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Williamsburg, Virginia

USA / Virginia / Williamsburg /
 city, place with historical importance, draw only border, county seat
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Independent city with a population of 14,068 2010 census. The area was controlled by the Powhatan Confederacy at the time of English exploration in the early 17th century. The town of Middle Plantation was established here in 1632 at the site of a palisade built to protect Jamestown from Native Americans. In 1693 the College of William and Mary was built here and used as a temporary meeting place for the Virginia colonial government periodically until 1698 when the government was moved here permanently. The town was renamed Williamsburg after William III of England to recognize its elevated status. The city was incorporated under royal charter in 1722. It remained state capital after independence until 1780.

In retrospect, Williamsburg's loss of capital city status was its salvation as many 18 th century buildings survived into the early twentieth century. The Restoration of Williamsburg began in 1926, after the Rector of Bruton Parish Church, the Reverend Doctor W. A. R. Goodwin, brought the city's importance to the attention of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who then funded and led the massive reconstruction of the 18 th century city we see today. National attention soon focused on the restoration effort. During a landmark visit in 1934, Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed it's main thoroughfare, the Duke of Gloucester Street, "the most historic avenue in America."

Today, Williamsburg is known internationally as the premier center for the preservation and interpretation of American colonial history: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; and as the home of the nation's premier small public university: The College of William and Mary.

www.williamsburgva.gov/
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Coordinates:   37°16'42"N   76°42'9"W
This article was last modified 2 years ago