Detail photo of fireplace in the Great Room of the Market Square Tavern taken by F.S. Lincoln, 1935. The original tavern structure burned down in 1859 but the remains of the original foundations allowed for the restoration of the building to its eighteenth-century appearance. John Dixon constructed the original around 1749 and used it as a combination dwelling and shop. Later additions allowed the building to be converted into a tavern. 

In the 1930s, guests to Colonial Williamsburg could rent rooms in the tavern to experience some colonial ambiance. The Great Room served as a gathering spot for conversations, games, and special occasions. A cozy corner of the room for reading or resting centered around a paneled fireplace. A painting from the collection of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, titled Girl with Dove (accession # 1933.100.3), decorated the wall above the mantel.

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After restoration in the early 1930s, guests at Colonial Williamsburg could rent rooms in the tavern to experience some colonial ambiance. It continues to serve as a lodging house for visitors today.]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
The original tavern structure burned down in 1859 but the remains of the original foundations allowed for the restoration of the building to its eighteenth-century appearance. John Dixon constructed the original around 1749 and used it as a combination dwelling and shop. Later additions allowed the building to be converted into a tavern operated first by Thomas Craig and later by Gabriel Maupin. After its restoration in the early 1930s, guests at Colonial Williamsburg could rent rooms in the tavern to experience some colonial ambiance. It has continuously provided accommodations for visitors to Williamsburg for several centuries.]]> Rights and reproductions]]> View of Alexander Purdie House from Duke of Gloucester Street, 1935. "The reconstructed Alexander Purdie House serves as the east wing of the King's Arms Tavern. In 1774, the Scottish-born Purdie founded the third of three Williamsburg newspapers named the Virginia Gazette. All three papers competed for readers as the Revolution drew near."

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

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The structure to the right is the William Finnie House, one of the eighty-eight original buildings at Colonial Williamsburg. The Finnie House is named after William Finnie, who resided in the home from the 1770s to 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.

]]> 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).

]]> 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).

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The caption reads: "King's Arms Tavern, Williamsburg, Virginia. Meals served in the seven dining rooms of the King's Arms, a reconstructed colonial tavern on Duke of Gloucester Street, are prepared from eighteenth-century recipes. Costumed hostesses and waiters enhance the charm of an authentic early American setting."]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
At the time the postcard was produced in the 1930s, a ghost story surrounded this particular feature of the tavern. According to a caption on the card: “In this historical house, before the Revolution, there were thirty-two children born to one mother and father, eleven single births and the other in twins and triplets. It is said a beautiful lady with long flowing hair that reached below her waist, wearing a soft blue gown that touched the floor, had been seen to come to this stairway when little children played on it. She is known as the lady in blue or the fairy godmother of little boys and girls.”

Early visitors to Colonial Williamsburg could dine, lodge, and purchase souvenirs and antiques at the Richard Bland Tavern. This postcard of the children’s stairway formed part of a set that visitors most likely could find in the tavern gift shop. ]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
Early visitors to Colonial Williamsburg could dine, lodge, and purchase souvenirs and antiques at the Richard Bland Tavern. This postcard formed part of a set that visitors most likely could find in the tavern gift shop. ]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
Early visitors to Colonial Williamsburg could dine, lodge, and purchase souvenirs and antiques at the Richard Bland Tavern. This postcard formed part of a set that visitors most likely could find in the tavern gift shop. ]]> Rights and reproductions]]>
The tavern's signboard and a fence stand in the foreground, while the front entrance of the building is visible in the background. A lead bust of Sir Walter Raleigh, the noted navigator-explorer, is featured in the broken pediment above the tavern's front doors. Eighteenth-century spelling was not exact and Raleigh most often wrote his name without the “i”.

The Raleigh Tavern was the frequent scene of both jollity and consequence. Burned to the ground in 1859, the tavern was reconstructed from published illustrations, insurance policies, and archaeology that uncovered most of the original foundations.]]>
A popular restaurant for tourists in the 1930s, the Travis House stood for a period of time along Duke of Gloucester Street on the site formerly occupied by the Palace Theatre. Its menu featured dishes inspired by colonial recipes. The structure moved back to its original location at the northeast corner of Francis and Henry Streets in the early 1950s.

Colonel Edward Champion Travis built the home in 1765 and it acquired several additions as successive owners occupied the site. Travis served in the House of Burgesses and was its most prominent colonial occupant. The house became a residence for superintendents of Eastern State Hospital in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Eastern State Hospital turned the building over to the Williamsburg Restoration in 1929 and this led to its temporary move to Duke of Gloucester Street to become a restaurant between 1930-1951.]]>
The original tavern structure burned down in 1859 but the remains of the original foundations allowed for the restoration of the building to its eighteenth-century appearance. John Dixon constructed the original around 1749 and used it as a combination dwelling and shop. Later additions allowed the building to be converted into a tavern operated first by Thomas Craig and later by Gabriel Maupin.

After its restoration in the early 1930s, guests at Colonial Williamsburg could rent rooms in the tavern to experience some colonial ambiance. The Great Room served as a gathering spot for conversations, games, and special occasions. Its focal point is a large round table encircled by Windsor chairs. A desk, high chest of drawers, side table, armchair, and ladder-back side chair complete the furnishings. ]]>
The Raleigh Tavern was the frequent scene of both jollity and consequence. Burned to the ground in 1859, the tavern was reconstructed from published illustrations, insurance policies, and archaeology that uncovered most of the original foundations.

Interior furnishings and decor reflect curators' views in the 1930s as to how Williamsburg's historic interiors may have looked in the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, with new research advances over the years, the Raleigh Tavern's interiors have changed and evolved to reflect a more authentic and accurate view of each room's likely contents and arrangements.]]>
The family portrait on the wall, entitled "Family Group With Two Servants," was painted in England in 1790 (accession #1939-290). Under the portrait, two mahogany knife boxes (accession #1930-303, 1) are featured on either end of a sideboard table.

The Raleigh Tavern was the frequent scene of both jollity and consequence. Dinners and dances rivaled in elegance those at the Palace and burgesses reconvened at the tavern when they were dissolved by royal governors prior to the Revolution. Burned to the ground in 1859, it was reconstructed from published illustrations, insurance policies, and archaeology that uncovered most of the original foundations.

Interior furnishings and decor reflect curators' views in the 1930s as to how Williamsburg's historic interiors may have looked in the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, with new research advancements over the years, the Raleigh Tavern's interior furnishings have changed to reflect a more authentic and accurate view of each room's likely contents and arrangements.
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The Raleigh Tavern was the frequent scene of both jollity and consequence. Dinners and dances rivaled in elegance those at the Palace and burgesses reconvened at the tavern when they were dissolved by royal governors prior to the Revolution. Burned to the ground in 1859, the tavern was reconstructed from published illustrations, insurance policies, and archaeology that uncovered most of the original foundations.

In anticipation of guests' needs, a bottle case or cellaret (accession # 1930-58) is featured to the left of the fireplace. Cellarets functioned as portable wine cellars for holding wine and bottled spirits at mealtimes. Above the fireplace hangs a painting entitled Imaginary Landscape (accession #1931.101.3), a gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. Interior furnishings and decor reflect curators' views in the 1930s as to what Williamsburg's historic interiors may have looked like in the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, with new research findings evolving over the years, the Raleigh Tavern's interior furnishings have changed to reflect a more authentic and accurate view of each room's likely contents and arrangements.
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The other waiter featured on the postcard to the left is Dick Owens.

According to the card's caption, "This well-known eighteenth-century tavern is operated today in the hospitable spirit of its colonial proprietors. Remembered by millions for its delicious seafood from the Chesapeake Bay, steaks, coffees and "Black Velvet" cocktails, Campbell's is one of Virginia's finest restaurants."]]> AVPC-81a-V]]>