Exterior of the George Reid House, western facade, viewed from Duke of Gloucester Street, 1933. Built around 1790, it served as a residence for a merchant who owned a shop further up the street. "Archaeological excavations revealed that a path near the house was paved with fragments of clay pipes that might have been broken in shipment to Williamsburg. Matching pieces have also been found at the Prentis Store across the street." The George Reid House is an example of a typical colonial home, constructed with one and a half stories and a central passage.

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 52).

]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Exterior of the Raleigh Tavern, view of the front entrance looking north from across Duke of Gloucester Street, 1933. The tavern's signboard stands in the foreground to the left, while in the background, a gowned female costumed interpreter (once referred to as a "hostess") is shown standing to the right of the building's entrance. A lead bust of Sir Walter Raleigh, the noted navigator-explorer, is featured in the broken pediment above the tavern's front doors.

The Raleigh Tavern was the frequent scene of both jollity and consequence, and was "....the foremost of Williamsburg's taverns in the eighteenth century. Established about 1717, the Raleigh Tavern grew in size and reputation through the years. Letters, diaries, newspaper advertisements, and other records indicate that the Raleigh was one of the most important taverns in colonial Virginia. It served as a center for social, commercial, and political gatherings; small private and large public dinners; lectures and exhibitions; and auctions of merchandise, land, and the enslaved." Burned to the ground in 1859, the tavern was reconstructed from published illustrations, insurance policies, and archaeology that uncovered most of the original foundations.

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 60).

]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Exterior of the Raleigh Tavern, view looking northeast from across Duke of Gloucester Street, 1933. The Raleigh Tavern was the frequent scene of both jollity and consequence, and was "....the foremost of Williamsburg's taverns in the eighteenth century. Established about 1717, the Raleigh Tavern grew in size and reputation through the years. Letters, diaries, newspaper advertisements, and other records indicate that the Raleigh was one of the most important taverns in colonial Virginia. It served as a center for social, commercial, and political gatherings; small private and large public dinners; lectures and exhibitions; and auctions of merchandise, land, and the enslaved."  Burned to the ground in 1859, the tavern was reconstructed from published illustrations, insurance policies, and archaeology that uncovered most of the original foundations.

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 60).

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The Finnie House holds the distinction of retaining an appearance most closely matching its eighteenth-century form throughout the time period of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The building is admired as an early example of Federal architecture – especially for its Doric-style entrance porch – which reflects colonial familiarity with architectural pattern books of the period. Restoration efforts in 1932 and 1952 mainly focused upon bringing a few elements of the entrance porch, such as the Doric columns and architrave, back to their original classical forms.
]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Exterior of the Capitol building, south facade, viewed from the southwest, 1933. The brick wall and southern entry gate are in the foreground, and in the background, the royal coat of arms is visible on the cupola above the entrance to the building. (Completed during the reign of Queen Anne, the building’s original cupola displayed the ruler’s coat of arms). The Union Jack is unfurled atop the cupola, where it flaps in the breeze. Above the central arch, a crest is featured in cut brick bearing the inscription "Her Majesty Queen Anne Her Royall Capitol," including cut-brick carvings of the sun, moon, and the planet Jupiter.

The rounded apsidal ends of the Capitol derive from Roman basilicas which contained such features in which public magistrates officiated. "The H-shaped plan of the Capitol reflects the division of the government between the lower and upper houses of the legislature....As the General Assembly evolved, it comprised the Council [meeting in the west wing, to the left] and the House of Burgesses [in the east wing, to the right], each of which met separately."

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 68).

]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Exterior of the John Blair House, viewed from Duke of Gloucester Street, 1933. "The John Blair House and Kitchen on the north side of Duke of Gloucester Street was the home of a prominent family of Virginians. The Reverend James Blair (1655-1743), founder and first president of the College of William and Mary, came to Virginia in 1685....The original, easterly part of the John Blair House was built early in the eighteenth century. It is one of the oldest houses in Williamsburg. Town tradition has it that the stone steps at both doors came from the Palace Street theater. The steps were added when the house was lengthened twenty-eight feet to the west sometime during the second quarter of the eighteenth century."

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 103-104).

]]> Rights and reproductions]]> View of Ayscough Shop from Francis Street, 1933. The Ayscough Shop once housed the Forge and Wheel, a retail establishment, which sold decorative ironwork, pottery, and other items.

Christopher Ayscough, the namesake of the shop, tried operating a tavern on the site between 1768-1770. Other shopkeepers, including Catherine Rathell, Matthew Holt, and Jacob Bruce, briefly occupied the store and sold various goods to townspeople.

The structure survived from the eighteenth century, although it was hardly recognizable due to the enlargements and modifications made in the nineteenth century. Once restored to its eighteenth-century appearance, the building exhibited such features typical of a commercial establishment as a gable end entrance and large shop window.


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Christopher Ayscough, the namesake of the shop, tried operating a tavern on the site between 1768-1770. Other shopkeepers, including Catherine Rathell, Matthew Holt, and Jacob Bruce, briefly occupied the store and sold various goods to townspeople.

The structure survived from the eighteenth century, although it was hardly recognizable due to the enlargements and modifications made in the nineteenth century. Once restored to its eighteenth-century appearance, the building exhibited such features typical of a commercial establishment as a gable end entrance and large shop window.]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
The Finnie House holds the distinction of retaining an appearance most closely matching its eighteenth-century form throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Restoration efforts in 1932 and 1952 mainly focused upon bringing a few elements of the entrance porch, such as the Doric columns and architrave, back to their original classical forms.]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
The Finnie House holds the distinction of retaining an appearance most closely matching its eighteenth-century form throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Restoration efforts in 1932 and 1952 mainly focused upon bringing a few elements of the entrance porch, such as the Doric columns and architrave, back to their original classical forms.
]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
The Finnie House holds the distinction of retaining an appearance most closely matching its eighteenth-century form throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Restoration efforts in 1932 and 1952 mainly focused upon bringing a few elements of the entrance porch, such as the Doric columns and architrave, back to their original classical forms.
]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
The Finnie House holds the distinction of retaining an appearance most closely matching its eighteenth-century form throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Restoration efforts in 1932 and 1952 mainly focused upon bringing a few elements of the entrance porch, such as the Doric columns and architrave, back to their original classical forms.]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
One of the eighty-eight original buildings at Colonial Williamsburg, the Finnie House is named after William Finnie. He resided in the home in the 1770s and early 1780s and held the office of quartermaster general of the Southern Department during the American Revolution.

The Finnie House holds the distinction of retaining an appearance most closely matching its eighteenth-century form throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Restoration efforts in 1932 and 1952 mainly focused upon bringing a few elements of the entrance porch, such as the Doric columns and architrave, back to their original classical forms.]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]>