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Colonial Williamsburg: Past and Present brings you new perspectives from the Revolutionary War era. American history is explored in interviews with historic interpreters, tradesmen, musicians, historians, curators, authors, archaeologists, and more.

Colonial Williamsburg History Podcasts - Image Enhanced

Williamsburg, Virginia


    • Jan 30, 2017 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 13m AVG DURATION
    • 200 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Colonial Williamsburg History Podcasts - Image Enhanced

    Journey to Redemption

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2017 43:40


    The cast and crew of Colonial Williamsburg’s groundbreaking program Journey to Redemption join to talk about how the piece was developed and why it’s so important to be having conversations surrounding racism and the history of slavery in our nation. Learn more

    George Washington on Veteran’s Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2016 6:25


    As Veterans Day approaches, the venerated Virginian veteran himself, Gen. George Washington, discusses his military past and how he believes veterans should be honored today.  

    The Organized Piano

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2016 4:04


    John Watson, Curator of Musical Instruments and Conservator of Instruments, discusses the Foundation’s organized piano, which first belonged to the St. George Tucker family.

    Founding Feuds

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2016 21:24


    Paul Aron, Director of Publications for Colonial Williamsburg, joins to discuss his new book “Founding Feuds: The Rivalries, Clashes, and Conflicts that Forged a Nation.” In this podcast, Paul delves into some of the most infamous feuds of the 18th and 19th centuries that included some very famous names such as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, […]

    The Return of the Cherokee

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2016 13:44


    Each year, Colonial Williamsburg hosts Return of the Cherokee. This special event draws hundreds to observe Cherokee culture as it was in the 18th century when members would come to Williamsburg for trade, diplomacy, or even education. Buck Woodard with Colonial Williamsburg’s American Indian Initiative joins to explain some of the exciting updates to this […]

    The Black Petticoat Society Talks Colonial Williamsburg

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2016 60:56


    The Black Petticoat Society, a TURN: Washington’s Spies fan group, interviewed Past and Present host Rachel West for their TURN-related podcast. The group discussed Colonial Williamsburg’s role as Philadelphia on the hit AMC show as well as other initiatives across the Foundation. For more information on the Black Petticoat Society and TURN: Washington’s Spies, click […]

    Importance of Portraying African American History

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2016 17:31


    Stephen Seals joins to discuss some of the powerful African American programming available during Black History Month and beyond in 2016. Hear some of his favorites and why it’s so important to tell the stories of half of the population of Williamsburg in the 18th century.

    Let Freedom Ring

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2016 8:03


    Colonial Williamsburg and First Baptist Church have joined together for the Let Freedom Ring Challenge. Americans from across the nation are invited to ring the First Baptist Church bell in the name of freedom and equality throughout the month of February and beyond.

    Sweet Tea & Barley

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2015 11:15


    Sweet Tea & Barley is Colonial Williamsburg’s newest restaurant located in the Williamsburg Lodge. Chefs Anthony Frank and Sean Gonzalez chat about what went into creating a new southern-inspired restaurant and some of the dishes they put on the menu.

    Harlequin’s Holiday

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2015 15:50


    Join Harlequin, Clodpole and Cotton as they flip and tumble in Harlequin’s Holiday, a new holiday program. Meet the cast and hear how they bring the comedic pantomime stylings that were extremely popular in the 18th century to life today.

    Blackbeard!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2015 6:53


    Colonial Williamsburg is embarking on its first-ever Halloween experience. The infamous pirate, Blackbeard, has returned to seek revenge after members of his crew were tried and executed in Williamsburg.

    Reinventing the Wheel

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2015 13:22


    The wheel may be one of geometry’s simplest shapes, but the technology behind its creation is surprisingly complex. Add to that the variations among English wheels, French wheels, carriage wheels and cannon wheels, and the story gets even deeper. Colonial Williamsburg wheelwrights apply their expertise to the challenge of recreating the wheel for a French […]

    RevQuest: The King’s Advance

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2015 10:42


    The thrilling RevQuest: Save The Revolution™ series opens its fifth season with a new spy plot: The King’s Advance. Dive headfirst into Revolutionary history as you join the service of secret intelligence gatherers. Gather clues, crack codes, meet with covert agents, and text your secrets to receive instructions.

    Declaration of Independence

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2015 10:36


    Hear the Declaration of Independence read in its entirety by renowned Thomas Jefferson interpreter Bill Barker.

    The Sound of Battle: CW’s Fifes and Drums

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2015 22:55


    The piercing fife, the thundering drum: both can be heard over the din of battle, making them a crucial means of communication for commands like parley, cease fire, and retreat. How does this combination work?

    Memorial Day: Ask a Soldier

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2015 17:57


    The men who served in the Revolutionary War share much in common with their modern-day brothers. The sacrifices of friendship, safety, and security unite soldiers across time. Remember their devotion and support them when they come home, urges Lieutenant Colonel James Innes, portrayed by Nat Lasley.

    Resurrecting an Alehouse

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2015 16:22


    Chowning’s Tavern is reborn as an alehouse: a rough-and-rugged sanctuary for the colonial man in search of an ale. Listen as curator Amanda Keller and Director Department of Architectural Preservation Matt Webster describe the choices they made to re-open the doors to a more authentic past.

    Cancer: That Painful and Lingering Disorder

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2015 15:06


    Options for cancer detection and treatment were few in the 18th century. Medical Historian Sharon Cotner lays out some of the common practices in this week’s show.

    Every Home a Distillery

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2015 15:18


    What do you use to wash the baby, clean the house, color your hair or serve for breakfast? If it’s the 18th century, the answer is alcohol. Professor Sarah Meacham describes her research for the book “Every Home a Distillery.”

    The Business of Death

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2015 17:34


    The funeral industry arises from a combination of necessity, sentimentality, and vanity. Dr. Kelly Brennan Arehart describes the path of America’s death business, and the early vestiges still with us today.

    The George Washington Seal

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2015 14:34


    A pocket-sized ornament gives monumental insight into the private life of America’s best-known General: George Washington.

    Marry Me?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2015 13:58


    Modern marriage owes its structure to an historic form. Equal parts love, practicality, and business, today’s unions share more than you’d think with their colonial counterparts.

    Through the Ranks

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2015 18:34


    A new web features follows an entering class of Fifers and Drummers on their journey through the ranks.

    Resilience in Tragedy: African American Lives

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2015 12:00


    African American history is weighted with tragedy, but bringing the fullness of life to the stories of enslaved individuals is the mission of the African American History Program under the direction of Stephen Seals.

    George Washington’s Wallet

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2015 9:08


    What was in George Washington’s wallet? Long before the establishment of a standard American currency, there was trade, barter and credit. How were these financial activities handled with the myriad coins and metals in circulation?

    Futuristic Lab Reveals Historic Secrets

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2015 12:40


    Technologies that used to be beyond reach for museum professionals now can lend new insights into the hidden compositions of materials, metals, and paints. Conservator Kirsten Moffitt explains how a spike on a screen can spot a fake or reveal a discovery.

    Happy Birthday, Peter Pelham

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2014 15:12


    The heart of a church is its organ; and the heart of its organ is its organist. This year we celebrate the 300th anniversary of Bruton Parish Church, and the 293rd birthday of the first man to grace its organ bench: Peter Pelham. Colorful and well-connected, this musician was at the center of the American […]

    Old Stitch: A Beer for the Ages

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2014 15:42


    Relax with a brew from the past, courtesy of Master of Historic Foodways Frank Clark. Twenty years of study and practice have resurrected the 18th century’s favorite beer: Old Stitch.

    Old School Home Brew

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2014 14:16


    The Historic Campus of the College of William and Mary had one more secret to tell, and it was a big one. Archaeologist Andy Edwards describes the surprise, and the clues that lead them to hope they’ve stumbled upon the College’s early brewhouse.

    Pumpkin’s Progress

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2014


    Gain a new respect for the good old pumpkin. Author Mary Miley Theobald traces the history of the venerable gourd.

    Communicating Complicated Concepts

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2014 12:42


    Rats on a ship smuggle a story of transatlantic trade and a colonial global economy. It’s a big idea, but the concept is made simple by the team of writers, researchers and producers who create Colonial Williamsburg’s Emmy-winning Electronic Field Trip series.

    Burial Shrouds

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2014 16:12


    What were colonists buried in? This was a question posed to Research Librarian Juleigh Clark. Tracking down the answer led her, and us, through the history of funerals, burials, shrouds and winding sheets.

    Brick by Brick

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2014


    It takes a lot of bricks to build a Market House and our brickmakers are busy. So it seems like a good time to revisit this October 2011 podcast about the process for the building blocks of the Historic Area. Brickmaker Jason Whitehead tells the story.

    Reading History Backwards

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2014 11:30


    Jamestowne Island’s Director of Archeological Research and Interpretation Bill Kelso says that choosing which historic sites to protect from deterioration of all kinds is a matter of reading history backwards. We must consider “What are the priorities today, what are the legacies today of our history? And then look to what areas contributed.”

    The Farm Eternal

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2014 14:15


    No matter where the Earth glides on its axis, the days both long and short shine on a years-worth of work on the colonial farm. At Great Hopes plantation, the turning of the seasons brings with it a task suited to the temperatures: plowing, sowing, planting and harvest. Learn the rhythm of the year with […]

    An Autumn Spectacular

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2014 12:24


    Planning the fiery colors of autumn is a year-round endeavor for Manager of Landscape Services Laura Viancour. She and her team keep Colonial Williamsburg’s trees healthy and maintained, and they inform their choices with historic documentation of the 18th-century’s treescape.

    Before the First Shots are Fired

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2014 18:54


    Retired US Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni has some sharp insights and powerful ideas to share in his new book, “Before the First Shots are Fired: How America Can Win or Lose off the Battlefield.” Listen this week as he previews some of the philosophies he shares in his fourth book.

    The Early Music Festival: From England to America

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2014 12:08


    The 2014 Early Music Festival promises to be a lively one. With instruments, scores, and performances of an 18th-century vintage, you’ll be surrounded by the sounds of another century. Enjoy this musical preview featuring Jane Hanson and Michael Monaco from the opera “Thomas and Sally.”

    Skill and Science in Historic Trades

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2014


    Intelligence born of practice combines with the study of science to complete the historic tradesman’s store of knowledge. There was no better spokesman for the Historic Trades program than Director Jay Gaynor. Jay recently passed away and we miss him. This encore podcast is dedicated to him.

    African American Religion

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2014 14:19


    When people from various regions of Africa were forcefully transported to the colonies, they brought nothing with them but the clothes on their backs and the beliefs of their hearts. This latter possession varied widely by region and tradition, but was to each a fundamental part of daily life. Historian Harvey Bakari describes the African […]

    Decimus Et Ultimus Barziza

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2014 18:33


    Native son of the colonial elite, Decimus Et Ultimus Barziza fulfills his family’s legacy of prominence with his career in the Civil War. Historian Drew Gruber describes with passion the path of this “average” Civil War soldier, a story that includes a wound at Little Round Top, a prison break, and a boisterous post-war career […]

    Who’s that Marching Man?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2014 11:52


    For Drum Major Lance Pedigo, leading comes naturally. All year round and at any time of day, chances are good that you’ll see him marching at the front of the Fifes and Drums, keeping time and metering the pace of the corps of young men and women who make the music of history ring through […]

    Spies in the Library

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2014 10:08


    Research Librarian Allison Heinbaugh stalked the stacks of the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library looking for evidence of spies and spycraft in the 18th century. The bibliography she compiled tells its own story of loyalty, secrecy, and stealth.

    Stories in Silver

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2014 14:52


    Rare and beautiful silver forms share the social history of their users and their makers. Visit “A Handsome Cupboard of Plate,” an exhibit open now at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.

    The Color of History

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2014 11:43


    Watching paint dry turns into a fascinating journey through time, history, science and technology when the Department of Architectural Preservation gets involved. Director Matt Webster shares the story behind the changing paint colors in the Historic Area, and why the colors you’ll see on the walls are a window to the 18th century.

    A Conversation With Michael Beschloss

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2014 15:20


    Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss visits Colonial Williamsburg and shares his views on the changes technology brings to politics and the presidency, and ruminates on the importance of place.

    A Brief History of Gunpowder

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2014 15:20


    From its origins in Chinese potions for immortality to the agent of death on the battlefield, the history of gunpowder is one of chemistry, ingenuity, and violence. Armorer Ron Potts fascinates with the tale.

    The Bloody Battlefield

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2014 11:13


    More gruesome than the injuries of battle were the means of mending them: field medicine offered no anesthesia, no modern antiseptics, and no antibiotics. David Podolfino interprets the life and duties of the military surgeon.

    Colonial Boot Camp

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2014 11:37


    Pass through the gates of the military encampment and you’ll become the newest member of the Williamsburg Regiment. Learn to drill, march, and think as a unit, leaving behind the life you knew for a chance at the future you hope for. Our guest Dale Smoot commands the recruits.

    George Washington Sneezed Here

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2014 10:50


    The common cold was a nuisance our forbears suffered in much the same way we do today. But what remedies were uniquely colonial? Eighteenth-century apothecarist Robin Kipps shares the causes and eases for the cold.

    An Apprentice at the Millinery Shop

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2014 10:40


    Draping, cutting, sewing, and trim: these are the hallmarks of the milliner and mantua-maker’s craft. Apprentice Sarah Woodyard is near completion of her apprenticeship, and at the threshold of attaining journeywoman status.

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