing a Heliocentric Heaven for Planets, Portents, and Horoscopes
by Anthony F. Aveni
Web exclusive
Sidebar: Of Lenses and Tinderboxes
Extra images

Holiday 2005

Message From The President

Now More Than Ever

Betokening Christmas

by captions by Jan Gilliam
Photos by Tom Green
Web exclusive
Folk Art Slideshow

Dessert Pyramids

A Feast for the Eyes and the Palate
by Mary Miley Theobald
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
A Feast for the Eyes

Christmas Earnest & Christmas Game

At heart, Christmas was an oxymoron: serious and silly. Holy day as well as holiday. And sometimes violently.
by Michael Olmert
Web exclusive
Colonial Games

Christmas Trees, the Confederacy, and Colonial Williamsburg

by Harold B. Gill Jr.
Web exclusive
Extra images

Wreaths, Garlands, Ropes, and Fruit

Photos by Barbara Lombardi
Web exclusive
Wreaths, Garlands, Ropes & Fruit Slideshow

A Christmas Essay

Christmas is a'coming, The goose is getting fat, Please put a penny in the old man's hat
by Ivor Noël Hume
Web exclusive
Extra images

Autumn 2005

Message From The President

Investments in the Future

The Tyme Appointed

by Mary Miley Theobald
Web exclusive
Learn about Captain John Smith's capture and rescue through his 1624 illustration.

Felled on the Field of Honor

The Seditious Patriot: Mr. John Daly Burk
by Jack Lynch
Web exclusive
The Burk Duel

Framing Williamsburg's Doors

by Photos by Barbara Lombardi
Web exclusive
The Doors of Williamsburg

Tailor Made for History

by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
The Tailor Trade

How was "The Tyme Appointed"?

by Anthony Aveni
Web exclusive
Extra images

Summer 2005

Message From The President

A Testimony to the Generosity of Our Supporters

Halting Time through the Illusion of Portraiture

by Barbara Luck
Photos by Hans Lorenz
Web exclusive
Extra images

Taking the Measure of Washington... Once More

by Mike Lombardi
Web exclusive
Take Care of Your Teeth
Extra images

Volumes to Last for Centuries

Bookbinders
by Ed Crews
Photos by Tom Green
Web exclusive
The Bindery Trade

Spring 2005

Message From The President

America's 400th Anniversary: The Journey That Changed the World

Work, Work, and More Work

Middling Planters Took Hard Road to Wealth, Respectability in Colonial Virginia
by Ed Crews
Photos by Lael White
Web exclusive
Agriculture Slideshow

Of Sharpers, Mumpers, and Fourberies

Some Early American Impostors and Rogues
by Jack Lynch
Web exclusive
Pickpockets Slideshow

Alas, Poor ...Who?

Or, Melancholy Moments in Colonial and Later Virginia
by Ivor Noël Hume
Web exclusive
The funeral of Governor Botetourt Slideshow

The Restoration of James Madison's Montpelier

by Edward A. Chappell
Web exclusive
Montpelier Slideshow

Timberheads and Talking Stools

Puppets Pulled the Strings of Eighteenth-Century Audiences
by James Breig
Web exclusive
Puppetry Slideshow

Lusty Beggars, Dissolute Women, Sorners, Gypsies, and Vagabonds for Virginia

by Bruce P. Lenman
Web exclusive
Scottish Slaves Slideshow

Winter 2004-2005

Message From The President

Education for Citizenship

Smokehouses

Foursquare and Stolid, These Buildings Were a Hardworking Adornment to the Colonial Backyard
by Michael Olmert
Web exclusive
The Smokehouse

The History of Historic Trades

by James M. Gaynor
Web exclusive
An overview of current trades items
Historic Trades Slideshow

The Spirit-stirring Drum, the Ear-piercing Fife

A Photo Essay
Web exclusive
Fifes and Drums Slideshow

Wheels and Riding Carts

The Wheelwright Trade
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
The Wheelwright Trade Slideshow
Extra images

The Grandest Illumination

by Graham Hood
Web exclusive
Extra images

Henricus

A New and Improved Jamestown
by Mary Miley Theobald
Web exclusive
Henricus Slideshow

Holiday 2004

Message From The President

Opportunities and Responsibilities

Captain John Smith's Christmas

by Dennis Montgomery
Web exclusive
Trace Smith's likely 1607 and 1608 Christmastime routes.

Christmas Music in Colonial Days

by John Turner
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Sample some holiday music
Extra images

Babies, Balls, and Bull Roarers

Christmastime or Anytime, Kids Still Enjoy the Toys and Games Their Forebears Loved
by David Robinson
Web exclusive
The Joys of Toys Slideshow

The Community Christmas Tree in America's Hometown

by Mary Miley Theobald
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Extra images

Williamsburg's Long Christmas

Historically, two threads run through Christmas celebrations: piety and pleasure
by Michael Olmert
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Recipe for a Twelfth Night Cake
Extra images

Grand Illumination

by Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Extra images

Autumn 2004

Message From The President

For the Future

The Eighteenth Century Goes to the Dogs

by James Breig
Web exclusive
Canine Quiz

About Faces

by Photos by Tom Green; Art Direction Abigail Schumann
Web exclusive
About Faces Slideshow

Colonial Foodways

by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Colonial Foodways Slideshow

The Architect of Colonial Williamsburg

William Graves Perry
by Will Molineaux
Web exclusive
Extra images

"An honest, upright, and industrious man, a kind and obliging neighbor, and a good citizen"

by J. Hunter Barbour
Web exclusive
Extra images

A Common American Soldier

by Christopher Geist
Web exclusive
Extra images

Summer 2004

Message From The President

Colonial Williamsburg's Many Dimensions

The New Architecture of Merchants Square

by Edward Chappell
Photos by Barbara Lombardi
Web exclusive
Extra images

Remastering a Masterwork

Restoration of The Patriot
by Richard L. McCluney
Web exclusive
Succinct Script Yields Memorable Quotes
Flash interactive: See how the color layers of the film interact with each other

Time for the Royals

Tompion's Clock
by Graham Hood
Photos by Hans Lorenz
Web exclusive
Zoom in for a closer look at Tompion's Clock

Unwelcome in Williamsburg

The Saga of Merchant Daniel Fisher
by Robert Doares

Spies and Scouts, Secret Writing, and Sympathetic Citizens

by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Learn to decipher the CUPID code.
View video excerpts from our Electronic Field Trip: In the General's Secret Service

Spring 2004

Message From The President

Confident in Our Expectation

"With All the Grace of the Sex"

Women in Trades
by Donna Dene Woodward
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Women in Trades slideshow
Sound clip

Jamestown Revisited

by Ivor Noël Hume
Web exclusive
View pages from Harper's Weekly

That Quacking Sound in Colonial America

by Jim Cox
Web exclusive
Extra images

Working in Harness

The Saddler's Shop
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
Extra images

Colonial Germ Warfare

by Harold B. Gill Jr.

The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly

Photos by courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Winter 2003-2004

Message From The President

First Principles

Cast in the Colonial Mold

The Geddy Foundry
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
The Foundry Trade Slideshow

The Satirical Eye

Social Cartoons
Web exclusive
More social cartoons

Hunting for a Little Ladle

Tobacco Pipes
by Ivor Noël Hume

Colonial Dress Codes

by Linda Baumgarten
Web exclusive
View details and images of eighteenth-century dress.

Tavern Music

by Ed Crews
Web exclusive
Sound clip of tavern song
Video of tavern revelry

Living the Revolution

Colonial Williamsburg's New Historic Area Adventure
by Bill Weldon

Autumn 2003

Message From The President

The Laboratory of Experience

Williamsburg in Winter

by Photos by Barbara Lombardi
Web exclusive
Additional photography by Barbara Lombardi

Rediscovering an American Icon

Houdon's Washington
by Tracy L. Kamerer and Scott W. Nolley
Web exclusive
View details and images of Houdon's statue.

Making Circles

The Cooper's Trade at Colonial Williamsburg
by Ed Crews
Photos by Dave Doody
Web exclusive
The Cooper Trade Slideshow
Video clips from "The Cooper's Craft: The Art of Colonial Barrel Making."

Merchants Square Meets Quinlan Terry

by Edward Chappell
Web exclusive
View details and images of the transformations of Merchant Square.

A Field Spacious and Untrodden

The Virginian Society for the Promotion of Usefull Knowledge
by Robert Doares
Web exclusive
Additional photos of items used in the study of scientific knowledge.