About a month ago I finally went to the Historic Triangle of Virginia, where I have wanted to go basically my whole life. So heres about 170 photos from about 5 days of visiting many of the oldest buildings in North America.
I started out in Fredricksburg, Virginia at the 1770's Kenmore Plantation, which was built by George Washington for her sister.
AF5_8463
AF5_8464
AF5_8473
Fredricksburg, early Federal building.
AF5_8477
1770s Shelton Cottage, Fredricksburg.
AF5_8483
Overlooking Fredricksburg from the 1771 Chatham Manor
AF5_8485
1771 Chatham Manor, Fredricksburg.
AF5_8489
Chatham Manor from the back side.
AF5_8490
Fredricksburg Colonial era house.
AF5_8496
Some abandoned houses east of Fredricksburg, I was amazed by how many abandoned farms and houses there were in this part of Virginia.
AF5_8500
Church near Bowling Green
AF5_8507
Bowling Green
AF5_8509
Downtown Bowling Green
AF5_8511
1830 Caroline County Courthouse in Bowling Green
AF5_8525
1670 Old Mansion, Bowling Green
AF5_8534
1735 Hanover County Courthouse in Hanover, about 15 miles north of Richmond.
AF5_8542
Just east of Hanover
AF5_8544
AF5_8545
AF5_8551
AF5_8563
Land upon the 1723 Shirley Plantation, unfortunately the Plantation was closed when I went, but it is one of the prettiest and oldest in the state.
AF5_8566
1750 Berkley Plantation
AF5_8569
AF5_8584
AF5_8586
1731 Westover Church
AF5_8588
AF5_8603
Finally got to Williamsburg, this is the 1930s reconstruction of the 1706 Governors Palace. Williamsburg became the capitol of Virginia in 1699 after Jamestown, which was established in 1607.
AF5_8613
AF5_8627
AF5_8635
The 1677 Burton Parish Church in Williamsburg
AF5_8647
Williamsburg
AF5_8659
AF5_8663
AF5_8666
AF5_8670
1930's reconstruction of the 1753 Capitol in Williamsburg
AF5_8674
1748 Secretary's Office, Williamsburg, where all the legal documents and deeds were kept.
AF5_8682
AF5_8680
AF5_8687
AF5_8690
AF5_8714
AF5_8696
AF5_8699
AF5_8702
AF5_8706
AF5_8708
AF5_8710
AF5_8756
Inside the 1677 Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg
AF5_8758
Grave inside the church
AF5_8762
AF5_8774
AF5_8726
AF5_8782
AF5_8784
Overlooking the James River, just downstream from Jamestown, it was a pretty moving experience seeing this river for the first time and knowing that the Susan Constance, et al sailed up this river in 1607.
AF5_8791
Heading to Jamestown the next morning from Williamsburg
AF5_8802
Finally at Jamestown, the first successful English Colony in the New World in 1607, this is the reconstructed (1907) backside of the mid 1600s church.
AF5_8803
1699 grave in the churchyard.
AF5_8812
The only remaining above ground colonial structure at Yamestown, the circa 1639 bell tower of the Jamestown Church.
AF5_8814
The foundations were found a few years back for the second church at Jamestown, dating from 1608. It was in this church that John Rolfe and Pocahontas were married in, in 1614.
AF5_8815
Statue of John Smith, the first governor of Virginia.
AF5_8819
The in situ bell tower for the mid 1600's church.
AF5_8824
Archaeological dig ongoing inside the 1907 reconstructed church. Some of the bricks in this photo on the floor are in situ and original to the early churches that inhabited this site.
AF5_8829
On to the Archearium, wherein all the finds were found at Jamestown and most are from the early years of the fort. This is a very rare quarts arrowhead found in a well at James Fort from about 1610 or so.
AF5_8833
AF5_8834
The object on the right was used to clear ear wax.
AF5_8837
Teething stick with Bermuda coral at the tip.
AF5_8849
Little placard, proving without a doubt that Bill Kelso, the guy who found the fort in 1994 after all had believed it to be washed away, was in fact Jamestown.
AF5_8852
AF5_8860
AF5_8863
Catholic crosses found at Jamestown, which would have been rare seeing as the colony was English and most English were part of the Church of England, which broke away from the Pope due to Henry the 8th.
AF5_8867
AF5_8875
Remains of Jamestown, outside the fort from the mid 1600's or so.
AF5_8887
Leaving Jamestown to cross the James River on the ferry.
AF5_8893
Jamestown from the ferry.
AF5_8895
AF5_8899
AF5_8908
The abandoned 1727 Mellville House in Surry County.
AF5_8910
AF5_8927
Smithfield
AF5_8929
Smithfield
AF5_8930
Smithfield
AF5_8937
Smithfield
AF5_8943
Smithfield
AF5_8949
1682 St. Lukes Church in Isle of Wight County, this church is completely original and little has changed since it was built in 1682.
AF5_8955
The oldest working organ in America, built in 1630 inside St. Lukes.
AF5_8971
This church is identical to Jamestowns 1907 reconstructed church as they just copied St. Lukes for the reconstruction.
AF5_8966
Inside St. Lukes, the only difference is that the church originally wouldnt have had exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, it would have been white plaster.
AF5_8975
AF5_8984
Back in Smithfield
AF5_8998
This is the 1665 Bacons Castle, one of the only examples and the best example of Jacobean architecture in the Western Hemisphere.
AF5_8995
The left side of the structure is the Jacobean section, the right side was built in the 1850's.
AF5_9003
Taking the ferry back across the James River to go back to Williamsburg
AF5_9009
AF5_9013
1750 Powhatan Plantation, which is inside an ugly modern gated community. Many of the historic mansions I wanted to see were gated off in these huge developments, kinda pissed me off, this was one of the only ones where the people at the gate were cool and let me go in.
AF5_9020
This is the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary, which was built from 1695 to 1700 and may have been designed by Christopher Wren, who was the architect behind St. Pauls Cathedral in London, among many other famous buildings. The college was founded in 1693, it the second oldest school of higher education in America.
AF5_9302
Backside of the Wren Building
AF5_9031
Back at Colonial Williamsburg, my motel was only about a mile away so each night I ended back here taking photos.
AF5_9043
AF5_9064
The next day I took the Colonial Parkway, which was absolutely gorgeous to Yorktown.
AF5_9070
AF5_9075
Tributary leading to the York River.
AF5_9083
Battlefield at Yorktown
AF5_9090
Driving around the Yorktown National Battlefield
AF5_9093
AF5_9101
British guns surrendered to Washingtons army and commemorated after the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
AF5_9113
Bridge over the York River to Gloucester Point.
AF5_9114
AF5_9118
Yorktown
AF5_9122
AF5_9123
AF5_9125
1691 Sessions Pope Shield House in Yorktown
AF5_9127
The Nelson House on the right of the Sessions House. The Nelson House was built in 1730 and is a very fine example of Georgian architecture. The side of the house still has a couple canonballs lodged in the side from the Battle of Yorktown.
AF5_9129
AF5_9133
The Yorktown Victory Monument, erected in 1881.
AF5_9135
AF5_9140
The Nelson House again.
AF5_9145
The Nelson House and its stately Georgian gardens.
AF5_9189
The 1725 Moore House where Cornwallis formally surrendered after the Siege and Battle of Yorktown in 1781.
AF5_9156
Grave located at the 1697 Grace Church in Yorktown
AF5_9161
AF5_9187
Looking out towards the Chesapeake Bay from Yorktown
AF5_9193
AF5_9201
AF5_9213
AF5_9226
The 1775 Digges House in Yorktown
AF5_9240
Back at Williamsburg again, the beautiful door to the 1677 Bruton Parish Church
AF5_9244
Colonial Williamsburg
AF5_9248
AF5_9252
AF5_9259
Exterior of the reconstructed Virginia Capitol building.
AF5_9281
AF5_9305
The 1733 Hickory Neck Church in Toano.
AF5_9310
Inside the church, which looks nothing like it would have during colonial times.
AF5_9314
AF5_9319
A horribly stinky paper Mill in the town of West Point in King William County.
AF5_9324
Downtown West Point.
AF5_9329
AF5_9334
1714 Christ Church in Middlesex
AF5_9343
AF5_9353
Interior of the church, which is similar to how it would have appeared when first built, note how the ceiling is white plaster, unlike how the St. Lukes Church appears today, the ceiling in this church is how St. Lukes ceiling would have looked without the exposed timbers.
AF5_9356
Graves located in the floor of the church.
AF5_9364
The completely original 1715 Lower Chapel in Middlesex County.
AF5_9367
All of these colonial churches are covered in graffiti dating from the 1700's to the early 1900s.
AF5_9372
This was one of the most unique churches I have ever seen and all the pews and everything inside and outside is original to the structure. This is the 1735 Christ Church in Lancaster County.
AF5_9374
AF5_9379
AF5_9394
AF5_9408
AF5_9412
AF5_9424
AF5_9437
AF5_9477
1738 Stratford Hall, where Robert E. Lee was born and is where the Lee Family lived.
AF5_9467
AF5_9484
Slave quarters located on the grounds of Stratford Hall
AF5_9493
AF5_9496
Looking out over the Potomac River from George Washingtons birthplace in Westmoreland County.
AF5_9507
The 1930's reconstruction of Washingtons Birthplace, wherein the house originally dated to the 1730's.
AF5_9511
The last photo I took on this trip, an abandoned possibly 18th century house located next to a Sheetz in King George, King George County.
Prev
Hybrid Mode