Capitol

HISTORIC BUILDING · COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG

The Capitol was the center of Virginia's colonial government in Williamsburg and a major setting for the political conflicts that preceded the American Revolution.

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Overview

The first Williamsburg Capitol was completed in 1705. It housed the General Assembly and courts and served as a center of British authority in Virginia. After fires and later changes, Colonial Williamsburg reconstructed the building on its historic foundations in the 1930s, using the design of the first Capitol as its principal model.

The site or trade forms part of the broader interpretation of Colonial Williamsburg, the restored Historic Area in Williamsburg, Virginia.

What to notice

Interpretation focuses on government, law, representation, the House of Burgesses, and the political debates that helped move Virginia from colony to commonwealth.

Historical context

Buildings in the Historic Area are interpreted within the political, economic, social, and domestic life of eighteenth-century Williamsburg. Some structures are original survivors, while others are reconstructions created from documentary, archaeological, and architectural evidence. Visitors should consult Colonial Williamsburg's current schedule because access, tours, and programming can change.

Visiting context

This subject is best understood as part of the larger Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area. The main Colonial Williamsburg guide provides an overview of major sites, museums, trades, dining, and visitor information.

See also

• Colonial Williamsburg
• Williamsburg, Virginia

External links

• Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area
• Colonial Williamsburg — Capitol