Old Powder Magazine, Williamsburgh, Va.

Dublin Core

Title

Old Powder Magazine, Williamsburgh, Va.

Subject

Powder Magazine (Williamsburg, Va.)
Albumen prints
Centennial Photographic Company
Block 12. Building 09.
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg

Description

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 building's entrance. Following the Revolution, it became a multi-purpose structure in the town's central Market Square with uses ranging from a Baptist meeting house to a dancing school, and even a livery stable.

Just prior to the Civil War, it served as a market house where town residents could gather to exchange produce, eggs, and meat. Confederate forces used it as an arsenal, while Union soldiers in turn housed Confederate prisoners inside it after the Battle of Williamsburg.

In 1899, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities acquired the building and commenced efforts to restore the structure. By the late 1890s, it had become a tourist attraction and one of the first shrines commemorating the town's colonial past.

Creator

Centennial Photographic Company

Date

ca.1875

Rights

This material is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). For reproduction queries: Rights and reproductions

Is Part Of

Albumen Print Collection, MS2005.16

Format

jpeg

Type

image

Identifier

D2014-SC-0004

Rights Holder

Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

Albumen print on board

Physical Dimensions

11 x 14 inches

Citation

Centennial Photographic Company, “Old Powder Magazine, Williamsburgh, Va.,” John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, accessed March 29, 2024, https://rocklib.omeka.net/items/show/511.