Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument and Washington Headquarters, Williamsburg, Va.

Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument and Washington Headquarters, Williamsburg, Va.

George Wythe House (Williamsburg, Va.)

Block 21. Building 04.

Monuments

Postcards - Virginia - Williamsburg

Church buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg

Recto and verso of postcard published by Louis Kaufmann & Sons in the early 1920s. It features the Confederate Memorial once located at the southern end of Palace Green in Williamsburg, Virginia. In the background is the George Wythe House, which served as George Washington's headquarters prior to the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. Beyond it is the structure that housed Williamsburg's Presbyterian congregation prior to its move to a new facility on Richmond Rd.

The stone obelisk memorializing Confederate dead was erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy. During annual celebrations of the anniversary of the Battle of Williamsburg, a memorial observance was held at the monument. Much to the horror of long-time residents, the monument was eventually removed as restoration work progressed. A court case ensued in 1932, as many residents felt Civil War history and heroes were being overshadowed by the efforts to highlight the town’s colonial history. The obelisk eventually found a new home just outside the historic district at the new James City County Courthouse complex on South England Street. Today, it can be found on Court Street in the Bicentennial Park.

Louis Kaufmann & Sons

ca. 1920s

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

Postcard Collection

jpeg

Image

AV-2003-06-57-R

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

Postcard

3 x 5 inches