Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

Proposed Construction

The construction of a recreation wing as an addition to the Williamsburg Lodge and Conference Center facilities. This new wing will be located north of Building 3C and to the west of Building 3B.

Background Research

Examination of late 18th and early 19th century maps shows some activity on the lots where the Lodge is now constructed. The Lodge is constructed on Colonial Lots 188, 190, 191, 197, 198, and 199, seen on the Bucktrout Map (1800) labeled "Burwell" (Figure 1). These six lots were bounded on the north by Ireland Street, east by England Street, west by King Street and on the south by a lane. Only portions of this area will be impacted by the currently planned construction, but this summary will examine the history for the six lots.

Records for these six lots is scarce, since James City County records were destroyed during the Civil War. However, a probable chain of title can be established. It is believed that William Bassett purchased the land, leaving it to his son William Bassett (1709-1742/44). William Bassett in turn either left the land to his son Burwell Bassett or gave it in life rights to his wife, Elizabeth Churchill Bassett (later married a Dawson). After Elizabeth Dawson's death in 1779, the property was advertised for sale in the Virginia Gazette and may have been purchased around that time by William Burwell (Bentley 1967). It is during Burwell's ownership of the land that the Frenchman's Map of 1782 was drawn, depicting the lots as enclosed and containing four structures (Figure 2). It is probable that at least some of these structures predated the Burwell ownership of the property, since wills and other documents dating prior to this mention houses on the property. A Rochambeau Map of the same time period also shows what appears to be structures on the six lots belonging to Burwell (Figure 3).

In 1804, William Burwell sold the six lots to a Mr. McCandlish, who in turn sold them in 1806 to Jane B. Cary (Stephenson c. 1950). Jane Cary was charged in land tax accounts for the six lots between 1806 and 1820. In 1820, Jane Cary was listed as owning one lot with the value of the lot and buildings listed as $900.00. $600.00 was added for buildings. This valuation remained the same until 1830.

At this point the property history becomes more vague. Benjamin Waller may have owned the property after 1831, and sold it to Austin Neale prior to 1859. Sydney Smith, related to Austin Neale, became the owner of the property in 1859.

The house which stood on these lots, known as the Jane (or Mary) Cary house, was a frame building, two stories in height. Photographs of the structure as it appeared in the late 19th century are on file at the Architectural Research Department. Sometime in the early 20th century, according to recollections of John S. Charles, the house caught fire and burned, leaving only a small office on the property unscathed (Charles 1930).

The Williamsburg Lodge was first constructed in 19--, with additional sections added in the years 1948 and 1962 (Conference Center). Currently the Tazewell Hall wing is under construction on the former location of the 18th century estate of Tazewell Hall.

The Frenchman's Map (Figure 2) shows five structures located in the same area as the Williamsburg Lodge. These structures have been projected onto a current landscape map (Figure 4), and it can be seen that all of the structures fall in areas where building construction has already occurred. The only exception is what is believed to have been the Tazewell Hall stable, shown to the north of the new guest room wing. Attempts to locate the remains of this stable during the 1984 Tazewell Hall excavations proved unsuccessful, however, there may be archaeological remnants of this structure still extant.

The Williamsburg Lodge York House (Block 44, Building 3A) used to stand directly where the Recreation Wing is planned. (See Figure 4). This building was located south of the Lodge dining room and kitchen service court, west of the East Wing, north of the South Wing, and separated from the West Wing by an access driveway. There are photographs dating to March 1939, which show the York House under its final phases of construction (#N5945). By late March of that same year, the building was serving as guest accommodations. This was a two story brick structure, containing a basement where heating and plumbing equipment was installed (Kendrew 1941). The York House was built to provide moderate priced rooms for guests, and also served, at various times as housing for Williamsburg Lodge waitresses and lodging for school groups. In 1981, a proposal was made to dismantle the York House, as more and more guests complained about the lack of amenities, such as air conditioning and separate bathrooms (York House 1981). A series of photographs shows the York house destruction (#81-FD-763-768). Heavy equipment was used to destroy this building, so most likely there was a bit of disturbance incurred in the area around the structure at this time.

Prior Archaeological Investigations

There have been no prior archaeological investigations in the area which is to be impacted by the Recreation Wing.

An archaeological excavation of the Jane B. Cary House, to the north, was conducted in 1938. Photographs taken before the excavation show brick foundation walls visible above the surface of the ground. Excavations took place around these foundation walls.

Current Archaeological Potential

Current archaeological potential for the area to be impacted by the Recreation Wing construction is minimal. Late 18th century maps of the property do not indicate structures directly in this area. Structures, seen on the Frenchman's Map of 1781, were projected onto a current landscape plan, showing that any archaeological remains of these buildings would have been destroyed by previous construction at the Lodge. Remnants of cultural remains may still be present in areas where construction is planned, however. Having an archaeological monitor on the site as construction occurs is recommended. It is unlikely that any structural remains will be located through this monitoring, and most archaeological resources will have been severely impacted by the previous phases of construction and demolition taking place there.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bentley, James R.

1967

- Mrs. Elizabeth Dawson of Williamsburg. Block 44, Colonial Lots 188, 190, 191, 197, 198, and 199. Unpublished research report in Central Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg; VA.

Bucktrout, Benjamin 1800 - Plan of the City of Williamsburg. Map on file, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Central Library.

Charles, John S.

1930

- Recollections of Williamsburg. Manuscript report on file at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Frenchman's

1781

- Plan de la ville et environs de Williamsburg en Virginie, 1782. Map on file, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Central Library.

Kendrew, A. E.

1941

- Memo to Mr. Lavery dated October 4, 1941. In file on Block 44 #3A, Williamsburg Lodge York House, 1939-1947. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Archives Department.

Stephenson, Mary

c.1950

- Jane B. Cary Lots. Unpublished research report on file at Central Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, VA.

York House

1981

- York House Replacement-Additional Lodge Guest Rooms. In File on Block 44 #3A, Williamsburg Lodge York House, 1980-1981. Colonial Williamsburg Archives Department.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4