Now about the ghosts....
We had never done one of the ghost walks that are promoted in so many places – Salem, Boston, Savannah, Charleston, you name the city, there is a ghost walk just about everywhere. Williamsburg was no exception – they had one too. We’ve always passed them up as touristy and fake, but we decided to try the one offered in Williamsburg – hoping it might be less “hoakey”. It turned out to be quite the contrary. They walked us through the dark streets of Williamsburg en route to hear the true stories of those who had an untimely death and the "spirits" they left behind. Very creepy stuff! But that wasn't all - we met a young couple who were also on the ghost walk who had spent the previous night in a cottage right in Colonial Williamsburg on the street where we were walking. They were so “creeped out” by all of the strange sounds they heard that they left the cottage in the middle of the night! We wondered if our guide had had any encounters of her own - so we asked her....She told us she had worked in Williamsburg for 16 years and had several experiences that “freaked her out” - she heard a coughing sound and felt a hand on her shoulder in a house where someone died of TB, someone running up the stairs beside her ( but she couldn't see them) and another time when she heard a baby crying in one of the "unoccupied" houses. She said she was so frightened that she refuses to lock up the houses at night after the ghost walks are over like she used to do. Now - we do believe, we do believe in ghosts!
Our guide on the ghost walk
Some of the highlights:
Jamestown – the first permanent English settlement in 1607
A replica of the fort where the first settlers lived. 1/2 of them were dead 2 years after they landed
Williamsburg - Thanks to the generosity of the Rockefellers, Colonial Williamsburg was restored to what it looked like in the late 1600’s – making history come alive including re-enactments of historical events leading up to and during the American Revolution.
A re-enactment of General Washington and the troops on their way to Yorktown
A wig maker on Williamsburg. "Ladies" and "Gentlemen" had to shave their heads bald to wear the fancy wigs.
Yorktown – the battlefield where the British surrendered and brought the 8 year Revolutionary war to an end
The house where the British surrendered at Yorktown
Outer Banks – a national seashore where “Mother Nature” is still changing the landscape every day
This lighthouse was moved a half mile inland to keep it from washing away
Damage from Hurricane Irene.
Beautiful sunrise but ....It's only a matter of time before this house is washed away.....
The smoke stack from a steamer that sank off the coast during the civil war. There are over 2,000 shipwrecks in the "Diamond Shoals" of Cape Hatteras
A replica of the Wright brother's plane
Runway that the Wright brothers used on December 17, 1903- the longest flight was 59 seconds - over 800 feet.
After driving over 3,000 miles in Rose and 2,300 in Scooter, we’re thankful for the opportunity to actually see so many places where American history was made. Even with all of it’s flaws ( and we certainly do our share of complaining ) , we are fortunate to live in the best country in the world!
Now we are looking forward to chilling out at home for a while, spending time with Anna, Drew and our two adorable granddaughters Emmy and Lyla and planning our next trip to the Pacific Northwest next year!
