Over the summer my mother and I decided to take a trip to Virginia and see many historical places and gardens as we could fit into our three-day trip. One of these days was spent at Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Colonial Williamsburg is spread out over 301 acres filled with original buildings and gardens that recreate an account of what life back in the 1770’s was like. Even down to the long hoop skirts the women would wear although it was one of the hottest days of the summer!
One of the buildings we enteredwas the Governors Palace where previous governors lived up until Thomas Jefferson was governor when the capitol was moved to Richmond. In 1781 a fire destroyed the Palace and gardens surrounding the building. Fortunately the Palace was rebuilt and was furnished with British and American antiques and artifacts that replicated the interior of the 18th century.
On the inside I found interesting how different furniture has changed throughout history and how much wood was used throughout the buildings from the desks to it all on the walls. Another thing that caught my eye was how Virginia used to be laid out as a state. The state was much larger and covered much more to the west.
The gardens around Colonial Williamsburg could be used for many purposes such as vegetable, herb and even formal gardens. The formal garden located behind the Palace is very geometric with the walkways all-leading to different parts of the garden and around the Palace.
Boxwoods lined many of the paths and other plants are trimmed into works of art. There was pops of color in the gardens in between the rows of shrubs, which I became very fond of. I liked the surprise pop of bright reds and oranges when you walk up close to it but from far away I did not notice that plants were in the middle of the shrubs.
“Landscape is history made visible.” – JB Jackson
JB Jacksons quote “Landscape is history made visible” can be see all throughout Colonial Williamsburg and all that has been maintained and preserved to what it would be like during the 18th century. The landscapes are not what I would normally see as a landscape of the 21st century just driving around and looking at buildings. I could feel the history when walking around the gardens.
Most of my time was spent in the formal gardens because it was the main garden that is in Colonial Williamsburg. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to look at the other gardens because it was so unbearably hot out that day and it ended up storming after being there for two hours. I defiantly will be returning one day in the future to share with others how amazing these gardens are and how well Colonial Williamsburg history is well preserved throughout the place.
Landscape Perspective 