Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-17
Williamsburg, Va.

James City county. Va. be-
tween the Rivers James and
x York, has been often mentioned
by the Rambler in his numerous Vir-
ginia sketches. 1t would be difficult
to write rambles dealing with early
colonial, pre-revolutionary, revolution
airy and even with early republican an
nails without writing and rewriting the
name Williamsburg.
Within the compass of a small ter
ritory were jamestown and all that
the name stands for-the landing of
the English colonists, the first colo
NAL council. the presidency. leadership
and explorations of Capt. John Smith;
the period of Powhattan. the romance
of Pocahontas and Rolfe. the royal
governors. Gates, West, Dale. Argan,
Yeardley. Wyatt. Harvey and Berke-
ley; the starving time, plague, mas
sacres and CONGREGATIONS and nearly
a century of life in the first perma-
nent English colony in the United
States.
Here also was the country of Bacon's
rebellion-the first armed and bloody
protest against the arrogance and IN
efficiency of royal governors In VIII
liamsburg sat the house of burgesses,
in which Patrick Henry and his brill
liant company took the lead in de-
manding and compelling the independ-
ence Of the colonies, and few miles
away is yorktown, where the indie
pendence Of the United States was
won.
And, in the civil war this strip of
land between the York and the James
the southern neck or the peninsula
Of virginia-was the theater of those
operations called for more than nifty
years the peninsula campaign, in which
the federal armies sought to take
Richmond by flank attack. The face
of the country is SCARED with the
ruins of earthworks thrown up by
Federal and Confederate.
Near the east edge of Williamsburg
and at one end of a broad street the
name of which is Duke of Gloucester
street-so called in honor of Queen
AIMS eldest son-stands simple gran
lite marker, bearing bronze tablets on
the east and west faces. Around the
marker are the foundation walls, now
protected by a covering of cement. of
building. An. American cannot stand
at this monument with those ancient
foundation walls around it without
sense of reverence. The bronze tablets
briefly tell the story OF the building
whose site the block of granite marks.
The inscription of the west tablet fol-
lows:
The Old Capitol:
Here Patrick Henry first kindled the flames
Of ,ss by Ri. Mse aGs
msre March sasn e. at IT'S Dasney Carr offered
and the house Of bursesses Of virginia ano anan
committee to correspond with similar com
mittees in the other colonies-the first step
taken toward the union of the states
Here May Is. 1776. the convention of Viz
Einia through resolutions drafted by Edmund
vocated By Patrick Henry. unanimously called
on Congress to declare the colonies free and
yention the immortal work Of George % Mason 9ne
the nrst written constitution Of free and in
dependent state ever framed.
The east tablet contains this:
Members of the house of burgesses who at
the Raleigh Tavern May is. 1853. and May e.
ton against the Importation or purchase Of
British manufactures Peyton Randolph. speak
er. and Robert Carter Nicholas, treasurer
Then follow on the bronze the names
of 149 of the Virginia patriots. and
from that long and closely cast list of
names the Rambler jotted down these:
George Washington. Richard Henry Lee, Pat
rick Henry Thomas Jefferson, Richard Randolph
Robert Boiling. Richard Bland Abraham Hite,
George Ball. John Talbot. Richard Lee. Henry
Bartholomew cambridge. Francis Lightfoot Lee:
Benjamin Harrison Francis Slaughter Edmund
Tendeton; Henry Pendston; Mann .d Page; u
Samuel Nevf, Samuel Du Val. George Stubhle-
deId william Fitzhugh. Thomas Marshall,
George Brook. Dudley Digs. Thomas Mann
Randolph, James Mercer and Peter Presley
Thornton.
The plot of ground in which the
monument stands and in which the
foundation walls are exposed is still
called, as it has been called for 216
years. Capitol Square. The grass there
was quite long. A few wild flowers.
including those of the catnip, were
blooming. Close by is stunted paper
mulberry tree. and few yards in rear
Of where the capitol stood grows a
fine old locust tree.
At the front of the Capitol Square the
Duke of Gloucester street comes to an
end, while from 1t two dusty roads
branch slantingly away. That to the
southeast leads on to Yorktown.
That to the northeast leads to a road
to Capitol Landing or Queen Mary's
Port on Queens creek, which is a mile
from the town and five miles from York
river As planned, Williamsburg had
two ports, Queen Marys Port and
Princess Anne Port or Archers Hope
creek, now called College creek. one
mile from the town and five miles from
the James river.
When 1t was determined in 1883 10 re-
move the capital from jamestown TO
Williamsburg, seven miles away IL