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  • Category : Local History, Trish Thomas

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Williamsburg Walking Tours

Civil War hospital photo (original source and date unknown)

The Civil War and the “Good Death”

The Civil War altered landscapes, society, and hearts throughout the nation. In the end, though, the Civil War put to rest, not so peacefully, the “Good Death.”... Finish Reading
Colonial Williamsburg Capitol

Paper Doll Summer: A Colonial Williamsburg Souvenir

Souvenir translates from the French as “recollection” or “memory.” Back then, the word meant a small take-home treasure. The is first seen in the English language around the end of the 18th century, to refer to objects that remind us of a certain place or time. Tourists have been buying... Finish Reading
Photo by Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash

African American History: Chocolatiers And Celebrity Chefs in Colonial Virginia

Virginia’s Finest Chocolatiers in Colonial Times Were Black

Valentine’s Day With Caesar, Virginia’s African-American Chocolatier

Dinner With Enslaved Cook Hercules Posey, The Colonies’ First Celebrity Chef

... Finish Reading
Beehive

Telling the Bees

Honeybees – Apis Mellifera -- are amazing creatures! It’s no wonder writers and poets through the centuries have been inspired by them.... Finish Reading
TrishThompsonFeaturedOnChannel13NewsNow-Blackbeard

Tour Guide, Trish Thomas, featured on Channel 13 News Now

Navy officers decapitated Edward Teach, the infamous English pirate, centuries ago. To walk in his footsteps, you don’t have to travel far.... Finish Reading
Trish Thomas (right foreground) of Williamsburg Walking Tours leads a tour for the Virginia Department of Blind and Vision Impaired. Courtesy Williamsburg Walking Tours (Courtesy Williamsburg Walking Tours)

From The Virginia Gazette: “Season underway for Williamsburg walking tours”

Williamsburg Walking Tours owner/operator Trish and David Thomas were featured in the Virginia Gazette recently. Below is the text, and a very large 'thank you' to Wilford Kale for helping kick off a great new season!... Finish Reading
the botanic garden Benjamin maund

Before emojis, there was Floriography 

This season, Williamsburg Walking Tours will periodically investigate the meaning and origin of the flowers that can be found in the gardens of Colonial Williamsburg and along the rivers and waterways of Tidewater, Virginia.... Finish Reading
child painting with squirrel

Squirrels in Williamsburg

When Europeans first began settling North America, they brought with them dogs, cats, and other standard domestic farm animals that were a necessary part of eking out an existence in this New World. Such animals typically served dual roles as both workers and pets—or “favorites,” which is what pets were... Finish Reading

Pollarded Willows and the Setting Sun Vincent van Gogh, 1888

What’s Wrong With Those Trees?

At the corner of Nassau and Francis Streets stand these stately sycamore trees. In my opinion they are at their most beautiful in winter, when their bare branches and “knuckles” stand out against the brilliant blue sky. People on my tours often ask, “What’s wrong with those weird trees?” I... Finish Reading
wet poinsettia

A Poinsettia By Any Other Name…

Poinsettias were named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, who was appointed Ambassador to Mexico in the 1820s by John Quincy Adams. He was also an amateur botanist. While in Mexico he started sending plant specimens to his home in South Carolina, one of which we have come to call the Poinsettia.... Finish Reading

Margarita Schuyler - From A Godchild of Washington

What Happened to Peggy?

We meet them in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit “Hamilton,” but who were they? Why is Peggy not included after the first act?... Finish Reading
spices on spoons

The Sweet and Spicy History of Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin Spice, a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice, took America by storm when Starbucks started putting it in their coffee in 2003. However, this blend is much, much older…    Medieval European History The Age of Discovery brought spices to Europe, and the people (the wealthy people) could not get enough of them. Spices were used for culinary purposes as well as... Finish Reading

antietam isle

Thanksgiving at Point Lookout, 1863

Point Lookout, Maryland was a prison camp for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. One of the Union doctors -- Dr. William Child, Surgeon of the 5th New Hampshire Volunteers -- wrote a letter to his wife about his lonesome Thanksgiving at a military hospital on the Chesapeake Bay... Finish Reading
Crabbing boat sally T Smith Island in Maryland Photo Courtesy of Greg Hager

A Brief and True Account of Oysters

By Trish Thomas |
Williamsburg Walking Tours

Oysters have been consumed by humans as far back as the Neolithic Era (3500 to 3000 B.C.). We know this because of the large piles of discarded shells dating back to that era. Some archeologists believe that the first knives and spoons... Finish Reading

Virginia Musical Museum collage of images from inside.

Why You Should Take Your Family To The Virginia Musical Museum

For music and history lovers alike, the Virginia Musical Museum and Music Hall of Fame is a must-see display when you next visit Williamsburg, VA. This interesting museum is home to countless displays all dedicated to preserving the history of Virginian musicians. There are many exhibits to see and things... Finish Reading

Exterior of the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg Virginia

The Historic Governors Palace of Williamsburg Virginia

The Governor’s Palace was the official residence for the royal governors of colonial Virginia during much of the eighteenth century. Constructed from 1706-1722, the Palace housed seven royal governors and two post-colonial governors, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. Governors Who Lived in the Governor’s Palace Nine governors resided in the... Finish Reading

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