The Town Where History Lives

Materials such as German stoneware, Spanish silver, Chinese porcelain, and cowrie shells from the Indian Ocean show the global nature of Williamsburg’s world of goods and the people who used them. Here potters created ceramics from local clays, buttons were manufactured from animal bone, and crops like tobacco were exported across oceans. This exhibition explores how these things – global and local – came together in the town of Williamsburg.

In collaboration with First Baptist Church and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation, archaeologists conducted excavations to uncover two buildings, the remains of the mid-19th century First Baptist Church and a smaller building that preceded it. The earlier building, referred to as the Baptist Meeting House in an 1818 tax document, is thought to have housed the congregation prior to the construction of the church. That structure was replaced in 1856 by the brick church that stood on the corner of Nassau and Francis Streets until the congregation relocated in 1956.

The year 2026 marks two notable anniversaries: the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America and the 100th anniversary of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

“That the future may learn from the past." The mission of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has never been more important. We invite you to learn more about our path to 2026 and celebrate the many milestone achievements along the way.