Last night we headed to the hot tub to relax only to find it wasn’t hot! Bummer!!! We survived, and headed off this morning to explore more of Colonial Williamsburg.
Our first stop was the Randolph House. The deep red Peyton Randolph House is one of the oldest, most historic, and most beautiful of Colonial Williamsburg's original 18th-century homes.
The west wing of the impressive house has stood at the corner of Nicholson and North England Streets since about 1715. Among the historic figures that took shelter in the house were General Rochambeau and the Marquis de Lafayette. Peyton Randolph, Speaker of Virginia's House of Burgesses in the years leading to the Revolution, brought his wife, Betty Harrison Randolph, to the home by 1751. It became a hub of political activity, and its owner Peyton Randolph was elected the presiding officer of the First Continental Congress at Philadelphia in 1774. An inventory taken at Peyton Randolph's death in 1775 indicates how the house was furnished and equipped.
The 30-minute tour through the house was informative and a great start to our morning. Afterward, we continued eastward down Nicholson Street stopping by the brickyard. The brickmakers told us they have completed making 21,000 bricks this summer and are beginning the construction of the kilns for firing the bricks. 
The bricks are hand made, moved in the small carts below, stacked and dried/cured for a few months, and then fired at 2000 degrees for five days. Labor intensive work, for sure! The bricks are made for use in Williamsburg and sometimes other historic sites around the country.
We also saw the Public Gaol (jail) and Presbyterian Meetinghouse before our tour of the Capitol building.
Our guide gave the history of the building and the government as it evolved from an elected “house of representatives” and appointed “council” as an English Colony to the house and an elected upper house, or the Senate when the country started the Revolution.
Back on the Duke of Gloucester Street, we also toured Wetherburn’s Tavern. It was interesting to learn the differences between taverns and other accommodations during the 18th Century. A tavern provided not just drinks, but rooms and meals where a public house might offer just sleeping quarters and a meal.
Wetherburn’s was apparently quite a lively place, especially during the time when the court was in session. Subscription dances - where the attendees paid an admission price to attend – were popular. The kitchen was in a building behind the tavern, as well as a dairy house, slaves rooms and the livery stable.
The Market Place showed the area where local merchants set up their temporary stands on Market day.
Every stop was interesting and we gained a greater appreciation for colonial life. At the silversmith’s shop, she explained not just the process of making silver products, but the economic times and reasons folks had silver products made.
The Milliner and Mantua-maker shop was another stop. The Mantua-Maker is a historical sewing pattern company specializing in women's clothing. All patterns are multi-sized, and are based on actual garments, pattern drawings, or engravings and photographs made during the time the garment was worn. Often, garments were imported from England in standard sizes, like small, medium, and large and sold that way. Customized clothing was also available.
One of our last stops was the Apothecary shop. A colonial apothecary practiced as doctor. Records kept by 18th-century Williamsburg's apothecaries show that they made house calls to treat patients, made and prescribed medicines, and trained apprentices. Some apothecaries were also trained as surgeons and man-midwives.
Medical treatment was expensive and individuals frequently diagnosed their own problems and compounded medications guided by tradition, folklore, or domestic medical books. Headaches were often treated by vinegar of roses, a remedy made of rose petals steeped in vinegar and applied topically.
Williamsburg apothecaries also sold cooking spices, candles, salad oil, anchovies, toothbrushes, and tobacco, making them true precursors of today's drugstores.
After another hot (93 degrees) day, we headed back to the Visitor’s Center parking and enjoyed the architecture in the colonial village on our way.
Dinner tonight was at Rocco’s where we shared a beef brisket dinner, mashed potatoes, smoked beans, and the most delicious corn bread! We were both stuffed and I am glad we opted to share.
The hot tub is supposed to be fixed, so we will head there in a while to relax and ease our weary feet! It is hard to believe we only have one more day here before heading home.
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