Guide Book to Williamsburg Old and New — John Shaqi
Guide Book to Williamsburg Old and NewEwing, William Clinton
History
Guide Book to Williamsburg Old and New
Ewing, William Clinton
Williamsburg (Va.) -- Guidebooks
The Carter-Saunders House, The Home of Robert Carter Nicholas (P),
Treasurer of the Colony, being a fine house next to the Governor’s
Palace, was close to the social center of the capital city and was
always occupied by socially prominent citizens including more than one
of the mighty Carters and by the Governor himself when his own residence
was undergoing repairs. There is a fine garden which can be seen from
the walk that connects Palace Green with West Scotland Street.
The First Theater in America (Q) has not yet been reconstructed but its
location is marked on the ground. Some of the great English actors of
that day came to play in this house and the social setting was gala
indeed. As cited in a little book, _The Sports of Colonial
Williamsburg_, Shakespeare, Addison, Steele, Ciber and Garrick were
favorite authors in Colonial Williamsburg. This theater is the scene of
Mary Johnston’s book, Audrey. The heroine was portrayed as an actress in
this theater and as living in the delightful old house between the
Theater and the Palace, which is therefore often called “the Audrey
House” or The Brush-Audrey House, it having been built in 1718 by John
Brush, armorer and gunsmith to the Governor and keeper of the Powder
Magazine. In the rear of the Audrey House and the theater site is the
oldest growth of box in Williamsburg; this should be approached from
Scotland Street as the southerly portion of this box garden is so
overgrown that it has been necessary to close it.
The St. George Tucker House (R), one of the most beautiful in
Williamsburg, was ancient in its beginning and was enlarged to its
present dimensions just after the Revolutionary War by St. George Tucker
who came from Bermuda to study law under George Wythe and later
succeeded him as law teacher and author. The house is now occupied by
one of his descendants.
The Randolph House (S) was owned in 1742 by Sir John Randolph, the only
native of Virginia to be knighted. This house was the residence of Gen.
Rochambeau prior to the Battle of Yorktown and probably during the two
years of waiting for the Treaty of Paris. Here, also, Lafayette was
entertained on his return visit to America in 1824.
[Illustration: A PLEACHED ARBOR IN THE GOVERNOR’S GARDEN]
The Coke-Garrett House (T) was begun in 1720 and added to at later times
as shown by various floor levels. Altogether, it is one of the finest
residences in Williamsburg and has a famous old garden which is second
only to that of the Governor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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