Williamsburg

In Virginia, a site first settled (by the British) in 1633 as Middle Plantation, originally standing within a 6-mi. (10-km) stockade and serving as a refuge from Indian attacks. It is also the site of one of the most extensive restoration projects in North America, a working model of 18th-century life. It became the capital of Virginia in 1699 and was renamed in honor of King William III. The College of William and Mary, founded in 1693, and the Capitol building, begun in 1701, were the earliest public buildings. Structures of brick and wood housed a population of 5000-6000. When Williamsburg's tenure as capital ended in 1780, the city went into a general decline, although it was never abandoned as Jamestown was.

The site of one of the most extensive restoration projects in North America. Begun in conjunction with a programme of archaeological excavation in 1928, the site has since been developed as a working model of life in the 18th century. Located on a tidal water peninsula between the York and James Rivers in Virginia, Middle Plantation, as it was then called, was first settled by the British in 1633. On becoming the capital of Virginia in 1699, the town was renamed in honour of King William III and a grid plan of half-acre plots was instituted; structures which did not conform were removed. The College of William and Mary, founded in 1693, and the Capitol building, begun in 1701, were the earliest public buildings and along with the Raleigh Tavern were the first major excavations in the town. Structures of brick as well as wood housed a population of 5-6,000 at its zenith. When Williamsburg’s tenure as capital ended, in 1780, the city went into a general decline, although it was never abandoned as Jamestown was.