Williamsburg: The Role of the Garden in "Making a Town"

W illia m sb u rg : T h e R o le o f th e G a rd e n zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVU in "M a k in g a T o w n " P E T E R E . M A R T I N ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA R o ya l com m a n d s, th e b est effor ts o f G o ver n o r W illia m Ber keley a n d oth er go ver n o r s, a n d p lea s b y m er ch a n ts a n d th e ch u r ch th a t siza b le to w n s b e cr ea ted a n d d evelo p ed in seven teen th -cen tu r y Vir gin ia d id little go o d . W h en W illia m sb u r g w a s ch a r ter ed a t M id d le P la n ta tio n a s th e n ew co lo n ia l ca p ita l in 16 9 9 , th er e w er e n o tr u e cities, eith er m er ca n tile o r so­ cia l, in th e co lo n y. W illia m sb u r g w a s su p p osed to b e th e b egin n in g o f a so lu tio n to th a t a la r m in g p r ob lem . Bu t w h eth er it co u ld b ecom e th e th r iv­ in g co m m er cia l a n d u r b a n cen ter fo r w h ich H u gh J on es h o p ed in h is QPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA P r e s ­ e n t S t a t e o f V ir g in ia (172 4 )1 or w h ich a Co llege o f W illia m a n d M a r y stu ­ d en t in 16 9 9 a p p a r en tly h a d in m in d w h en h e d ecla r ed to th e H ou se o f Bu r gesses, a vo ice cr yin g in th e w ild er n ess, th a t "su ch a To w n . . . m a y eq u a l if n ot o u td o Boston , N ew Yor k, P h ila d elp h ia , Ch a r lesto n , a n d An ­ n a p olis" w a s u n cer ta in . H istor y, o f cou r se, h a s r ep lied n ega tively. W il­ lia m sb u r g n ever w r ested fr o m th e p la n ta tio n system th e co n tr o l o f tr a d e; it n ever b eca m e a n eco n o m ic cen ter fo r th e co lo n y. It d id co n ta in som e tr a d e, n a tu r a lly, b u t its p r in cip a l im p or ta n ce a n d fa m e w a s a s a cu ltu r a l a n d a r tistic cen ter . It b eca m e a ven u e fo r civilized a n d elitist livin g to th ose a fflu en t p la n ta tio n "p a tr ia r ch s" like W illia m Byr d o f W esto ver w h o h elp ed fo u n d a n d p la n th e to w n , a s w ell a s to th e r...