Sorry about the long break between posts again, but it has been an absolutely crazy month, with school, work, moving, and lots of little drama-filled moments. Hopefully with May winding down, I will get on a more regular posting schedule.
And now on to another Colonial Williamsburg post. Moving away from the historic trades, I thought I would take you through one of my favorite historic buildings: Charlton's Coffeehouse.
Now, before you ask, this is not an original building, although this is interpreted as a historical one. In fact, it was just recently reconstructed, based on years of documentary and archaeological research.
As you wait outside to enter, you are greeted and entertained by a variety of historical interpreters. This man was clever enough to get around one visitor's question about the use of his horn (the visitor guessed that it was for gun powder) by simply pretending he couldn't hear the question and asking the man to repeat it. The man didn't... The last thing the interpreter tells you before opening the door and letting you into the coffee house is that although the day and month are the same within the coffeehouse, the year is 1765 as soon as you step over the threshold, and it will remain 1765 while you are within the walls of the coffeehouse.
Once you enter, you are greeted by one of the coffeehouse employees, who has agreed to give you a tour of Mr. Charlton's Coffeehouse, in hopes that you may chose to rent one of the rooms or become a patron of the establishment (speaking to the men in the room, of course, as the women really shouldn't be frequenting the coffeehouse...).
He takes you through what the different rooms have to offer, beginning with the private dinning room that can be rented out. Mr. Charlton, it appears, wants to make everyone as comfortable as possible, games, dice, pipes, and tobacco are readily available for patrons - all for a "very reasonable" price.
Now, our guide this time was great, probably one of the best I have had at the coffeehouse, but no matter how good a tour, I always get distracted by the wallpaper (which is supported by extensive historical research). So I thought I would share it with you; kind of makes you a bit cross-eyed, right?
Back to the tour, the guide began explaining the hot news of the moment (remember its 1765): the stamp tax. The details of the tax are then explained and the guide stresses just how many things it effects within the colonies to make sure people realize that it was a tax on all printed things, not just things.
With that, our group is moved from our comfortable seats into the next room, Mr. Charlton's office. This is where the colonial credit system is explained. Because of a severe shortage of gold and silver coins in the colonies, most business was conducted on credit. Which is what most patrons would use throughout the year at the coffeehouse, and other establishments around town.
Again, I always get distracted by the wallpaper. I like this one much more than the pattern in the front room.
But enough talking about the services that are offered and how to pay for them. Its time to get to the main reason I love the coffeehouse tour...
The free hot chocolate!
It is absolutely amazing! The chocolate recipe is based on historic recipes and was developed by the Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Foodways Department. It is very rich, but not sweet. When I go I always add a tiny bit of milk and sugar (available for you on the table). These small additions make it absolutely perfect!
I will drink it all year round; winter or summer. This chocolate even makes a 100 degree day better (I may be a bit obsessed, but its that good).
You can also get coffee to (it is a coffeehouse after all), but really the chocolate is what most people go for. After you have finished your chocolate you get up and they begin preparing for the next tour. It is always a popular tour, so be aware of that if you go. But don't despair, they won't run out of chocolate!
As you leave the coffeehouse, you leave not only the smells of chocolate, but also the politics of the period. Out on the street you may see camera and iPhones and even runners, bringing you back to the 21st century. Or you might emerge into a scene from Revolutionary City, plunging you into the heart of a Revolutionary debate or a wartime event.
But the time you spent in 1765 will stick with you throughout your trip, although hopefully not just because of the chocolate.
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