This morning we headed over to the visitor’s center at Colonial Williamsburg to start our tour of the area. We watched a brief film then followed the walking path a short 1/3 mile to Colonial Williamsburg. We passed by a windmill which were common in colonial Virginia and were often shown on early maps of the region. Windmills like this one require 15 mph winds to operate and were often built on high ground near rivers. They were used to grind corn into cornmeal for local farms.
As we entered the residential area of Colonial Williamsburg, the Governor’s Palace was our first stop. The official residence of the Royal Governors of the Colony of Virginia, it was also a home for two of Virginia's post-colonial governors, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, until the capital was moved to Richmond 1780.
Construction was commissioned in 1706, however, mismanagement of funds, shoddy construction and workmanship delayed the completion for many years. 
When Governor Dinwiddie arrived in 1751, the work was still under way and the colony had to buy a house next door – today's Robert Carter House – so the governor would have someplace to stay! After Dinwiddie moved into the Palace in 1752, the rear wing with its ballroom and supper room was raised. 
The main house burned down in 1781, though the outbuildings survived for some time after. To confirm what our friend, Harold, asked, yes, the College of William and Mary is located here in Williamsburg. As a matter of fact, the site passed to the College of William and Mary (the second oldest college in the United States) after the Revolutionary War. Two school buildings stood on the Palace grounds, just in front of the buried foundations on the site, when The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation purchased the property in 1928.
Through artifacts, Jefferson's drawings, General Assembly records, and a copperplate engraving discovered in England's Bodleian Library in 1929, reconstruction of the original buildings was completed and they opened as an exhibition on April 23, 1934.
We met many citizens of Colonial Williamsburg today and they were most helpful in telling us of the events of the “days”.
We passed the gardens behind the Governor’s Palace on our way to the Boxwood maze.
We managed to find our way INTO the maze, but had to retrace our steps to get out of the maze! From a view atop the icehouse mound, we could only see one way in and one way out, so we didn’t feel so bad!
We stopped into the Wythe House and the Play House Stage along the Palace Green. At the Wheelwright shop, we learned about making wagon wheels and the apprenticeship process. 
Our next stop was Bruton Parish Church which has been a parish for more than 300 years. During the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, the pews were removed and used as firewood and the church served as a hospital for wounded soldiers.
After stopping at several of the different trades’ shops, we made our way to the Courthouse. Tobey and I were both selected to serve as “magistrates” as court cases were presented. It was fun to see how the courts were held and what type of cases were brought before the courts.
Tobey was innocent (actually, he was never even charged with any crime), but he was a good sport and posed for a picture in the stocks! I think I have a picture of Tyler in the same place 24 years ago that I will look for when we get home!
At the Magazine and Guardhouse, we met Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, known in the United States simply as Lafayette. He was a French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles, including the Siege of Yorktown. He answered questions about his involvement in the war and how he helped George Washington win the war.
Outside, in the grounds, we also met a Shawnee Indian who demonstrated his bow and arrows, and gave a wonderful history of the native philosophy. It was very interesting!
As the day was winding down, we strolled down Duke of Gloucester Street and enjoyed seeing the horse-drawn carriage passing by. 
Our final stops were at the Print and Bindery Shops. It was fun to watch the printer demonstrating how they printed books and papers in the 1700s.
As we left the shops, we could hear the fife and drums so we headed to the Prentis Field, where the band was performing. If you want to hear them, you can follow this link: https://youtu.be/RahIZUw-FPw
As they passed us, we noticed most of the players looked to be quite young – middle school to high school age!
It was a long, hot (95 degrees) day and we are happy to be resting this evening! We are off to the hot tub to rest our weary feet before we tackle another section of Colonial Williamsburg tomorrow.
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