The gun is part of America’s creation story. Gunsmith George Suiter describes the technology of this potent tool.

A tale of murder in the final chapter in a great man’s noble life. Chris Hull tells George Wythe’s story.

The manners of the parlor codify the feminine culture. Kristen Spivey keeps up appearances in The Polite Academy.

New information continues to emerge from the excavation of Anderson’s Armoury. The tin shop is found, beginning a new exploration of the trade. Meredith Poole updates.

The coopers’s cask is one of mankind’s strongest constructions, and the ubiquitous container for shipping items wet and dry. Meet cooper Ramona Vogel to learn more about the trade.

Hear tales of hair farms, shaved heads, yak fur, and wigs rigged with live ammunition, told by wigmaker Betty Myers.

Christmas tunes resonate from an instrument you’ve probably never heard before. Hear Dean Shostak play Ben Franklin’s invention: the glass armonica.

America outgrows her 13 colonies and stretches her boundaries west. CNU Professor Phillip Hamilton explains the sprawl.

Author Susan Berg on what the 18th century read for work and for fun.

The diverse relationships between slaves and masters were governed by kindness, betrayal, trust, and cruelty. A new Electronic Field Trip, “Harsh World, This World” examines the complex familiarity of slavery.

Master cabinetmaker Mack Headley makes fine furniture in the plain and neat Virginia style.

Doctors treating madness in 1773 embraced methods like bleeding, vomiting, restraint and intimidation. Interpreter Donna Wolf researched the topic for her program, “A Method for Madness.”

The first combat submarine was invented as a vehicle to transport underwater bombs. Jerry Roberts of the Connecticut River Museum tells the story of an intrepid American inventor.

A chilling specter of the 18th century reaches its icy grasp to the present day. Hear the story of Moses Riggs, a man possessed.

Edith Cumbo was a rare individual in colonial Virginia: a free African woman. Learn about her life and her stature in this interview with Emily James.

Williamsburg’s most prestigious buildings start with humble clay. Brickmaker Jason Whitehead tells the story.

Wry humor softens the sharp wit of this quintessentially American founding father. Interpreter John Hamant talks about portraying Benjamin Franklin.

Two gravestones are unearthed during a construction project. Historians and curators work to solve the mysteries below. Emily Williams tells their story.

Restoration presents a paradox when repairing old instruments could mean erasing their stories. Conservator John Watson walks the fine line.

Williamsburg’s blacksmith transforms crude metal into elegant, functional tools. Master Blacksmith Ken Schwarz details the trade.

The tale of a Spanish spy reveals England’s fragile hold on the New World. Miguel Girona tells the story of Don Diego de Molina.

The Constitution guarantees the right to jury trial. What does it mean for a vital democracy? Director of the Center for Jury Studies Paula Hannaford-Agor explains their importance.

Democracy is an experiment sustained through debate; rights are a privilege earned through participation. Michael Hartoonian introduces The Idea of America.

Early maps and prints leave geography for last, focusing first on politics and propaganda. Curator Margaret Pritchard talks about a new exhibit at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.

A broken helmet is discarded and forgotten, only to be resurrected 400 years later by curious archaeologists on Jamestown Island. Curator Michael Lavin describes the effort.

Basketmaking is a tradition born of utility and preserved for beauty. Colonial Williamsburg basketmaker Terry Thon practices a trade passed down through generations.

History is in the hands of Junior Interpreters all summer long, as the story of the Revolution expands to include a kid’s perspective. Pam Blount tells us how sites involve children in the 18th century and today.

George Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address teems with advice that rings true today. Listen to interpreter Ron Carnegie read excepts from the timeless epistle.

Sharp quills did the bidding of the even sharper intellects of the Revolution’s founding mothers. Listen to the words of Mercy Otis Warren and Abigail Adams, voiced by Abigail Schumann.

Patrick Henry demands liberty or death in his rousing 1775 speech. Hear the immortal words voiced by interpreter Richard Schumann.

Thomas Jefferson reads the words that started it all: The Declaration of Independence.

A new armoury complex takes shape on the footings of Anderson’s Forge. Archaeologist Meredith Poole talks about the site’s rebuilt narrative.

War makes the weaver busy. Cloth for everything from sails to bedsheets is created on his loom. Max Hamrick weaves the tale.

A lost relic returns to the Pamunkey tribe in a new form. American Indian Initiative Manager Buck Woodard guides us through treaties and time.

George Washington’s retirement venture had a high alcohol content. Mount Vernon’s Director of Preservation, Dennis Pogue, leads us on a tour through Washington’s whiskey distillery.

Pirates seek treasure both sunken and sea-going, from the 17th century through today. William and Mary Professor Kris Lane draws the connections between the old traditions and the fresh emergences of piracy.

African American history is both discovered in and continued by an ancient oral tradition. Richard Josey describes the process of restoring a community’s voice.

Author and historian Alan Brinkley shares his thoughts on the alchemy of luck and chance in the Oval Office.

Could the war have been won without women? Author and Professor Holly Mayer thinks not. Learn more about the inner workings of the Continental Army.

Buildings bear silent witness to the history that happens inside them. Conservator Matt Webster makes sure structures live to tell their tales.

Abraham Lincoln makes good on the founders’ promises of freedom and equality. Author Gordon Wood lays out the Revolutionary origins of the Civil War.

While General George Washington commanded the troops in the field, Martha led the charge at home. Historic Interpreter Lee Ann Rose describes the impact women made during the Revolution.

Williamsburg’s jail, or gaol, set the standard for colonial prison architecture. Visit the building this year as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of its reconstruction. Architectural historian Carl Lounsbury describes the structure.

In an age when water was suspect, sometimes beer was the safest thing to drink. Food historian Frank Clark discusses the brewing process common to most colonial homes and recreated in Historic Area kitchens.

Attaining ideal beauty in the 18th century might require hog’s lard, mousehide, toxic lead, and daily application of gin. Historical Interpreter Meg Brown shares her favorite discoveries.

British colonists revolt against their mother country when traditional English rights are threatened. Author and historian Jack Greene explains.

The Ossabaw Hog shares its unique genetic legacy with visitors to Colonial Williamsburg’s Great Hopes Plantation. Historic Farmer Wayne Randolph talks about the rare breed.

A new examination of Thomas Jefferson’s boyhood home reveals the forces that shaped the third president. Author Susan Kern talks about her new book, “The Jeffersons at Shadwell.”

The man with the tamest job in town is an outlaw in a time of slave law. Listen to the story of Gowan Pamphlet, the first ordained slave preacher in America.

Many West African cultures make landfall in colonial Virginia, where they adapt and adopt traits that will form the basis of a new African American culture. Historian Rose McAphee describes the blend.

Folk Art from the African American tradition holds a wealth of cultural memory. Trish Balderson describes selected pieces chosen for the African American Folk Art Tour.

Slavery gains a foothold in the American colonies as early as 1619. In the years that follow, laws and resistance grow around the institution with equal determination. Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander discusses slavery’s early path.

The Civil War has its roots in the American Revolution. Explore the causes and conflicts in “Storm on the Horizon,” a special two-day Colonial Williamsburg event February 18th and 19th, 2011.

Ongoing excavations at James Fort reveal a surprising discovery: the site of the 1608 church where Pocahontas married John Rolfe. Chief Archaeologist Bill Kelso shares the excitement of rediscovery.

The first English words spoken in Virginia were pronounced with a 17th-century London accent. Linguistics professor Anne Charity-Hudley explains the evolution of the American sound.

Intelligence born of practice combines with the study of science to complete the historic tradesman’s store of knowledge. Director of Historic Trades Jay Gaynor describes the balance.

The accessories that graced the ensembles of history are on display at the Colonial Williamsburg Art Museums in “Fashion Accessories from Head to Toe.” Curator Linda Baumgarten introduces the collection.

A new blog from Historic Foodways presents 18th-century recipes in 21st-century terms. Get cooking with Frank Clark at recipes.history.org.

The Governor’s Musick is Colonial Williamsburg’s resident 18th-century musical ensemble. Jane Hanson, Herb Watson, Jenny Edenborn and Wayne Moss perform.

By 1820, the original Declaration was showing signs of wear. John Quincy Adams commissioned a now-famous facsimile. Librarian Doug Mayo describes Colonial Williamsburg’s copy.

The heart of Christmas remains unchanged, even as each generation lends new customs to the celebration. Historian Lou Powers talks Christmastide in three centuries.

Growing up colonial meant babies in crash helmets and boys in dresses. Program developer Kristin Spivey compares childhood now and then.

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

Do you know your rights? Professor of Law Henry Chambers explains the lasting wisdom of the Constitution’s first 10 amendments.

The Indian School at the College of William and Mary was conceived for the religious conversion of Indians. Professor Jim Axtell shares the storied building’s history.

The backyards of Williamsburg’s finest homes tell the story of a separate society. Author Mike Olmert reads the architecture of outbuildings.

A disgruntled pirate’s haunted history lingers in the town where his shipmates met the hangman. Carson Hudson and Willie Balderson team up for “Pirates Amongst Us.”

Author L.B. Taylor preserves Tidewater’s spectral folklore in his book, “The Ghosts of Williamsburg.”

What did the founders really intend for our democracy? Political Science Professor Quentin Kidd talks about how the government was built and how Americans have adapted it.

Papa Said, Mama Said preserves the African-American community’s long tradition of storytelling. Art Johnson shares a fable.

Jumping the broom was a marriage ceremony rich with meaning for communities denied traditional rights. Training Specialist Rose McAphee describes the wedding recreated weekly at Colonial Williamsburg’s Great Hopes Plantation.

Local militiamen were ragtag but tenacious fighting forces. Supervisor of Military Programs John Hill describes Revolutionary War hometown defenses.

Get to know the Constitution: a document whose genius lies in its malleability. Historian and author Pauline Maier talks ratification.

Cotton springs from the ground with a story all its own at Great Hopes Plantation. Farmer Wayne Randolph tells cotton’s story.

History hits the road when an iconic windmill moves to a new home. Hear the story behind Robertson’s Windmill from Jim Horn, CW’s Vice President of Research and Historical Interpretation.

The hangman’s noose was the last stop for many a felon. But the ultimate penalty could be avoided with the recitation of one special psalm. Historian Linda Rowe explains the Benefit of Clergy.

Thousands of Williamsburg mothers entrusted the delivery of their babies to midwives and man-midwives. Medical historian Robin Kipps outlines the ancient profession.

“As George was what the soldiers looked to, Martha then became what women looked to.” Learn more about the remarkable life of the first First Lady with interpreter Lee Ann Rose.

The Powell House is a hub for educating people of all ages. Interpreter Pat Chilton introduces this middling family to visitors and the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute.

Archaeology at Anderson’s Forge unearths the story of a city preparing for war. Staff Archaeologist Andy Edwards talks about the dig.

Myths abound in history’s retelling. Historian and author Mary Miley Theobald shares some of her favorites.

A man of remarkable strength and size was George Washington’s one-man army. Author and sixth-generation descendant Travis Bowman shares the tale of Peter Francisco.

Women’s unassuming roles made them excellent spies. Playwright Darci Tucker tells the story of Elizabeth Thompson: Lady Spy.

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

A British flotilla from the Battle of Yorktown lies mired in a murky tomb beneath the tides of the York River. Underwater archaeologist John Broadwater dives down to Cornwallis’ sunken fleet and shares his finds.

Underwater archaeologist John Broadwater and his team dove down to a sunken fleet of ships from the Battle of Yorktown.

Historic Foodways Journeyman Rob Brantley makes ice cream the really old-fashioned way in the kitchen at the Governor’s Palace.

Determined women disguised themselves as men to fight in the Revolutionary War. Historian Joyce Henry brings us the story of Anna Maria Lane.

Williamsburg’s streets are rich with the history of two wars.

Members of the Senior Corps of the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums play the tunes that directed a soldier through his day, from morning’s first light to the night’s last ale.

Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums introduces the instruments designed to be heard under cannon fire and over musket volleys. Learn the history of their distinctive sound with Amy Miller and members of the Senior Fife and Drum Corps.

Harpsichord maker Ed Wright prizes the instrument for its bright, crystalline sound and unique mechanics.

Muskets, swords, buttons and drums convey powerful memories of the soldiers who claimed them. Curator Erik Goldstein highlights some of his favorite military treasures from the Colonial Williamsburg collections.

Four Shawnee men visit Williamsburg as diplomatic hostages in 1774. See their story in “So Far From Scioto,” part of Revolutionary City programming. Buck Woodard shares the details.

American Patriot Patrick Henry is burdened with his first wife’s tragic decline into insanity. Interpreter Richard Schumann tells the tale.

Museum conservators wage daily battle against 10 agents of decay. Exhibit Curator Emily Williams outlines the plan of attack in “Conservation, Where Art and Science Meet.”

Thomas Jefferson approached mechanical problems with an engineer’s mind. Historic Interpreter Bill Barker continues his reflection on this founding father’s areas of expertise.

Thomas Jefferson’s passion for politics is rivaled only by his passion for science. Historic Interpreter Bill Barker shares his study of the third president.

Objects rare and poignant joined the Colonial Williamsburg museum collections in 2009. Chief Curator and Vice President for Collections, Conservation and Museums Ron Hurst describes the finds.

Children and the law: Historian Cathy Hellier and Law Professor Jim Dwyer contrast 18th-century and 21st-century juvenile justice.

Folk legend Daniel Boone was a reluctant hero in his lifetime. Historic Interpreter Scott New tells the story of the humble hunter.

Independence was a promise extended to landed white men only. Historic interpreter Hope Smith lays out a slave’s perspective on freedom.

Runaway slave ads provide a wealth of insights into the life of the colonial slave. Historian Harvey Bakari shares some examples.

The slave trade touched the lives of people around the globe, explains Colonial Williamsburg’s Educational Program Development Director Bill White.

An electrifying presence changes history. Historic interpreter James Ingram shares the details of a remarkable life.

Objects take their places in a scene that suggests a bustling social hub. Curator Kim Ivey describes the interior of Charlton’s coffeehouse.

Organist Michael Monaco coaxes the sound of the 1700s from an 18th century organ in William and Mary’s Wren Chapel.

Stoneware held a place in every household. Curators Janine Skerry and Suzanne Hood describe the innumerable forms.

Virginia was a mobile colony, says Coach and Livestock Director Richard Nicoll.

Historian Cary Carson describes creating a narrative framework for Colonial Williamsburg that made room for the stories of black Virginians.

Objects drawn from a 1609 well put people back in the picture at James Fort. Senior Archaeological Curator Bly Straube interprets the evidence.

Discovery continues at Virginia’s James Fort, site of America’s first permanent English settlement. Archaeologist Bill Kelso gets to the bottom of a 1609 well.

Gentry girls had but one job: to find a husband. Historian Cathy Hellier explains the custom.

The modern Cherokee Nation is enjoying a renaissance in language and culture. Living History Demonstrator Paula Nelson shares the resurgence.

Colonial Williamsburg marks 75 years of costumed interpretation in 2009. Costume Design Center Director Brenda Rosseau describes the metamorphosis from 1934.

Centuries-old phantoms linger in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Hear a tale from the “Ghosts Amongst Us” evening tour.

Individuals of all classes rest in the peace of the Bruton Parish graveyard. Church guide Anne Conkling describes one of America’s oldest cemeteries.

Horses lend their speed and strength to the American colonies. Head coachman Joyce Henry shares the horse’s role in early Virginia.

The humble honeybee sweetens the American story. Apiarist Bill Krebs says bees have been here since the beginning.

America’s Constitution stands as a monument to compromise.

One hundred and seventeen colonists vanish in America’s oldest mystery. Ivor Noel Hume tells the story of the Lost Colony.

As long as there have been wars, there have been prisoners of war. Tom Hay talks about Revolutionary War captives.

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr act out a fatal altercation. Mark Schneider provides the details.

Rules and ceremony govern this gentlemen’s contest. Mark Schneider describes the Code Duello.

Recreating 18th-century technology takes perseverance and luck, says Jay Gaynor, Director of Historic Trades.

Archaeologists turn their trowels on Ravenscroft for its third summer of excavation. Meredith Poole shares an update.

Backyard structures bespeak a separate history. Author Mike Olmert shares his study of outbuildings.

America’s smallpox eradication has its roots in 18th-century Boston.

Colonial medicine is not for the faint of heart. Sharon Cotner describes the philosophies and practices.

What’s lost is found, safe in a place it never left. Scott Stephenson describes a rediscovery.

Zooarchaeologist Joanne Bowen decodes 400-year-old leftovers.

Piracy is equal parts economics and adventure. Author Carson Hudson describes the lust for treasure.

Foreign tools and family treasures came to America like stowaways in immigrants’ baggage. Trish Balderson retraces migration’s story through museum objects.

Old sources give fresh voice to slavery’s story. Manager of African American programs Tricia Brooks explains how we know what we know.

Gardener Larry Griffith and Photographer Barbara Lombardi summon botanic phantoms and capture their essence on film.

Preserving genetic diversity one lamb at a time: Manager of Rare Breeds Elaine Shirley talks about the 2009 generation of Leicester Longwools.

Bricks and mortar bear witness to a contest of aesthetics and evidence. Senior Architectural Historian Carl Lounsbury tells the story of the Capitol’s reconstruction.

Director of Educational Program Development Bill White and his team create a television broadcast to nurture citizens for a new era.

The means have changed, but the end is the same. Interpreter Jay Templin describes the tactics of information gathering.

Colonial tradesmen learned the swordmaking craft as Virginia armed itself for war. Journeyman brass founder Suzie Dye describes the process.

Virginia’s soil yielded unexpected resources. Journeyman Blacksmith Shel Browder talks about an early iron foundry at Jamestown.

The craving for liberty is a universal human trait, explains EFT author Christy Coleman.

Journeyman cook Jim Gay explains that Americans’ love of chocolate dates back to the beginning.

African American programming adapts through the decades. Harvey Bakari outlines the goals of interpreting Williamsburg’s enslaved population.

Tangible expressions of grief keep lost loved ones close. Curator Kim Ivey explains the customs of mourning art.

Native tribes and colonizers began a dialogue without a word in common. Buck Woodard describes the early exchanges.

Stratified social organization, strategic alliance, and lineage leadership were hallmarks of Powhatan’s rule over southeastern tribes. Buck Woodard describes the society that existed before first contact.

Political pressure and personal bias have hounded American journalists since the first newspapers were printed. Interpreter Dennis Watson talks about the Virginia Gazette.

Examine iconic American rhetoric in Paul Aron’s new book, “We Hold These Truths.”

As important as the cannon is the vehicle to carry it: a two-wheeled cart that transports, supports, and stores the weapon and its accoutrements. Wheelwright John Boag has the task of construction.

Relating the daily lives of America’s ancestors is the product of research and performance. Performer Kat Getward shares the part that music plays in the EFT “Making History Live.”

Doors are decked in Williamsburg’s signature style to celebrate the holiday season. Laura Viancour describes the preparations.

Modern-day curators focus on reversible restoration techniques. Conservator Shelley Svoboda describes the renewal of the Carolina Room.

Revolutionary-era cannon tell the story of the evolution of war technology. Director of Historic Trades Jay Gaynor and Master Blacksmith Ken Schwarz continue their overview of recreating a light infantry three-pounder.

Revolutionary-era cannon are artifacts of war technology’s evolution. Director of Historic Trades Jay Gaynor and Master Blacksmith Ken Schwarz describe the process of recreating a light infantry three-pounder.

Inspiration intersects with means in a partnership that resurrects a city. Character interpreter Ed Way portrays W.A.R. Goodwin at Colonial Williamsburg.

Author Carson Hudson shares some practical 17th-century tips for identifying witches.

Williamsburg’s restoration got underway in earnest with the College of William and Mary’s Wren Building, explains Louise Kale, director of the Historic Campus.

Contentious elections are the founders’ legacy, explains Bill White, the Theresa A. and Lawrence C. Salameno Director of Educational Program Development.

Investment in the field yields profits in the marketplace for diligent tobacco farmers. Rural tradesman Wayne Randolph describes the hungry crop’s allure.

A historic headmistress devotes her days to educating enslaved children. Interpreter Antoinette Brennan shares the biography of Ann Wager.

Camera becomes time machine as photographer Dave Doody frames the past in his lens.

Storytelling Festival favorite Art Johnson shares the tale of The Combustible Woman.

Teachers take a turn as students in the town-sized classroom of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Director of Teacher Development Tab Broyles reviews the lessons.

Lady Dunmore’s ease and grace are among Lord Dunmore’s most valuable political assets. Interpreter Corrine Dame reflects on the lady who delighted the colony.

A long-absent address returns to Duke of Gloucester Street. Architectural Historian Ed Chappell explains the Charlton Coffeehouse reconstruction.

Four flags survive through battle and time against equally long odds. Curator Erik Goldstein talks about a compelling new exhibit at the Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.

Sheer chance delivered a guiding light of Williamsburg’s restoration. Hear the story of the Bodleian plate with Architectural Historian Carl Lounsbury.

Britain’s tax on paper goods was unremarkable in itself, but the colonies’ furious response surprised two continents. Historian Linda Rowe talks about the Stamp Act.

The fundamentals of British law reside in the American Constitution. Historian Nancy Milton describes the English influence.

The American rebels stood to lose a lot by winning the war. Sites interpreter B.J. Pryor discusses the risk of success.

Forty-six pages from Thomas Paine’s pen whip discontent into outright rebellion. Public Sites Interpreter Alex Clark details the transformation.

Naturalist Mark Catesby reveals a foreign landscape to a curious world. Interpreter Robb Warren talks about the man and his art.

Could Lord Dunmore have prevented the Revolution? Interpreter Phil Shultz considers the question.

The cost of modern speech is paid in verbs as America trades eloquence for speed. Historian Cathy Hellier explains the change.

For poxes, headaches, and fevers, the apothecary has a preparation to ease your symptoms. Medical historian Susan Pryor details the treatments.

A new documentary reflects on five decades of Fifes and Drums. Director Mike Durling talks about building a film that looks through the years and across the country.

A corset’s engineered strictness defines the shape of the 18th-century woman. Journeywoman Brooke Welborn explains the trend.

Never at a loss for words, Rare Breeds Manager Elaine Shirley coins the phrase “disgustingly adorable” to describe this year’s lambs.

New questions are raised as old ones are answered in the study of the Frenchman’s Map. Architectural researcher Ed Chappell talks about the document.

Fakes and phonies are stopped with a squint. Curator John Davis discusses the subtleties of form.

Bovine behemoths boast brains and brawn. Oxman Darin Tschopp describes these beasts of burden.

Stories of famous captures are rivaled only by stories of famous escapes at Williamsburg’s Public Gaol. Tom Hay shares his favorites.

Two artists collaborate across the centuries: one working with a brush, and the other with a micro spatula. Curator Barbara Luck and conservator Pam Young describe the restoration of a rare watercolor.

Good as new isn’t always as good as old. Curator John Watson talks about conservation at Colonial Williamsburg.

One sheep’s fleece supplies half a dozen trades. Shepherdess Carrie MacDougal spins the tale.

When a single book cost half a year’s wages, tomes were rare treasures. Bruce Plumley describes the bookbinding trade.

A man purchases his enslaved family to set them free. James Ingram shares the tale.

Dragons, mermaids and griffins lurk in the museum collections. Christina Westenberger leads the hunt.

Single-minded determination is the Historic Area’s salvation. Author Will Molineux continues his discussion of the restoration.

A determined rector reclaims history from the ravages of progress and poverty.

An early plantation slumbers beneath Williamsburg’s streets and foundations.

Holiday celebrations culminate with Twelfth Night revelries.

In clear voice and high spirits, Kelly Kennedy sings Irish Christmas melodies.