Revolutionary, My Dear George!: The Governor's Palace

The Governor’s Palace is the centerpiece of Colonial Williamsburg. Who lived there and what was life like for them?

Built in 1721, it was designed by Henry Cary and took 16 years to build. Each governor who lived there made improvements. While it was being built, the House of Burgesses was upset with the amount of money being spent. It was a symbol of British royalty in America. In 1749, the building was renovated, so the current governor was moved to the Robert Carter house next door. Governor Dinwiddie moved in and the rear wing was raised. Larger rooms were added for socializing. Dances and other gatherings were held in the new rooms. Sometimes more than 200 people were at the palace for these social events. Huge celebrations were held for the governor’s birthday with over one hundred people. Once the House of Burgesses was dissolved for fighting the Stamp Act, less than a dozen showed up for the King’s birthday celebration. Held each year, this was a huge blow to Britain and showed the support had shifted from the king to the patriots.

entrance to the formal gardens

General Charles Lee of the Continental Army used the Palace as his headquarters. It was also used as a hospital.

Colonial dancers at the Governor's Palace

The building was in use until the Revolutionary War when Thomas Jefferson vacated the building because of threats by the British. When the British arrived in Williamsburg in December of 1781, they destroyed the building, burning all but the outer buildings. Even those buildings eventually were destroyed during the Civil War and the bricks were used for chimneys. It was until 1929, when John Rockefeller Jr. invested in reconstructing the Governor’s Palace. The Bodleian Plate which showed what the building looked like was discovered in England around the same time. The architects also used descriptions by Thomas Jefferson.

formal garden

rear and side of palace

Governors who lived there:

Alexander Spotswood – was born in Tangier, Morocco. He explored past the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1716, established the first ironworks in the colonies, and negotiated the Treaty of Albany with the Iroquois to keep them north of the Potomac Riber. He became the Lieutenant Governor in 1710. His granddaughter married Patrick Henry.

the main foyer

Hugh Drysdale became the next governor. 1722 to 1726.

Sir William Gooch – was governor from 1727 to 1749. He helped pass the Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730. This called for the inspection and regulation of tobacco which raise the quality of the tobacco coming from Virginia. He promoted settlement of the Shenandoah Valley.

the side parlour

Robert Dinwiddie was governor from 1751-1758. Most governors were absentee, so he was the governor in place of those who did not reside here. He can be blamed for the French and Indian War because he did not want the French in the Ohio valley.

the ballroom

the ballroom - musicians

the pianoforte

the settee

the ballroom

look at the emblem

rug with colors from the 1700s

Francis Fauqier was lieutenant governor from 1758 to 1768. He was a good friend of Thomas Jefferson’s who would play violin at parties at the palace. He was born in England. In 1760 he proposed the British tax policy be changed. In 1765, he dissolved the House of Burgesses when they passed a resolution against the Stamp Act. He did not like Patrick Henry and called him “hot head”.

the dining room

Lord Botetourt – Norborne Berkeley – was governor from 1768 to 1770. He was a member of Parliament before he came to Virginia. He died in 1760.

the wife's room

the wife's room - see the crib?

John Murray, 4^th Earl of Dunmore was not only a British peer, but the governor of the colony of Virginia. He was the last royal governor of Virginia. He was a page to Bonnie Prince Charlie. After the Jacobites were defeated, his family was put under house arrest. He was the governor of New York first, but when Botetourt died, he was named to replace him. He dissolved any group forming to discuss concerns with Great Britain. He continued to clash with the colonists. The House of Burgesses would meet secretly and Dunmore would order their dissolution. After Patrick Henry’s speech, Dunmore removed the gunpowder from the magazine later called the Gunpowder Incident. He ends up evacuating the Palace and retreating to Porto Bello with his family. He sneaks on to the warship Fowey. Dunmore then issues Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation which offers freedom to slaves who abandon their Patriot slave owners to join the British.

sitting room

vanity

ewer

sitting room

Patrick Henry was governor from 1776-1779. As governor, he presided over expeditions against the Cherokee who were helping the British. He again served as governor from 1784 to 1786. He was opposed to the Constitution because it felt the government had too much power. He helped adopt the Bill of Rights to give the people more power.

lady's gloves

crib

Thomas Jefferson served as governor from 1779-1781. He barely escaped being caught by the British and it was his idea to move the capital to Richmond during the war. In order to protect the armory, he had the supplies moved, but Benedict Arnold learned of and discovered the location. Before Jefferson could move them again, Arnold’s troops burned them and proceeded to burn Richmond. Jefferson was criticized for how he handled the situation and was not re-elected the following year.

The entrance hall was decorated with bayonet-tipped muskets when William Byrd came for a visit.

The front gate is flanked by a unicorn and lion which represented the emblem for Great Britain.