Drive Into History

Posted by Larry Miller on April 4, 2010 under Why | Be the First to Comment

This weekend, my daughter and I took the eighty some mile drive to the colonial capital of Virginia, Williamsburg. I try to make this pilgrimage at least once a year… sometimes more. Being a beautiful spring day, the old town was packed with visitors looking for a glimpse of life in the 1770s. For those who have never been there, the historic section of town has been meticulously restored to show the lives of the movers and shakers of the time along with the merchants who kept the early economy moving without the help of over-regulation and subsidies. Recently they have added a farm on the outskirts of the community to help understand more of how the less affluent folks lived.

Speaking with some of the costumed characters, one gets a feeling for the resignation of many of the people who may not have agreed with all the king’s governors were doing, but they knew their place was not to challenge the royal authority. Then one hears the likes of Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry who hold that the quest for liberty outweighs the human desire to live peacefully… even if it is under despotic rule.

I enjoy walking the grounds of the College of William & Mary where the spirits of Thomas Jefferson and George Wythe hover about. One can only wish that the current crop of students and faculty would catch the vision of our nations founders who studied within the institutions walls. As you walk down Duke of Gloucester Street toward the capitol building, you pass a series of shops and taverns where average colonists plied their trades and made a good living meeting the needs of their neighbors.

A short way down the street, appropriately on the left, is a pair of roads leading back to the governors mansion. Here the king’s emissary ruled the colony of Virginia. Calling and disbanding the House of Burgesses as it fit the purpose of the British monarch. Further down the street on the right, is the magazine, an octagonal building where the city’s arms and munitions were stored… and where, one night, fearing rebellion, English soldiers slipped into town and removed the citizen’s weapons.

Down at the end of Duke of Gloucester Street stands the magnificent capitol building where many of the Virginians of note… Henry, Jefferson, Randolph, Wythe and Lee… sparred with the royal governor over the rights of the colonists as they stood against the privileges of the king. It is only a reproduction as the original burned twice. It is unfortunate, but when a major building material is wood, and the source of light is candles, the results are often spectacular. In any case, one gets a feel for the place and the work that was carried out in the building until the capitol was moved up the James River to Richmond.

I understand that maintaining such a historic shrine takes a lot of money, yet watching the vendors selling overpriced souvenirs almost gave me the feeling the money changers in the temple. Particularly as so many who appeared to be more involved in the peculiarities of life in the 1770s than in appreciating what these founding fathers wrestled with and accomplished in the small town of Williamsburg.

Perhaps it is the schooling the younger generation receives, or the attitude that history doesn’t really apply to us today. Whatever the reason, the novelty of the horse and buggy clattering down the street, appears to be infinitely more interesting than the men who rode in them and the struggles they went through in winning our independence.

There is one last place to visit in this unique and historic town. Not far from the governor’s mansion and the court house sits the Bruton Parish Church. It is the oldest operating house of worship in the country. In this old brick building outfitted with doored pews, the likes of Jefferson, Henry, Washington came for the spiritual inspiration that colored their vision of God given rights and duty. They heard sermons that led them to fulfill their individual destinies and that of our great land. They prayed and sought divine guidance within it’s walls. It is a special place in a special town where even the tourists display the quiet reverence befitting the place and the period. It’s as good a place as any to seek the wisdom we need to navigate our difficult times. However, since most of us don’t live that close, we will each have to find our own place to seek wisdom and guidance… even where you are right now!