Born in July 1771, 2024 marks our town’s 253rd year! So, what did Williamsburg look like in 1771, the year the town was officially incorporated? There were no cell phones with cameras of course. And photography had not yet been invented.
One of the earliest pictures is this 1839 wood engraving of what the artist called “the southern view of the central part of Williamsburg”. He gives details: The Methodist Church is on the left, the “new” Congregational Church, is on the right, south of which is the bridge over the mill stream passing through the village. In the extreme distance is the spire of the “old” Congregational meeting house, built in 1779, which was about half a mile up Meeting House Hill, now Village Hill. It was razed shortly after this wood engraving was made.
The image is from John Warner Barber’s 1839 book with this very long title: Massachusetts Historical Collections, being a General Collection of Interesting Facts, Traditions, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes, & Relating to the History and Antiquities of Every Town in Massachusetts, with Geographical Descriptions. This book is illustrated with 200 wood engravings.
Find a copy in the Meekins Library or online at Google Books. (Williamsburg is discussed on pages 344-45). And let us not forget our nation’s birthday too. Happy July 4th to all! And Happy Birthday Williamsburg! Daria D’Arienzo, Archivist. #throwbackthursday; #tbt.
Posted to Facebook 7/4/2024