Shirley Plantation, Berkeley Plantation, Williamsburg Museums

It was a misty and eventually rainy day when we motored to two early plantations on the James River. Neither allowed photography inside so my photos to share are few. Tours were conducted by a guide. 

Shirley Plantation was established in 1613. The plantation was named for the founder's wife, who never stepped foot in America, but remained in "civilized" England. Crops are still grown (no longer tobacco as it badly depletes the soil), but a large part of the family's business is paid tours of the Great House and the grounds. The Great House was started in 1723 and completed in 1738. It has been continuously occupied by descendants of the founder. The current owner is the 11th generation, and he and his wife have twins two-years-old, who as the 12th generation will inherit the property though no one knows whether it will be divided in some way or whether it will be the son or the daughter who resides there. Edward Hill IV died at age 16 without issue, thus the property has been passed to a female heir in the past, in that case to his sister Elizabeth. It was Elizabeth and her husband John Carter (scion of "King" Carter considered to be the wealthiest man of his time in Virginia) who built the Great House. 

The pineapple figure on the roof is the sign of Southern hospitality. It is said people could see it from miles away as they navigated the James River. The large oak tree to the right has been used for special events in the family, including some weddings, for decades.

A very special wedding took place 1793 as Ann Hill Carter married Henry Lee in the parlor. Ann had been born in the Great House. Ann and Henry are the parents of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate General.

An interesting feature we saw in the parlor was a faucet attached to the side of the fireplace. A Pump House constructed in 1771 brought water to the Great House, the Laundry building, and the Kitchen. The device attached to the fireplace somehow heated the water. During refreshments in the parlor and the next-door dining room, the dirty dishes were soaked in hot water before being carted out to the Kitchen. You have to realize the Kitchen was a separate building in those days, not in the Great House. 

The picture of the staircase is from a post card I bought. Nobody could see any visible means of support for the floating staircase. In recent decades, part of the staircase was dismantled to reveal a beam and pipe construction. The family lives in the upper two floors (we could hear the tots scampering around sometimes), the tours are limited to the bottom floor.

One would expect a house with strong ties to the Confederacy to be destroyed by Union troops as so many antebellum houses were. According to our guide, two of the adult sisters woke up one foggy morning to the sounds of moans outside their window. The Union troops had pulled back from a battle in a hilly area dragging their wounded and dead to flat ground. In the fog, they did not realize they were next to the Shirley Plantation house. The sisters tore up their linens and helped bandage the wounds and comforted the dying. A promulgation by the commander stated the house and its occupants were not to be harmed in any way; this was as a thank you for the ladies' kindnesses. 

The kitchen at Shirley Plantation; the slaves lived on the upper floor. 

The laundry building faced the kitchen and looked much the same.

There is a gift shop inside the former laundry.

The other plantation we visited was Berkeley, built in 1726. It was raining steadily by the time we arrived and again no interior photos were allowed. There is a introductory film in the cellar. 

Benjamin Harrison, son of the founder, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and three-times governor of Virginia. William Henry Harrison, Benjamin's third son, born at Berkeley, was the famous Indian Fighter known as "Tippecanoe". He later became the 9th President of the United Sates in 1841. His grandson, Benjamin Harrison, was the 23rd President. 

Though the kitchen building suffered some damage (see the cannon ball hole above) from British troops, the main house was not destroyed. The furnishings were looted, but the house itself was preserved. These troops were led by Aaron Burr who was told he could have any property/house he wanted as a reward for his services to the  British, and he wanted Berkeley. There is an underground tunnel from the Kitchen building to the main house so meals could be transported easily especially in inclement weather, but part of the tunnel system has collapsed. 

After the Revolutionary War, the Harrisons restored the house and even extensively renovated it to the plans given to them by Thomas Jefferson, a frequent visitor. It was very attractive with double arches put in place between two parlors to make it an open flowing area.

George Washington and the following 9 U.S. Presidents dined in Berkeley's dining room. A descendent of the Harrison family still occupies the upper levels occasionally. Like Shirley Plantation, visiting in a warmer time of year would allow enjoyment of the gardens. 

The pass for Colonial Williamsburg includes free entry to the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum which share a building. I was happy the Folk Art Museum was open as when I visited Williamsburg a decade ago, it was closed for renovation. 

Other than visiting the doll house gallery in the Wallace museum, my time was spent in the Folk Art Museum, part of that time in a group with a docent. 

Folk art is created by amateur painters/artisans with little formal training. This lack of training is evident in the poor proportion in paintings of children. I love these little sisters, but see how their heads are large, the legs too short, etc.

Before the advent of cameras, these paintings were the way to preserve the likeness of a loved one. Local or itinerant untrained painters were paid by fairly well-to-do families. One of the paintings we saw had 9 or 10 children dressed in complementary outfits and posed outside. The museum plaque said the little blonde girl in the front (about 3 years old) died the following year. This was her parents only visual representation of the deceased daughter.

The museum gift shop had many nice things. I bought a bookmark featuring the prominent buildings of Colonial Williamsburg.

There was a beautiful wedding ensemble of the colonial era displayed but not for sale.

There were a few outfits for sale, however as well as fabric and patterns.

In the museum café, a Christmas tree had been decorated with handmade ornaments. The café was on a lower level so the tree could be admired from the stair landing as well as close up.

When I was at Williamsburg a decade ago, I bought a pewter candle snuffer with a pineapple form on the bell. In Merchants Square I saw the pewter shop was still there. In the shop that featured china, glassware, household goods, etc., I bought a towel.

After dining at the Dog Street Pub, my husband and I looked inside some of the other shops. We used the restrooms at the William and Mary College bookstore. I bought a small item for my printer's box at All Things Williamsburg. Then my husband and I each chose a truffle from the display case in Wythe's Candy Shop. We carried the little bag to Bruton Parish Church where we heard the concert. When we got back to our motel, we indulged in the rich chocolate and fillings. 

If you have never been to Colonial Williamsburg, Christmastide is a wonderful time to visit.