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Colonial Williamsburg: Past & Present: Podcasts

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Watch all of our video podcasts in our video player.

Sep 5, 2011
Constitution Day: Trial by Jury

The Constitution guarantees the right to jury trial. What does it mean for a vital democracy? Director of the Center for Jury Studies Paula Hannaford-Agor explains their importance.
Additional resources
- Learn more about Trial by Jury.
- Learn more about the Constitution.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Aug 1, 2011
Kids Tell the Story

History is in the hands of Junior Interpreters all summer long, as the story of the Revolution expands to include a kid's perspective. Pam Blount tells us how sites involve children in the 18th century and today.
Additional resources
- Learn more about kids in the 18th century.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Jul 4, 2011
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

Thomas Jefferson reads the words that started it all: The Declaration of Independence.
Additional resources
- Learn more about the Declaration of Independence.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Jun 13, 2011
A Tribal Relic Returns

A lost relic returns to the Pamunkey tribe in a new form. American Indian Initiative Manager Buck Woodard guides us through treaties and time.
Additional resources
- Watch the making of the Pamunkey Peace Medal.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
May 2, 2011
Immortal Bricks and Mortar

Buildings bear silent witness to the history that happens inside them. Conservator Matt Webster makes sure structures live to tell their tales.
Additional resources
- Learn more about Architectural Research at Colonial Williamsburg
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Apr 4, 2011
Beer and Whiskey

In an age when water was suspect, sometimes beer was the safest thing to drink. Food historian Frank Clark discusses the brewing process common to most colonial homes and recreated in Historic Area kitchens.
Additional resources
- Learn more about colonial brews.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Mar 14, 2011
A Pig Worth Saving

The Ossabaw Hog shares its unique genetic legacy with visitors to Colonial Williamsburg's Great Hopes Plantation. Historic Farmer Wayne Randolph talks about the rare breed.
Additional resources
- Learn more about Ossabaw Island Pigs.
- Learn more about Historic Foodways.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Feb 7, 2011
Freedom Bound

Slavery gains a foothold in the American colonies as early as 1619. In the years that follow, laws and resistance grow around the institution with equal determination. Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander discusses slavery's early path.
Additional resources
- Learn more about African Americans in Virginia.
- Learn more about the Electronic Field Trip, Freedom Bound.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Jan 3, 2011
Fashion Accessories from Head to Toe

The accessories that graced the ensembles of history are on display at the Colonial Williamsburg Art Museums in "Fashion Accessories from Head to Toe." Curator Linda Baumgarten introduces the collection.
Additional resources
- Learn more about the Colonial Williamsburg Art Museums.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Dec 6, 2010
Williamsburg Christmastide

The heart of Christmas remains unchanged, even as each generation lends new customs to the celebration. Historian Lou Powers talks Christmastide in three centuries.
Additional resources
- Watch videos of Christmas in Williamsburg.
- Make plans to visit Colonial Williamsburg.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Nov 1, 2010
Hidden Williamsburg

The backyards of Williamsburg's finest homes tell the story of a separate society. Author Mike Olmert reads the architecture of outbuildings.
Additional resources
- Read Kitchens, Places Apart from the journal Colonial Williamsburg.
- Read Smokehouses, Foursquare and Stolid from the journal Colonial Williamsburg.
- Read Necessary and Sufficient from the journal Colonial Williamsburg.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Sep 13, 2010
Constitution Day

Get to know the Constitution: a document whose genius lies in its malleability. Historian and author Pauline Maier talks ratification.
Additional resources
- Learn more about the Constitution.
- Zoom in on the original document.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Aug 30, 2010
Moving Robertson's Windmill

History hits the road when an iconic windmill moves to a new home. Hear the story behind Robertson's Windmill from Jim Horn, CW's Vice President of Research and Historical Interpretation.
Additional resources
- Read The Miller and the Windmill from the journal Colonial Williamsburg.
- Learn more about moving the windmill.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Aug 2, 2010
Learning from the Powells

The Powell House is a hub for educating people of all ages. Interpreter Pat Chilton introduces this middling family to visitors and the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute.
Additional resources
- Learn more about the Powells.
- Learn more about the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Jun 28, 2010
Declaration of Independence

Hear the Declaration of Independence read in its entirety by Thomas Jefferson interpreter Bill Barker, and see a new vodcast on the Fifes and Drums: The Sound of Independence.
Additional resources
- Learn more about the Declaration of Independence.
- Download a free Declaration of Independence screensaver.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Jun 7, 2010
Ice Cream

Historic Foodways Journeyman Rob Brantley makes ice cream the really old-fashioned way in the kitchen at the Governor's Palace.
Additional resources
- Learn more about historic foodways.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
May 3, 2010
Harpsichord Maker

Harpsichord maker Ed Wright prizes the instrument for its bright, crystalline sound and unique mechanics.
Additional resources
- Read Peter Redstone Builds a Barton Portable from the journal Colonial Williamsburg.
- Listen to a sample of harpsichord music from Keys of the Palace.
- Buy the cd Keys of the Palace.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Apr 5, 2010
Conservation, Where Art and Science Meet

Museum conservators wage daily battle against 10 agents of decay. Exhibit Curator Emily Williams outlines the plan of attack in "Conservation, Where Art and Science Meet."
Additional resources
- Learn more about the Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
- Learn more about Electronic Field Trips.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Nov 2, 2009
75 Years of Costume Design

Colonial Williamsburg marks 75 years of costumed interpretation in 2009. Costume Design Center Director Brenda Rosseau describes the metamorphosis from 1934.
Additional resources
- See the Costume Design timeline.
- Learn more about colonial clothing.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Oct 12, 2009
Horses in Williamsburg

Horses lend their speed and strength to the American colonies. Head coachman Joyce Henry shares the horse's role in early Virginia.
Additional resources
- Learn more about Historic Area horses.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Sep 7, 2009
Prisoners of War

As long as there have been wars, there have been prisoners of war. Tom Hay talks about Revolutionary War captives.
Additional resources
- Learn about the Revolutionary War.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Aug 10, 2009
The Joy of Discovery

Recreating 18th-century technology takes perseverance and luck, says Jay Gaynor, Director of Historic Trades.
Additional resources
- Visit the Cannon blog.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Jun 29, 2009
We Hold These Truths

The foundation of American democracy rests on one mighty sheet of parchment. Hear interpreter Bill Barker read the Declaration of Independence.
Additional resources
- Get a closer look at the Declaration of Independence.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Jun 8, 2009
Zooarchaeology

Zooarchaeologist Joanne Bowen decodes 400-year-old leftovers.
Additional resources
- Learn more about archaeology.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
May 4, 2009
Spring Lambs

Preserving genetic diversity one lamb at a time: Manager of Rare Breeds Elaine Shirley talks about the 2009 generation of Leicester Longwools.
Additional resources
- Learn more about rare breeds.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Apr 6, 2009
What's an EFT?

Director of Educational Program Development Bill White and his team create a television broadcast to nurture citizens for a new era.
Additional resources
- Learn more about resources for teachers.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Mar 2, 2009
Swordmaking in the 18th Century

Colonial tradesmen learned the swordmaking craft as Virginia armed itself for war. Journeyman brass founder Suzie Dye describes the process.
Additional resources
- Learn more about the foundry trade.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Feb 9, 2009
Colonial Chocolate

Journeyman cook Jim Gay explains that Americans' love of chocolate dates back to the beginning.
Additional resources
- Learn more about colonial foodways.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Jan 5, 2009
Colonial Journalism

Political pressure and personal bias have hounded American journalists since the first newspapers were printed. Interpreter Dennis Watson talks about the Virginia Gazette.
Additional resources
- Learn more about the Virginia Gazette.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Dec 1, 2008
Christmas in Williamsburg

Doors are decked in Williamsburg's signature style to celebrate the holiday season. Laura Viancour describes the preparations.
Additional resources
- Learn more about Christmas in Williamsburg.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Nov 3, 2008
A Splendid Coincidence

Inspiration intersects with means in a partnership that resurrects a city. Character interpreter Ed Way portrays W.A.R. Goodwin at Colonial Williamsburg.
Additional resources
- Learn more about W.A.R. Goodwin.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Oct 6, 2008
Tobacco in the Colonies

Investment in the field yields profits in the marketplace for diligent tobacco farmers. Rural tradesman Wayne Randolph describes the hungry crop's allure.
Additional resources
- Learn more about rural trades.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
Sep 1, 2008
Restoration and Reconstruction

Putting an 18th-century face on a 21st-century building is a feat of research and resourcefulness, explains Colonial Williamsburg architect Scott Spence.
Additional resources
- Learn more about Historic Area buildings.
Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.