A Tale of Two Eras
The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) is the largest literary group devoted to Jane Austen in the world with over 5,000 members. You didn’t know Janeites are nearly as common as Beliebers did you? Over 850 of those Janeites assembled in Williamsburg, Virginia, this year for JASNA’s sold-out annual meeting. We were among them. Jane Austen history and colonial history? That was an easy sell.
Colonial Williamsburg, for those not familiar with it, is a living-history museum. It covers over 300 acres and includes more than 88 original 18th-century structures along with hundreds of replicas. There, craftspeople practice trades like brickmaking, blacksmithing, gunsmithing, tailoring, and wigmaking- working history to life. If that sounds like a lot to experience in a week or even a month, you are quite perceptive.
Williamsburg was a bit overwhelming in other ways. We left Salt Lake City at 56 degrees and arrived in Williamsburg at 96 degrees, a record high for October. Even July typically isn’t that hot in Williamsburg. Standard complaints aside, beyond the stifling plane ride we took from Atlanta to Norfolk, I didn’t think the heat was that bad. The next day’s 92 degrees and nearly 100% humidity also felt less than horrible. Our palms got sweaty instantly whenever we walked outside, but that was the only indication of the sticky temperatures bombarding us. After visiting Las Vegas in the middle of summer and Los Angeles during a 117-degree heatwave, Virginia’s steamy tantrum didn’t impress.
Between JASNA activities and Colonial Williamsburg sights, our days were packed. Splitting our time between the two was a little tricky. The first day, we learned some new steps at an English country dance class and then ate dinner at Josiah Chowning’s Tavern. Next, we visited with President Thomas Jefferson for an hour and went on a Lantern Trade Tour to see the shops of printers, bookbinders, silversmiths, and milliners. Just typing that long stream of happenings makes me tired.
The subsequent day started with a series of JASNA presentations. We attended a keynote lecture featuring Jocelyn Harris and learned about The Gothic Key to Northanger Abbey. Fascinating, right? We ate dinner at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern with a group of our vintage friends to the accompaniment of a Baroque guitar. Later that evening, we made it to a glass armonica concert featuring Dean Shostak. Dean Shostak is one of only five people in the world that know how to play the glass armonica. Never heard of the glass armonica? Benjamin Franklin invented it in 1761 out of a bunch of glass bowls. It became so popular composers like Mozart wrote pieces specifically for it. Eventually, it fell out of favor in the first decades of the 1800s, which may be why you have no idea what I’m talking about. We followed all of this with Cry Witch, a reenactment of a witch trial that took place in Virginia in the early 1700s. We got to vote on the verdict, and I chose guilty. After all, a bad dream seems like perfectly sound evidence of witchcraft.
Our third day, we wandered around Colonial Williamsburg, attended a few lectures, and danced for hours at a ball. You know, the same thing everyone does on Wednesdays.
After listening to one more lecture on Jane Austen and the Reformation the next morning, we headed back into Colonial Williamsburg to get a tour of the Capitol, Governor’s Palace, Raleigh Tavern, and numerous other structures. We ate dinner at the King’s Arms Tavern by candlelight. It was quite tasty. As I always say, the best kind of history is the sort you can eat.
We finished off the evening with a ghost tour that retold some not-so-fact-based spectral legends like Lady Skipwith, Lucy Ludwell, and the hauntings at the Peyton Randolph House. However, we discovered one tale regarding George Wythe to be mostly true after a little post-tour research. George Wythe, signer of the Declaration of Independence and mentor to Thomas Jefferson, was probably poisoned by a nephew hoping to quicken his inheritance, though that was never irrefutably proven. I guess some tall tales are surprisingly short. The ghost tour was mostly lighthearted and fun with crackling leaves and a fall breeze adding their ambiance embellishments. Those additions made the outing feel like a scene from Hocus Pocus.
Our last day in Virginia, we thought about going to Yorktown or Jamestown but reconsidered since there was still much we hadn’t seen in Williamsburg. At the Courthouse, we attended a mock court case. We returned to the Peyton Randolph House for a tour, which was only marginally eerie during the day. We visited the Magazine, George Wythe House, and Wetherburn’s Tavern. And no, we didn’t encounter any irritated orbs complaining about arsenic off-notes in the strawberries at the George Wythe House.
Out of all of those activities and sights, which were our favorites? While all were enthralling, we especially enjoyed Cry Witch, the JASNA ball, and our tavern meals. Need I repeat myself about the best sort of history being the kind you can eat?
Williamsburg and JASNA were a perfect combination, except for the too-much-to-see-and-do part. My advice to those visiting Williamsburg? Wear comfortable shoes, focus on a few highlights at a time, slow down to eat some seafood at George’s favorite joint, and get a little nerdy with the history geeks.
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