Colonial Williamsburg: Past & Present: Podcasts
Podcasts by date
-
This week's podcast: October 06, 2008
Tobacco in the Colonies
Investment in the field yields profits in the marketplace for diligent tobacco farmers. Rural tradesman Wayne Randolph describes the hungry crop's allure. Comment.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 1.6Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.5Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Video podcast
- Watch (mov, 23Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Sep 29
08The Bray School
A historic headmistress devotes her days to educating enslaved children. Interpreter Antoinette Brennan shares the biography of Ann Wager.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.5Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Sep 22
08Picture Perfect
Camera becomes time machine as photographer Dave Doody frames the past in his lens.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.1Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.5Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Sep 15
08The Combustible Woman
Storytelling Festival favorite Art Johnson shares a tale.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.1Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.6Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Sep 08
08Teacher Institute
Teachers take a turn as students in the town-sized classroom of Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area. Director of Teacher Development Tab Broyles reviews the lessons.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Sep 01
08Restoration and Reconstruction
Putting an 18th-century face on a 21st-century building is a feat of research and resourcefulness, explains Colonial Williamsburg architect Scott Spence.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.5Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Video podcast
- Watch (mov, 44.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Aug 25
08First Lady of Virginia
Lady Dunmore's ease and grace are among Lord Dunmore's most valuable political assets. Interpreter Corrine Dame reflects on the lady who delighted the colony.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Aug 18
08Charlton's Coffeehouse
A long-absent address returns to Duke of Gloucester Street. Architectural Historian Ed Chappell explains the Charlton Coffeehouse reconstruction.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.0Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Aug 11
08Captured Colors
Four flags survive through battle and time against equally long odds. Curator Erik Goldstein talks about a compelling new exhibit at the Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.0Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Aug 04
08The Bodleian Plate
Sheer chance delivered a guiding light of Williamsburg's restoration. Hear the story of the Bodleian plate with Architectural Historian Carl Lounsbury.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
All 2008 podcasts ...
- Jul 28
08The Stamp Act
Britain's tax on paper goods was unremarkable in itself, but the colonies' furious response surprised two continents. Historian Linda Rowe talks about the Stamp Act.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jul 21
08The British Constitution
The fundamentals of British law reside in the American Constitution. Historian Nancy Milton describes the English influence.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.0Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jul 14
08The Fifth Virginia Convention
The American rebels stood to lose a lot by winning the war. Sites interpreter B.J. Pryor discusses the risk of success.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jul 07
08Common Sense
Forty-six pages from Thomas Paine's pen whip discontent into outright rebellion. Public Sites Interpreter Alex Clark details the transformation.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jun 30
08We hold these truths
Hear the words that started a war, read by Thomas Jefferson interpreter Bill Barker. Episode one of July's Revolutionary Documents series.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jun 23
08The Jefferson Blog
A new blog subjects Thomas Jefferson's ideals to modern scrutiny. Add your two cents beginning this July.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jun 16
08Natural History
A foreign landscape is revealed to a curious world by naturalist Mark Catesby. Interpreter Robb Warren talks about the man and his art.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jun 09
08Love and Revolution
Divergent views on politics and religion fuel a feud between two prominent Williamsburg families. Museum educator Anne Willis tells the story of their children's unlikely marriage.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.6Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jun 02
08The King's Man
Could Lord Dunmore have prevented the Revolution? Interpreter Phil Shultz considers the question.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.6Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- May 26
08In Other Words
The cost of modern speech is paid in verbs as America trades eloquence for speed. Historian Cathy Hellier explains the change.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.6Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.0Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- May 19
08For What Ails You
For poxes, headaches, and fevers, the apothecary has a preparation to ease your symptoms. Medical historian Susan Pryor details the treatments.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.1Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- May 12
08Fifes and Drums at 50
A new documentary reflects on five decades of Fifes and Drums. Director Mike Durling talks about building a film that looks through the years and across the country.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- May 05
08Fashion and Function
A corset's engineered strictness defines the shape of the 18th-century woman. Journeywoman Brooke Welborn explains the trend.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.6Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Apr 28
08Disgustingly Adorable
Never at a loss for words, Rare Breeds Manager Elaine Shirley coins the phrase "disgustingly adorable" to describe this year's lambs.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.6Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.1Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Apr 21
08The Frenchman's Map
New questions are raised as old ones are answered in the study of the Frenchman's Map. Architectural researcher Ed Chappell talks about the document.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Apr 14
08Fakes and Forgeries
Fakes and phonies are stopped with a squint. Curator John Davis discusses the subtleties of form.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Apr 07
08Smart as an Ox
Bovine behemoths boast brains and brawn. Oxman Darin Tschopp describes these beasts of burden.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Mar 31
08Great Escapes
Stories of famous captures are rivaled only by stories of famous escapes at Williamsburg's Public Gaol. Tom Hay shares his favorites.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.0Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Mar 24
08Liberty or Death
Patrick Henry spoke with a minister's conviction and a patriot's passion. Colonial Williamsburg interpreter Richard Schumann discusses Henry's seminal speech.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.6Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Mar 17
08Wit's Last Stake
Eighteenth-century farce delights 21st-century audiences. Todd Norris describes timeless comic themes.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Mar 10
08A Rarity Restored
Two artists collaborate across the centuries: one working with a brush, and the other with a micro spatula. Curator Barbara Luck and conservator Pam Young describe the restoration of a rare watercolor.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Mar 03
08Treasure Keepers
Good as new isn't always as good as old. Curator John Watson talks about conservation at Colonial Williamsburg.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Feb 25
08The Butcher, the Baker
One sheep's fleece supplies half a dozen trades. Shepherdess Carrie MacDougal spins the tale.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Feb 18
08Washington as a Symbol
Washington's leadership was an appealing surrogate for the king's paternal presence. Historian Kevin Kelly discusses the first president's legacy.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Feb 11
08Wealth on the Shelf
When a single book cost half a year's wages, tomes were rare treasures. Bruce Plumley describes the bookbinding trade.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.5Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Feb 04
08No Master Over Me
A man purchases his enslaved family to set them free. James Ingram shares the tale.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jan 28
08Mythical Beasts, Magical Creatures
Dragons, mermaids and griffins lurk in the museum collections. Christina Westenberger leads the hunt.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jan 21
08The Restoration, Part Two
Single-minded determination is the Historic Area's salvation. Author Will Molineux continues his discussion of the restoration.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.1Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.5Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jan 14
08The Restoration, Part One
A determined rector reclaims history from the ravages of progress and poverty.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jan 07
08The Town Before the Town
An early plantation slumbers beneath Williamsburg's streets and foundations.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Jan 07
08The Town Before the Town
An early plantation slumbers beneath Williamsburg's streets and foundations.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
2007 Podcasts
- Dec 31
07Twelfth Night
Holiday celebrations culminate with Twelfth Night revelries.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.0Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.4Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Dec 24
07An Irish Christmas
In clear voice and high spirits, Kelly Kennedy sings Irish Christmas melodies.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.6Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Dec 17
07A Child's-Eye View
Old toy trains and sprawling dollhouses connect imaginations through the span of years. Curator Jan Gilliam has the happy task of laying them out.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.1Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Dec 10
07Jewish Holy Days
Jewish holidays were celebrated by a faithful few in 18th-century colonies. Martha Katz-Hyman outlines the early traditions.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Dec 03
07Founders or Traitors
Not all colonists were ready to follow their leaders into revolution. Interpreters Steve Holloway and John Hamant debate in character as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Nov 26
07Playing the Part
Taking the shape of a founding father calls for equal parts of preparation and imagination. Interpreters John Hamant and Steve Holloway detail the process.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.1Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Nov 19
07A Laden Table
A table crowded with local game, seafood, custards and savories is a feast of gratitude. Journeyman Rob Brantley describes the dishes.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.1Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Nov 12
07Outfitting an Army
The Powder Magazine stood ready to arm soldiers against the oppressors of the age. Historic interpreter Chris Geist details the building's purpose.
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.9Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.3Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Nov 05
07Emissaries of Peace
Adept negotiators in pursuit of peace, the Cherokee tribe endures through centuries of change. Colonial Williamsburg director and producer Linda Randulfe talks about the November 8 Electronic Field Trip, "Emissaries of Peace."
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 2.8Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 3.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Oct 29
07Cry Witch, Part Two
Hear the verdict in the trial of Grace Sherwood, the "Virginia Witch."
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 4.2Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 4.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Oct 22
07Cry Witch, Part One
Take a seat at the trial of Grace Sherwood, the "Virginia Witch."
- Audio podcast
- Listen (mp3, 3.7Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
- Image enhanced
- Watch (m4a, 4.0Mb)
- Subscribe
- Transcript
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced podcasts.
- Audio podcast
- Oct 15
07Wren's Formal Garden
After three summers of digging, archaeologist Steve Archer hits pay dirt.


