NASSAU STREET ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT AND MORE!

Williamsburg Inn

Williamsburg, Virginia

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

78F, Sunny

 

Another sunny, warm day in Williamsburg, Virginia!  We could not make reservations for a carriage ride or lunch or dinner at one of the colonial restaurants, so we started out at the First Baptist archaeology site, a new area of excavation. The site is the first physical location of one of America’s oldest churches founded by free and enslaved Blacks. The project aims to tell the story of the church and the people who worshiped at the historic site.

From the Colonial Williamsburg website, “Archaeologists are conducting excavations to uncover two buildings, the remains of the mid-19th century First Baptist Church and a smaller building that preceded it. The earlier building, referred to as the Baptist Meeting House in an 1818 tax document is thought to have housed the congregation prior to the construction of the church. That structure was replaced in 1856 by the brick church that stood on the corner of Nassau and Francis Streets until the congregation relocated in 1956.

 

“In the first phase of excavation, the team located the foundation of the 1856 church, along with the remains of an earlier building. While we do not yet know whether the remains of the early structure represent the “Baptist Meeting House,” where the congregation worshipped beginning in the early 19th century, a second phase of work is set to begin in January 2021 and hopes to answer that question and many more. In the second, expanded phase of excavation, the team will be taking a closer look at the previously identified structure and searching for others on the lot to try and locate the building where the congregation first met for worship in the city of Williamsburg.” 

 

We were very interested in the site and it was interpreted well at the building across from the “dig.”  

 

https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/locations/first-baptist-archaeology-site/

Archaeology dig on Nassau Street

Closeup of the archaeology dig

We walked along Duke of Gloucester Street again and visited the Peanut Shoppe of Williamsburg, as well as the William and Mary College Bookstore.  We have plenty of peanuts to take home!

Colonial homes on Duke of Gloucester Street

Colonial homes on Duke of Gloucester Street

Staying at the Williamsburg Inn was convenient because our car was securely parked, and we could walk the grounds. We grabbed the car and drove to Chickahominy House on Jamestown Road for lunch.  We love this small restaurant, built in 1962, because it looks and feels colonial. Architectural features from the colonial era were used inside and out, the floor is wooden, and the tables and chairs are a lot like those in the colonial restaurants in Colonial Williamsburg.  The servers are not costumed, but the menu is authentic. I enjoyed chicken and dumplings, biscuits, and apple crumb pie. TK had Brunswick stew (chicken with a tomato base) and biscuit and ham, as well as buttermilk pie (a custard with a hint of lemon) Delicious!

https://www.oldchickahominy.com/

Snapshot of Chickahominy dining area

 

Brunswick stew and ham/biscuits

Chicken and dumplings and biscuits

After lunch, we drove Newtown, another newer shopping area, and then to the huge Williamsburg Antique Mall.  I scoured the aisles, but saw no trivets, ground glass covered containers, nor World War I items, so we headed for the outlet mall for one more stop.

 I could not eat dinner, but we snacked at the Mexican restaurant next to the hotel, La Terraza. We realize we are getting just a little older and have not been walking marathons. While here, we are walking several miles a day and my thighs know it.

 We have decided to cancel Friday’s reservations, and head home Friday. There have been many changes, according to the hotel clerk. For instance, the wonderful visitor center is now being used for Covid-19 vaccinations and will never be the visitor center again. A sports complex will be built there.   They paved the streets in Colonial Williamsburg, a month ago—that means when one walks the streets it no longer feels like the 1700s. 

 The huge Yankee Candle Home store is closing because a lease deal could not be reached.  We are making the best of our trip and we still love the area, but change happens.  I am glad we made the trip so many times in Williamsburg’s heyday.

 

TK’s Takes:  It was very warm today.