Costume Vignette
After a visit to the cooper, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch under the shady trees of Botetourt Street.
Meanwhle some families came over to pet the horses that were resting nearby between carriage rides.
A little girl came over to talk to my daughter, adoring her pink gown, and called her Tinker Bell.
The parents explained that after their daughter saw my daughter in her long pink gown, she exclaimed it was Tinker Bell. She had to meet her!
Carding Wool
Later my son carded wool, while the interpreter gave the others some cleaned wool to pull into thread/yarn.
Silversmith Commission
As we walked further down Duke of Gloucester Street, my son entered the Silversmith Shop.
Surprised, I followed him.
After walking directly to the lady at the back counter, he pulled out a sketch he had drawn.
Showing it to her, he asked for an estimate to engrave his historic compass/sundial or fife case from CW. (Both options were discussed.)
So that was the art project he’s been sketching all week!
Not sure, she asked the machine engraver, who explained the hand engraver needed this commission, but she wasn’t in that day.
They gave us their business card so we could mail a revised sketch for an estimate.
We all agreed there was too much detail in the submission.
I suggested he create a adesign like one of the medals we saw at the Washington and his Generals exhibit last week.
He could do the monogram on the front and the verse on the back. He liked that idea a lot!
So he is going to redo this and we’ll mail it in to the Silversmith.
Milliner Shop
At my favorite trade shop, we talked about milliners v mantua makers, wearing stays, the development of the bustle, etc.
Always needing to secure our costumes with needles and pins, I feel emboldened in my costume sewing attempts.
Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence
Then off we walked to the special Thomas Jefferson presentation about the Declaration of Independence.
Props like Jefferson’s writing desk and important documents decorated a table.
After he arrived, he told us many interesting stories.
Jefferson assured us that if we want to see the original Declaration of Independence today, go to Washington City and knock on the door of one of his cabinet members. (I forget which one.)
He’ll let you in and pull out the infamous document for you to see for yourself.
My kids were giggling because times have changed.
Last year they stood in a long line at the National Archives to see all the founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, and England’s first freedom document, the Magna Charta.
Reason behind the fading of the Declaration of Independence
One of the most prominent features we noticed about the Declaration of Independence when we saw it, was how much it had faded.
Jefferson addressed that while explaining the new Declaration of Independence exhibit at the museum.
As with all significant events, the anticipation of the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence brought a sweeping sense of patriotism over the country.
Marketing on the opportunity, engravers competed to produce an accurate copy of the Declaration of Independence, which is the focus of the current display at the DeWitt Wallace Museum at Colonial Williamsburg.
Despite the many copies of the Declaration of Independence, only one copy is historically accurate…that of William Stone’s, which is the version that we are all familiar with today.
President Jefferson explained how Stone accurately made it.
Stone knocked on the door of this cabinet official who kept the famed document in his desk drawer, took a wet piece of paper, laid it over the original, pressed it firmly into the embedded ink, then carefully lifted it up.
Stone now had an exact copy of the original Declaration of Independence.
Unfortunately this process removed much of the ink from the original, leaving it much faded.
Nevertheless, Stone produced the official government engraving, completed in 1823.
After the printing of two hundred and one copies of the Declaration of Independence, various government officials, all the living signers of the Declaration of Independence, and the Marquis de Lafayette, each received copies.
Imagine the reaction and feelings of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Lafayette, all men who risked their lives to make this statement of freedom a reality, when they received these historic vellum copies.
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has one of these rare surviving vellum Stone copies of the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson’s Writing Desk and Pamphlets
After modeling how he used his writing desk, Jefferson talked about several historic pamphlets related to the Declaration of Independence…each of which I had in my tote bag and had shown the kids before the presentation.
He detailed his 1774 pamphlet: A Summary View of the Rights of British America, as well as some other pamphlets others wrote when Virginia separated from England: The Virginia Declaration of Rights and The Bill of Rights and Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Funny, it was almost as if he knew I had my own copies, because he would mention a certain page number, which allowed me to reference my copy as he read his.
Unfortunate labor and product economy
When it was opened for question and answer, my son queried: I know you support freedom for slaves, yet you own some. What do you think of freeing them and paying them for their labor?”
Because the south did not have a ready cash economy, labor and product drove the economy.
However, he did hope for freedom of slaves.
Jefferson in fact worked with William Wilberforce, and with Congress to end the importation of slaves.
Ending the slave trade has long been a goal of Jefferson’s, who first sought it at the Continental Congress when he submitted his first draft of the Declaration of Indpendence.
Discussing his landmark presidential feat, the purchasing of the Louisiana Purchase, he envisioned new states opening in that new land, that would be free to all, no matter the skin color.
Unfortunately that was a hotly contested battleground in Congress in the nineteenth century, arguing whether the states would enter as free or slave.
Meeting Thomas Jefferson
He told my kids that they were very smart and after posing for pictures my daughter asked her question: How did he feel as he signed the Declaration of Independence?
President Jefferson said that was an excellent question, and if she had raised her hand, he would have called on her.
Then he qualified that by saying he must have missed her.
No, he didn’t. She had her hand timidly raised at shoulder level during the Q&A, so of course he couldn’t see that.
I whispered to her when we waited our turn for pictures to ask him the question.
The kids had formed these questions on their own ahead of time, when we prepared for this opportunity.
Colonial Williamsburg employees, whether they realize it or not, encourage her greatly to open up!
In reply to her question, he dicussed their uncertain their future when they signed the Declaration of Independence, because they were committing treason and were risking their lives and fortunes.
Chownings Tavern for Dinner
That evening we enjoyed dinner at Chownings, up the road.
Our waiter, with a Scottish accent and dry humor, was great!
With a backdrop of lively colonial musicians, a magician came to our table.
The magician gave us some of his equipment to inspect and that was fun, to make a big deal out of.
After giving my kids souvenir pins, he taught us a colonial game with dice, called Captain, sailors, and crew or something like that.
Roll the dice. There are three tries to roll a 4, 5, and 6. Once obtained, the remaining dice becomes the score. The one who gets to 100 first wins.
The best part of dinner is the colonial dessert: peanut pie.
Evening tour imagined glow in sky from Battle of Yorktown
By the time we left Chownings, the rain had ceased, leaving everything wet and drippy.
After walking through some shops at Merchant Square, we returned to the Lumber House for our evening event, the Lanthorn Tour.
Colonial lanterns are called lanthorns, because a thin layer of cow’s horn is used, instead of glass.
My son got to carry the lanthorn for the first part of the tour.
We visited four trades: blacksmith, cabinetmaker, binder, and printer…
Although there were several authentic lanthorns at each trade shop, we didn’t see the tools and product as easily as we do during the day.
Thus we got to see for ourselves precisely why tradespeople only work from dawn to dusk.
During the tour, a huge fireworks show began behind the Governor’s Palace.
The fireworks were for a special reception for the Virginia governor of 2009!
The red sky in the distance and wafting smoke drifting our way, enabled us to imagine that the Battle of Yorktown was in process.
In fact all the guests pretended that was the case. We really got into it.
Touring the historic area with kindred spirits is great!
