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Annual Reports :
2004 : Around the Foundation
Historic Area Programming | Collections & Museums | Educational Outreach | Research | Peyton Randolph Plantation | Churchill Bell | Products | Hospitality
Illuminated by experience, research, and innovation, new
days are dawning on Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area programming.
Photo by Dave Doody
Click image to enlarge |
THE
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG Foundation's Historic Area in 2004 portrayed the life and
times of 230 years before. The 1774 story—a town and people on the eve of
revolution—has long been the programming platform in Virginia's restored
eighteenth-century capital. This year, it became the backdrop to exploring
innovative ways to tell the story of the Revolution itself.
Informed by
intensive planning and a comprehensive foundation approach to programming,
interpreters experimented with thematic weeks tied to the seasons of the year.
Themes included: The Gunpowder Incident, Prelude to Independence, In Support of
Boston, Call for a Congress: The First Virginia Convention, The Revolution
Comes Home, and Dunmore's Proclamation.
Programming
reflected the ebb and flow of the year with offerings for National Religious
Freedom Day, Religion in American Life Month, Presidents Weekend, Black History
Month, Women's History Month, Memorial Day, Independence Weekend, and Veterans
Weekend.
Programming to broaden the picture of the colonial town introduced
links to American Indians and the French and Indian War. New programming on the
events of 1773–76 laid the groundwork for 2005 interpretations of the
winter of 1773, spring of 1774, summer of 1776, and fall of 1775. Each season
will highlight the experiences of the community and the events behind them
during critical years in the birth of the nation and its new
culture—preparing the way for further program innovation in 2006 and
2007.
Among the additions to the museums is this miniature portrait of Lord Dunmore, the last royal governor of Virginia.
Photo by Hans Lorenz
Click image to enlarge | 
Conservator Shelley Svoboda works on the Shaw parlor, which will be reinstalled
in the new, larger Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum.
Click image to enlarge |
IN 2004, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's
collections and museums staff completed plans for construction of a new Abby
Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum adjacent to the DeWitt Wallace Decorative
Arts Museum. Working with Alspector Anderson Architects, the team designed a
state-of-the-art facility featuring eleven spacious, guest-friendly galleries
for better display of the foundation's American folk art collection. Funded in
significant measure through donor gifts, the more accessible facility is to
open in October 2006. After closing the original folk art museum at the end of
2004, the staff presented two interim folk art exhibitions at the Wallace
Museum.
They dismantled the 1836 Alexander Shaw parlor, a colorfully painted and
decorated room rescued from a long-demolished North Carolina house and first
installed at the original AARFAM in 1957. Conservators began the complex
cleaning and stabilization of the grained and marbleized paneling, and
discovered brilliant, well-preserved colors beneath later overpaint. The room
will be reassembled at the new facility.
The exhibition Degrees of Latitude: Mapping Colonial America opened at the
Wallace Museum early in 2004 after showings at museums in the Northeast and the
Midwest. Drawn from Colonial Williamsburg's collection of historic maps, the
exhibit explores subjects from politics to settlement. Curator Margaret
Pritchard's definitive book of the same name accompanied the show. Also new in
2004 was American Furniture: Virginia to Vermont, an exhibition that
examines regional differences in American cabinetmaking during the eighteenth
and early nineteenth centuries.
In the Historic Area, curators carried out the first stages of
long-standing plans to enhance the veracity of furnishings in the Capitol. The
Governor's Council Chamber was fitted out with the original ceremonial chair
made for the colony's chief executive in the 1750s, as well as an
eighteenth-century glass chandelier akin to one ordered for the room more than
250 years ago, and a re-creation of the council's well-documented circulating
library. Curators will enrich the ensemble of historic furnishings in 2005.
Emmy-nominated
Electronic Field Trip A Publick Education
Design by Elizabeth Eaton
Click image to enlarge | 
Cooper Marshall Scheetz with
Teacher Institute participants.
Photo by Dave Doody
Click image to enlarge |
THE
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG Foundation's Productions, Publications, and Learning
Ventures division presents the story of Virginia's restored eighteenth-century
capital to audiences across the United States, and extends the mission and
brand of Colonial Williamsburg. In 2004, partnering with national textbook
publisher Scott Foresman, the foundation contributed seventeen textbook
presentations on early American history for grades 1–6, and created the
interactive CD-ROMs Primary Sources, Grades 1–3 and Grades 4–6, which challenge
students to "think like a historian."
Colonial
Williamsburg's Teacher Institute introduced 1,035 elementary, middle, and high
school teachers to early American history and learning techniques that will
inspire their students.
The sponsorship of President David J. Serlo of PSCU Financial Services,
and member credit unions, took Colonial Williamsburg's nationally televised
classroom events called electronic field trips and teacher development programs
to hundreds of American schools—thanks in part to the advocacy of Pat
Hill, a member of the foundation's leading donor group, the Raleigh Tavern
Society, and public relations consultant for PSCU Financial Services.
The foundation
premiered three electronic field trips in 2004 and rebroadcast four. The
publications department issued Holiday Fare: Favorite Williamsburg Recipes, by John R. Gonzales; Colonial Houses:
The Historic Homes of Williamsburg,
Hugh Howard, editor; Spreading the Gospel in Colonial Virginia: Sermons and
Devotional Writings, in
full and abridged editions, Edward L. Bond, editor; and, for children, D is
for Drums: A Colonial Williamsburg ABC,
by Kay Chorao.
In the audio and visual area, Jefferson and Adams: A Stage Play, written by Howard
Ginsberg, premiered on DVD.
The Colonial Williamsburg Web site featured Politics,
Elections & the Presidency: A Video Conversation with Thomas Jefferson,
an eleven-week series of the third president's reflections on the electoral
process. Christmas in Williamsburg, promoted the Historic Area's history, decorations, calendar of events, dining, and shopping opportunities.
A national summit
on obesity, sponsored by Time and ABC News, was hosted by Colonial Williamsburg for
three days in June and drew more than 400 participants. Peter Jennings
broadcast the ABC Nightly News from behind the Governor's Palace.
Photo by Dave Doody
Click image to enlarge |
THE STAFF OF THE RESEARCH DIVISION participates in
preservation, conservation, collections building, rare books and archives
management, editing, training, field research, writing and publishing,
classroom teaching, Web site development, administration of adult education
programs, and interpretation to the public. Two projects loomed larger than
others in 2004.
Theater research: Williamsburg in the
eighteenth century was home to North America's first theater and, before the
end of the colonial period, to three commercial theaters. Five years ago, the
foundation's archaeologists discovered and excavated the site of the most
celebrated, one to which Thomas Jefferson repaired almost every free evening
during the court season. Research in American and British archives reveals that
David Douglass, a Scot who operated playhouses from New York to Jamaica, built
it in 1760. Gifts from Carole Crocker, Helen Lee Henderson, and the Serenbetz
Foundation enabled our historians to investigate the remains of the Douglass
Theatre, record the best surviving English playhouse of the period, and confer
with leading authorities on eighteenth-century playhouse design. Further
research, including study drawings and a computer model, are expected by the
end of 2005.
Division Web site:
The Digital History Center at the foundation's John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library
had already used grants from the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the National
Endowment for the Humanities to put large parts of the library's early American
collections on Colonial Williamsburg's Web site. In 2004, division staff helped
the center combine those materials with Web pages that will make available to
the public selected archaeological, architectural, architectural conservation, and
historical research files, and a trove of drawings, photographs, and reports.
Among other projects, the division took part in completing the College
Corner Building on Merchants Square designed by British architect Quinlan
Terry, endowing the visiting scholars fellowship program at the Rockefeller
Library, launching a new cataloguing system, supporting the latest revision of
the Becoming Americans interpretive plan, and rehousing the foundation's
collection of historic architectural elements.
Steve Donald Paige, left, and Dan Moore work in the rafters of the granary, the latest structure in the Randolph urban plantation complex.
Photo by Dave Doody
Click image to enlarge |
The Randolph urban plantation complex.
Photo by Dave Doody
Click image to enlarge |
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG HAS re-created the Historic
Area's largest eighteenth-century domestic complex: Peyton Randolph's urban
plantation. Sixteen donors contributed to the decades-long reconstruction of
the site's outbuildings. The largest contribution was a $1.5 million gift from
Carole Davis Crocker of Lake City, Florida, which provided for the
reconstruction and endowment of the property's kitchen and covered walkway.
Begun in the 1960s, the reconstruction introduces guests to the home,
family, and slaves that shaped Randolph's private and public life. Elected to
the House of Burgesses in 1748 to represent Williamsburg, he became its speaker
in 1766, and was president of the Continental Congresses in 1774 and 1775. He
died in Philadelphia in 1775, leaving his widow, Betty, to manage the property
and twenty-seven slaves.
The Randolph site has become a premier Historic Area attraction. The
house, which survives largely intact, was rejoined to the kitchen and slave quarters
in 2000 with a reproduction of an original covered walkway that sheltered
people carrying food and laundry to the residence. On the basis of
archaeological findings, Colonial Williamsburg reconstructed a granary,
storehouses, a smokehouse, dairies, and a well on original foundations to
complete the restoration.
Foundation carpenters, joiners, bricklayers, and plasterers interpreted
their trades at the site during the project, engaging guests in such efforts as
raising the kitchen and granary walls.
Interpretation of the Randolph site opens a window to the range of
society in Virginia's restored eighteenth-century capital. The public and
powerful personages are met in the house itself, and the outbuildings provide
opportunities to present the lives of women and slaves.
Ann Lee Saunders Brown holds the Churchill Bell
Photo by Tom Green
Click image to enlarge |
THE FOUNDATION presented its highest honor, the
Churchill Bell, to the late Charles L. Brown, former chairman of the board, and
to his wife, Ann Lee Saunders Brown, for institutional leadership, commitment
to education, and generosity in the cause of freedom. At a December 4, 2004,
board of trustees dinner, Ann Lee Brown accepted the Bell on the couple's
behalf.
Brown, former head of AT&T, became a Colonial Williamsburg trustee
in 1979, and was elected chairman in 1986, serving until 1991. While he was
chairman, the foundation expanded educational programs and services,
implemented a seven-year strategic plan, and introduced African American
interpretive programs. He was also co-chair of the Raleigh Tavern Society from
1991 until his death in 2003 at age eighty-two.
The Browns were
members of Colonial Williamsburg's National Council and created the Charles L.
and Ann Lee Saunders Brown Endowment for the Teaching of History. Ann Lee Brown
also made a gift for stables construction, and has supported the stables and
livestock programs and their staff.
WILLIAMSBURG At Home opened in
June in the College Corner Building.
Photo by Barbara Lombardi
Click image to enlarge | 
Donor
gifts support new programs and staff training and educational outreach, among
many other foundation activities. They are also crucial to helping maintain the
almost 500 original and reconstructed buildings in the Historic Area, which
require conservation and preservation by the skilled staff at Colonial
Williamsburg.
Photo by Dave Doody
Click image to enlarge |
CHANGE,
TARGETED GROWTH, and brand expansion characterized 2004 for the Colonial
Williamsburg Foundation's products division. This segment of Colonial
Williamsburg's operations increased its contributions to the institution by
controlling expenses and increasing direct marketing and licensing revenue.
WILLIAMSBURG At Home opened in Merchants Square in June, as the Craft
House at the Inn closed its doors after decades of service to foundation
customers. The new store merges Colonial Williamsburg's casual and formal home
furnishing collections. In March, Williamsburg Celebrations began business in
Merchants Square, offering collectibles and garden accessories in the space
formerly occupied by WILLIAMSBURG Pure Simple Today.
The retail stores, catalog, and e-commerce operations
unified their message under the umbrella "WILLIAMSBURG Marketplace," as the
division made communications more cohesive and expanded guest service.
The Visitor Center store, opposite the bookstore at the north entrance,
was renamed Revolutions.
Direct marketing
achieved record revenue results through strong holiday sales and growth on the
Web site: www.williamsburgmarketplace.com.
Launches of the Language of the Garden fabric collection by Waverly, and
the WILLIAMSBURG Color Collection by Pratt & Lambert paints, highlighted
the licensing year.
The Waverly agreement added supportive products to the licensee line,
and the Pratt & Lambert collaboration extends WILLIAMSBURG to more
retailers and includes thirty-eight new colors.
The foundation's
home furnishings offerings also grew with the additions of licensees Global
Views for decorative accessories, NDI for permanent botanicals, and Oriental
Accent for lighting.
The division
initiated a strong and thoughtful marketing plan for 2005 to bring continuity
of message and increase brand strength through all distribution channels.
Income
from Colonial Williamsburg's retail operations supports the foundation's
educational activities and programs.
Ya-Ni Tseng of Taipei won the Women's Amateur Public
Links tournament at the Golden Horseshoe's Green Golf Course.
Photo by Tom Green
Click image to enlarge | 
Room model for the renovation and
expansion of the Williamsburg Lodge, which is to be complete by 2006.
Photo by Barbara Lombardi
Click image to enlarge |
INCOME FROM HOSPITALITY operations supports Colonial
Williamsburg's educational activities and programs. The Williamsburg Lodge's
phased renovation and restoration moved from design to construction in 2004.
Work on the main building and Tazewell and South Wings started, as did erection
of the sixty-room East Guest Houses, to open in mid 2005. Model guest rooms
were built to show the prospects for the hotel's business and resort guests.
When the project is done in autumn 2006, the Lodge will have 323 guest rooms
and a 45,000 square foot conference center.
Plans for a spa and fitness center to serve Lodge and Williamsburg Inn
guests advanced. The spa is to occupy the adjacent building that housed the
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, which is moving.
The historic taverns diversified to better serve Historic Area guests.
Chowning's began offering Colonial Quick Fare, leaving á-la-carte dining
experiences to The King's Arms and Campbell's Taverns. Colonial Williamsburg
announced that in 2005 Shields Tavern would re-open as an eighteenth-century
coffeehouse, providing light fare and beverages, and interpretive experiences.
The Inn was again on the Condé Nast Traveler magazine's Gold
List, and recognized by Travel & Leisure magazine as one of
the "Top 100 Hotels in the World. "Departures Readers Favorites
Survey," published by American Express, spotlighted the Inn as the second-most
popular boutique hotel in the nation.
The Inn's Regency Room
again earned the American Automobile Association's Four Diamond rating, the
Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award, and Wine Spectator magazine's Award of Excellence. Colonial
Williamsburg's hotel properties earned Corporate Travel & Incentive magazine's Award of Excellence.
The USGA Women's Amateur
Public Links Championship was played at the Golden Horseshoe Golf
Club—which earned one of Golf Magazine's eight national gold medals. Golf Digest recognized the Golden Horseshoe as a Five Star
course—one of sixteen nationally. Condé Nast Traveler magazine cited the Inn and Golden Horseshoe
complex as among the "75 Top Golf Resorts around the World."
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Historic Triangle