20 Facts About Virginia’s Two Capitals

by

Williamsburg

1. Williamsburg Was The Capital Before Richmond

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Before that, Jamestown was the capital of The Virginia Colony.

2. Williamsburg Was Originally Called “Middle Plantation”

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Photo: history.org
The name was changed to “Williamsburg” to honor King William III.

3. Middle Plantation Started As A Farming Town

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Photo: NASA
It was meant to support the Jamestown Settlement.

4. You Can Eat At George Washington’s Favorite Seafood Joint

chrisitanacampbell
101 S Waller St, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
Website

Christiana Campbell’s Tavern is noted as George Washington’s favorite seafood spot. You can even see some of his receipts!

5. Colonial Williamsburg Has A Rare Breed Program Where You Can See Live 18th Century Farm Animals

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Photo: Colonial Williamsburg FB
Many of these breeds are now so rare that only 200 of those animals exist in North America.

6. Thomas Jefferson Attended William & Mary

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He enrolled at 16 and resided in the historical Wren Building.

7. FDR Visited Williamsburg

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Photo: InACents.com
He called Duke of Gloucester St. “The most historic avenue in America.”

8. It’s Where The “Spark That Started The Revolution” Happened

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Photo: city-data
The Gunpowder Incident took place at The Williamsburg Magazine.

9. The Tavern Where The Virginia Assembly Met Was The First Colonial Williamsburg Building To Be Reconstructed

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After The Royal Governors said they couldn’t meet in The Capitol, Raleigh Tavern became their meeting place.

10. Williamsburg Lost Its Capital Status Because Of The Revolutionary War

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Photo: Colonial Williamsburg
Jefferson feared Williamsburg was too vulnerable to attack, so the capital became Richmond.

Richmond

1. It Has Its Own Flower

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Richmond’s city flower is the iris.

2. It Had The First Electric Streetcars In The US

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The Richmond Union Passenger Railway. While earlier attempts had been made across the country, Richmond was the first city that successfully integrated electric street cars into their transportation.

3. Richmond Was The Confederate Capitol

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Richmond was the capitol of The Confederate States Of America and was under martial law.

4. You Can See London From Richmond

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Photo: DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0
Richmond was named after Richmond Hill in London. The view of The James supposedly resembles the view of The Thames.

5. My Dinner With Andre Was Shot In Richmond

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Photo: Amazon.com
The entire film was shot at The Jefferson Hotel.

6. The Jefferson Hotel Used To Have Live Alligators

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Photo: The Jefferson Hotel FB
The alligators living in the fountain became so popular, that people donated their own alligators. There are two bronze alligators in the fountain, today.

7. The Jefferson Hotel Is Also One Of The Few Hotels To Have Both A Forbes 5 Star Rating And AAA 5 Diamond Rating

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Photo: The Jefferson Hotel FB
Only 33 hotels on the continent have both.

8. About Half Of The US Population Can Drive To The Richmond Region In A Day

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Photo: pixgood.com
That’s no excuse for the other half, however. Everyone needs to see Richmond.

9. The Richmond Coliseum Took A Million And A Half Virginia Bricks To Build

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Photo: Richmond Coliseum FB
It also take 13,000 lightbulbs to light.

10. The Byrd Theatre Has A Giant One Man Orchestra

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The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ spans four rooms!

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