After a great Revolutionary City street theater experience with the Collapse of Royal Government, and our grand visit with General Lafayette, we toured several other parts of town.
Charleton Coffee House
Expecting to begin building soon, Colonial Williamsburg plans to open the recreated Charleton Coffee House in a couple of years.
Unfortunately the 18th century gentlemen who wrote that they had coffee at Charleton’s, shared little else.
In 1880 Cary Peyton Armistead built his family home on the old foundations of the Coffee House.
This archaeological dig began after the Armistead house movted to North Henry Street in 1995.
Unearthing history of the former Coffee House, archaeologists learned that two of the foundation walls were original to the Coffee House, as were some of the bricks.
Also revealed were the locations and size of windows, along with many other details.
Unique to the other historic buildings, Charleton’s Coffee Houses will offer on their tour a serving of coffee, chocolate, or tea.
Then we got some cold refreshments at Raleigh Tavern Bakery to enjoy in the courtyard…
Colonial Chocolate
Speaking of chocolate, we snacked on some colonial chocolate while window shopping in the gift shops on Duke of Gloucester Street.
The flavor is different from what we are used to because no sugar is added. Instead when grated, the chocolate picks up other flavors that have been left on the spice grater.
Trade Shops
Highly entertaining us with interesting information, the silversmith showed off all his work in the shop.
After visiting the printer and binder, we visited the Cabinet Maker.
We like their shops especially, because the print shop is built into a hill, and has a creek running alongside.
The creek continues along to the Cabinet Maker shop, trickling underneath the building.
We went to the cabinet maker shop which has a harpsichord for guests to play!
At the end of the day, we followed the Senior Fife and Drum Corps through town. Can’t get enough of them!
Cheese Shop Merchant’s Square
That evening we got sandwiches from the infamous Cheese Shop.
Tasting my first Virginia Ham, I discovered that although very salty, the small amount of ham was offset by the fresh alfalfa sprouts and creamy house dressing and cheese. It’s all about using a small bit of the salty ham and pairing it well. Absolutely delicious!
Bruton Parish Church Harp Recital
That evening we attended a harp recital at Bruton Parish Church, where many patriots attended.
Although the church continues to be a working church today, the used only candlelight for the harp program.
What a soothing ending to an incredible day.
