1952 Magnet Yearbook

.' AU Vll' ("OLI.t:t iIAn:
wtlliam sburz . What does that mean
to you ? I' osslblv it is a very boring
Gec arapbv lesson. or the year-book
from william a nd :\fary College. or
an article con cerning sixtv-flve million
dollars, Sixty-five million dollars
i:- t he basis of my story. for
Rockefeller promoted the restor-at ion
of a ti ny village into 18th century
style-a trip to t hat ti ny villa ge was
my Chr-istmas gif't.
At fir:-t it was just another t r ip.
a t r ip to somewhere in t he south of
Virgin ia, Rut t he villa ge itself ma de
it a different t r ip. Xot only WHS t he
climate fa:-cinatingly different. but
also, the people spoke with an accent :
it wa s history. \rilliHmsbur i{ is a
set tlement steeped in history. living
it ever-y day. enjoying it and passing
it on to hu ndreds of Yuleti de visitors,
The Duk e of Gloucester. the main
street. is lined with t he "business
section". Th is con sists of : th e Cap i­
tol. seat of th e first parliament in
America . where st ill flies Quee n
Anne's flag; the tavern. whe re t he
Declarat ion of Inde pendence wa s
written: th e craft shops. where cos,
Christmas Gift
17
t urned trades men work a:- did their
forefathers; th e jail. with its stocks
for nagging wives ; and th e Quai nt
repr oduct ions of olden-day sto res
wit h mode rn names of Rexall. A. & P.
and Ag new-S urpass. The Governor's
residence stands apart in its acres
of for ma l garden, \rithin. soft candlelight
gleams on polish ed mahoga ny .
si lver an d crystal. Gracious hostesses
in wide fa rt hingales relive traditions
of over tw o centur ies ago. The Impressive
ma nsions of t he plant ation
owners rise a bove the adorable cotta
ges of t he villa gers. Th ese magnificent
homes keep the t radition eve n
to t he comfor ta ble coloured mam mies
preparing spices beside t he kitchen
hearth , But the intangi ble things are
there too - the restored customs; for
example : t he yule log ceremony. the
Christmas tree Iightinl{ on t he village
green. one white candle in each window.
and open -house on Ch ristmas
Day , These are overshado wed though .
by t he ca ndle-lit midnight mass in
Br ut on Parish Church. which is t he
oldest Episcopal chu rch in the :\ew
world. an d also the oldest P rotestant
chu rch in continual use.
T hat glimpse of history and t radition
wa s a Chr -ist mas gift long to be
remem bered.
A~~ HIC.GIS :-:. 5E