Browse Items (7 total)

Begun in 1695, the construction of the Wren Building marked the birth of an academic center in colonial Virginia. A series of fires in 1705, 1859, and 1862 damaged parts of the structure but never completely destroyed exterior walls.

During the…

This photo captures several men sitting atop redoubts as they contemplate the events that took place not so long ago at the site of Fort Magruder, the most important Confederate defense line immediately east of Williamsburg. They are seated upon a…

A prominent colonial building still standing in Williamsburg in 1875, the Courthouse had played a more recent role in the Civil War as a hospital and morgue after the Battle of Williamsburg. Portions of the interior received significant damage during…

Tombstones and monuments of important historical figures fill the cemetery of Bruton Parish Church. The efforts of the Centennial Photographic Company to document the graves of earlier inhabitants underscores its mission to visually record historic…

Since 1715, Bruton Parish Church has served continuously as a house of worship for the Williamsburg community. Like many other public buildings in the town, the church became a makeshift hospital during the Civil War. The sanctuary housed injured…

This view looking west down Duke of Gloucester Street from the site of the Capitol captures the quiet, slightly dilapidated atmosphere of Reconstruction Era Williamsburg. The Palmer House is visible on the left, and what Colonial Williamsburg…

The Powder Magazine, another extant colonial building, stood in dilapidated condition by 1870. It was constructed in 1715 to store the arms and ammunition sent for protection of the colony by Queen Anne. This view, looking southeast, shows the…