Restoration of a Historic Town to Commemorate National Identity: Colonial Williamsburg in the Early Twentieth Century

This paper reviews how Williamsburg, a historic town in Virginia, U.S.A, acquired the status of a national heritage site. Williamsburg was the capital of the colony of Virginia in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The early twentieth century witnessed a boom in commemorating Colonial sites in the U.S. For 150 years, the Williamsburg site had remained an ordinary local town, but it was restored during the 1920s to create a place where the nation′s history could be illustrated. The prevailing passion for history caused the reconstruction to surpass the town′s original factual conditions, and the project was strongly promoted. This illustrates how ardent nationalism can affect historical preservation. To justify Williamsburg′s value as a heritage site, not only was a new town constructed but also archeological and architectural research was conducted to support the process of restoration. The criteria for the restoration were based on a specific period and ignored developments that took place since the nineteenth century. Although the restoration project itself was managed by a private foundation, official legislation designated the town as a national heritage site. This case illustrates how heritage can be created through attitude toward preservation.