I did create a small post about it, but not the full post the trip deserved. Here goes the random flow of thoughts.
Due to being a donor at Williamsburg, Aunt Debra was able to secure tickets for a small conversation with Martha Washington. Much to our pleasure, Martha's husband, Col. George Washington, was able to join us. It was charming seeing how young and awkward he was as a newlywed. They could only answer questions pertaining to their lives as newlyweds -- how he felt about parenting her children, his role as head of the plantation, her role in running the plantation, how they met, etc. He could not talk about the Revolutionary War or being president.
It was fun walking around the not at all crowded streets and recognizing people --
both ones we are related to and reenactors. I was a little saddened that the streets were so quiet. The only time we faced a crowd was ordered a sandwich at the Cheese Shop and at Aroma's (both on Duke of Gloucester Street). I attribute those waits to the shops being shorthanded.
On Friday Don and I visited the three archaeological sites -- Custis Square, the Baptist Church, and the Bray School. I love archaeology. I can speak this language. A week earlier a Revolutionary battle grave was found in New Jersey, and I had gone on a virtual talk about it -- side conversation topics about how cool it is that they can tell the age of a person from the skull, or that they were a smoker, or all sorts of other clues I would not notice.
After dinner with my parents and Chris at Food for Thought, we took a ghost tour with The Original Ghosts of Williamsburg. Our guide, Hannah, is a Rowan student from Virginia. As Hayden is looking into colleges, with Rowan on his short list of options, it was good for him to connect with a real student (who is also a tour guide).
The tour was fun, but I spent much of it making sure our sub-group stayed together and less time hearing the stories. Throughout the weekend as we passed groups on tours, we heard snippets of the same stories, so I suspect all of the companies are pretty similar. For some reason I thought the official Williamsburg tour was stationary (they start at the theater) and not a walking tour and I wanted a walking tour. I was proven wrong, but that did not diminish the experience.
On Saturday Don and I heard an organ concert on the William and Mary campus. This historic organ has many less keys and stops than we are used to on more
modern organs. The organist was excellent. He invited a kid to come upstairs and blow air into it to keep it playing -- not as easy as it seems based on how much longer the lag between blows took place as the organist played. This put us at the bakery at the appointed hour to pick up our cupcakes for the party.
After dropping off the cupcakes and changing, we joined the family as they were finishing lunch and heard our first reenactor for the trip -- a married couple both in real life and in their performance. They talked about being slaves on the same plantation -- falling in love, jumping the broom, living separately when the master loaned her out to a different farm in retaliation for something he had done. It was powerful. In the end, he asked
how many people believe in slave reparations. I wish I could say I raised my hand in agreement, but his question made me think -- is it deserved? how would it be implemented? how much? proof needed? how "black" do you have to be? There are no easy solutions, as shown by the government waiving $10,000 of federal student loans, and giving everyone below a certain income level stimulus funds during the pandemic.
Afterwards Don and I went on the Freedom's Paradox tour with a guide who so reminded me for Ashley's 8th grade homeroom teacher, Miss Shields. It was a combination of physical looks and the fire in their eyes when they talk about history. She talked about slavery in new ways, and told us on Sundays they have Native Americans sharing their history. She also told us about the Williamsburg ap -- which has a feature showing you where different historical figures are at any given point. We could have used this when Peter Pan was entertaining fans in Fantasyland, then
again, it would have diminished the fun of stumbling upon Peter Pan playing hide and seek or chasing pirates. After our talk, I tried to use the ap to find George Wythe (the only person not "occupied"). Alas, I think he buried his GPS tracker in the grounds near the Presbyterian church behind the Gaol because he was no where to be found. Instead I heard an impromptu play with members of the audience selected to argue about slavery with a Redcoat trying to encourage them to side with the British and fight. I also stopped in the millinery and pharmacy.
On Sunday we went to church at Bruton Parish Episcopal Church. After lunch we ended our historic time listening to a Native American talking about the lives of his ancestors in the late 18th century. As we are very familiar with the lives of the Lenape pre-colonization (thanks to Ashley's passion with Churchville Nature Century), I found his talk fascinating. There were many different sub groups because they ruled with 100% agreement of the members (from the age they understood). Those not agreeing, would leave and form a new subgroup with the members who agreed with them. A democracy was a foreign concept to them, just as allowing everyone to have a say was a foreign concept to the 18th century white men. The Native Americans of the time dressed as the white men, and lived among them. When whites tried to take them to be slaves, they simply left and returned to their group. The whites did form schools where Native American boys were sent to be "educated." One such school was on the grounds of the College of William and Mary. They forced them to assimilate.
Soon enough it was time to drive back to New Jersey.
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