[Illustration: _The Governor’s Palace at Williamsburg_]
Only an hour’s drive southeast of Richmond on Route 60 is the most
historic area to be found anywhere in America.
Here is Williamsburg, the former center of English culture in the new
world, almost completely restored to its eighteenth century appearance.
Here you will see the historic Colonial Capitol, The Governor’s Palace
and its beautiful grounds, the famous Raleigh Tavern, the Public Gaol,
the famed Sir Christopher Wren Building of the College of William and
Mary and many other colonial structures restored through the beneficence
of Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Seven miles from Williamsburg is Jamestown Island where in 1607 the
first permanent settlement of English speaking people in the New World
was established. A ruined tower of an early Colonial church still stands
here, and many interesting relics are on display in the grounds which
are under the supervision of the Association for the Preservation of
Virginia Antiquities.
Yorktown is only fifteen miles from Williamsburg. This famous little
town which saw a great nation come into being bears a great heritage. It
was here that proud Lord Cornwallis was forced to surrender to General
George Washington and his continental forces in 1781. The original
fortifications erected during the great siege of Yorktown have been
restored. Historic buildings and relics of the Revolution make Yorktown
a spot which every American citizen should visit.
Less than an hour’s drive from the Colonial Williamsburg area is Hampton
Roads, an important channel through which the waters of three rivers
pass into the Chesapeake Bay. Fort Monroe, on Old Point Comfort, and
Fort Wool, on an island in the channel, defend the entrance from the
Bay. It was in Hampton Roads that the first battle between iron-clad
vessels, the _Monitor_ and the _Merrimac_, took place on March 9, 1862.
President Lincoln, Secretary Seward and Confederate commissioners held
their “Hampton Roads Conference” on a steamer near Fort Monroe on
February 3, 1865.
Be sure to visit Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown and the Hampton Roads
area during your visit to Richmond, for nowhere else may you cover as
much historic and hallowed ground in a single day. This famous area may
be reached quickly and conveniently. Ask for information which will
facilitate your trip there.
[Illustration: _Jamestown Tower_]