Historic Places

Temporarily closed for restoration. The Powder Magazine was constructed in 1715 as storage for the arms and ammunition dispatched from London for the defense of the colony. Just before the Revolution, it was the scene of a famous confrontation between Williamsburg residents and the royal governor, when his soldiers absconded with the colony's gunpowder. Check back for more information on the building reopening to the public.

Visit the home of Thomas Everard, a wealthy planter and civic leader. One of the oldest houses in Williamsburg, the Everard House is furnished with 18th-century antiques and was meticulously restored to its early appearance.

In the eighteenth century, the Geddy house would have been full of children laughing, learning, and playing. The Geddy family moved to Virginia from Scotland sometime in the early eighteenth century. James Geddy Sr. was a gunsmith who also worked with iron and brass. James and his wife Anne had eight children. After James Sr.’s death, his son James Geddy Jr. purchased this lot from his mother and built the home that still stands there. He conducted his successful silversmith and jewelry business there, while his brothers continued to work on their father’s foundry. With his wife Elizabeth, James Jr. had five children: Mary, Anne (known as Nancy), William Waddill, James, and Elizabeth.

Step back into the time of the Stamp Act and learn about the fashionable world of the coffeehouse, where Williamsburg's citizens and visitors met to share news, transact business, and debate politics.

As in the 18th century, Market Square is a hub of activity. Walk in the steps of Nation Builders as you observe a militia review. Do some shopping at the 18th-century Market House. Listen as a proclamation is read from the Courthouse steps, or simply watch the people passing by.

The American colonies' first purpose-built theater opened on this site before 1720. Today, you can take in a lively performance by the Play House Players on an open-air stage. See the calendar of events for a schedule of musical and theatrical entertainment.

The first American hospital devoted exclusively to treating the mentally ill. The Public Hospital of Williamsburg (also known as Eastern State Hospital or Eastern Lunatic Asylum) was first proposed to the Virginia House of Burgesses by Francis Fauquier in 1766 and admitted its first patient on October 12, 1773. Changes in how the British public perceived mental illness and political and economic goals within the colony drove Virginia leaders to establish this institution.

Merriment and conviviality were specialties of the house at Wetherburn's Tavern. Get a glimpse into the private lives of Henry Wetherburn, his family, and his enslaved peoples, who made the tavern one of the most successful of the 1750s. The tavern and the dairy out back are both original buildings.

Come and see what's new at Custis Square! Archaeologists are in the midst of a five-year project investigating the Williamsburg home of Virginia plantation owner and statesman John Custis IV. Visit the archaeological site, see artifacts as they're being discovered, and talk with experts in the field. While you visit you'll learn about the property's history, from Custis' purchase of the land in the early 18th century to its tenure as a recreation space for patients of the Eastern State Public Hospital. Stop by and find out what archaeology can tell us about Custis Square and the people who lived there! This self-guided program is open to visitors of all ages, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Guests may enter the site at the corner of Nassau and Francis Streets. Weather dependent. The terrain is grassy and may be difficult to access by wheelchair.

The African Baptist Meeting House and Burial Ground was the original permanent location of the First Baptist Church, one of the earliest African American congregations in the United States. A congregation of enslaved and free people of African descent worshipped, built a community, and buried family members at this Nassau Street site. Following Colonial Williamsburg’s purchase and removal of the church, the congregation relocated to Scotland Street, where its members have worshipped since 1956. In partnership with the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation, Colonial Williamsburg has engaged in a multi-year project to excavate, study, and reconstruct this important historic site.