2 Mission Statement Highlights from "What American History Is About" That Make You Want to Book a Tour

Always following the mission- even on a guided tour.

Let's start with the Mission Statement.

If you've followed this blog, you know it started as journal. One of the history I was soaking in while wandering my now-home, Williamsburg. Living so close to Colonial Williamsburg (CW), what's currently the largest living history museum in the world, I'm truly blessed to have history on my doorstep.

Realizing how many people were finding my blog, I decided it was time to make this blog my focus. I took all the steps to turn it from a hobby into a business and here we are- on the eve (actually in the midst!) of celebrating America's 250th.

So for today, a fun little post highlighting two aspects of the mission statement.

The Mission Statement:

Create joy and understanding through the people, places, art, objects, and their stories that embody our American history.

Disclaimer: As a blogger, I use affiliate links sometimes! I may receive commission from purchases I share; it does not change your price but sometimes you might get a discount.

RELATED: Click here to see my "daily dose" post about America's 250th.

Market Square Tavern, Fall 2025

As for the 'create joy and understanding' bit:

.. the mission statement now goes beyond the blog!

I've gotten myself certified to give customized tours for you all able to get to Colonial Williamsburg (yes, a link will be added to the final section titled: book the tour!).

No, the tour doesn't need to be about THESE 2 topics. Tours are CUSTOMIZED. I'm not trying to tell you all the things you're going to find out about when you buy a ticket to CW. I want you to buy a ticket; and I want to give you a tour that compliments your ticket.

...and inspires questions, helps you prioritize what you see...helps you get the most out of your visit and the tickets you purchase to explore the museum's offerings.

RELATED: Click here to read the backstory on creating this blog's Mission Statement.

Peyton Randolph House, open to ticketed CW guests

1) Highlighting a person: Patrick Henry

I've learned SO much from CW's two full-time actor historians bringing Patrick Henry to life: Richard Schumann and Nat Lasley.

Simply put, Patrick Henry is fascinating. And these two men have inspired me to learn more about the man often remembered for his famous 'liberty or death' speech. The speech given at St. John's Church in Richmond over 250 years ago was not written down- how do we know what was said?

Preservation of his words is a story in itself.

RELATED: Click here for an article about both Schumann's and Lasley's study and portrayal of Patrick Henry here, published in CW's Trend and Tradition Magazine.

How does this tie into the customized walking tours I'm offering?

Henry is from Hanover County but his ties to Williamsburg run deep. This is where he got his law certificate signed, where he served in the House of Burgesses, where he also served as our first non-Royal Governor.

And yes, there's also a connection to the preservation of his 1775 words spoken in Richmond.

In the hour we spend walking through CW, I'll share where he worked, stayed, and people and places that impacted his life and-- therefore -- the road to American Independence.

Interested in visiting places with ties to Patrick Henry outside Williamsburg? I'd love to get that organized for you! Yes, I'm also offering up curated travel itineraries. Tell me you want one and we'll add that to the service I provide to you.

Nat Lasley as Patrick Henry, greeting the public in CW

2) Highlighting a place: The Booker Tenement

The Booker Tenement sits near an employee parking lot at the far end of CW. It's not a building you'd easily notice. It's not open to the public, not there for ticket-holders to visit. And that is truly what intrigues me about it! It's exactly the type of building you might hear about on a customized tour.

A few bits about this historic property learned from a visit to the John D. Rockefeller Library. I found this information in a report by Sharon Fleming, Architectural Preservation intern 1987, 1990. It is available to the public in the library's files of CW buildings- you can ask a librarian for assistance if you visit and want to check it out!

Ownership timeline:

• lot was purchased by Jean Marot in 1712-13
• next listed known ownership: James Shields III in 1761
• John Greenhow 1762-1803
• Booker, a city constable, carpenter, and real estate investor, purchased the west side of the lot in 1823
• Booker built the home in 1824
• several owners thru back half of 1800s
• purchased by Virginia Braithwaite Haughwout in 1927

Architecture:

• Booker used both new and salvaged materials
• 1.5 stories, using traditional 18th c Chesapeake framing techniques (what you see quite a bit of around town, as well as other cities in Virginia and even in Maryland and North Carolina)
• the home has a full basement as well as two rooms per floor
• its front porch was added in the 20th century and the siding was replaced, with a rear addition built at some point

There's much more to the file and this particular report. And truly, more to learn about the Booker tenement over and above the file.

• the stories of the owners: their work, families, and connections to historic events
• the home's "life" during the Revolutionary era and beyond

Earlier this week, I was sitting on a bench in front of the Charlton Stage, waiting for a performance to start, and was taking in the Booker Tenement, thinking about this post.

I'm looking forward to digging deeper!

Depending on what I discover and what your historical interests are- you may just get the Booker Tenement as part of a guided tour you book with me!

Let's be honest, one of the best aspects of wandering what's currently the largest living history museum in the world, is the fact there are so many buildings- all connected to people, art, objects... stories to be told.

No matter the topic of the tour, we'll be exploring some of those stories.

The Booker Tenement at CW

Book the tour.

I hope you loved this little peek into some of the amazing bits of history I'm blessed to encounter as a resident of Williamsburg.

• Do you love the content on this blog?

• Ready to visit Colonial Williamsburg?

Here are the five easy steps to getting a customized guided tour with me:

1) Book a call by clicking here. We'll go over specific questions to ensure your needs and interests are the focus of your tour.

2) We'll set a date and time for your tour.

3) I'll send an invoice using Venmo or PayPal along with your payment options.

4) I'll forward the details for our meeting location and any relevant information we discussed.

5) I'll see you in the historic area!

Closing words from history.

Patrick Henry's words! An excerpt from his Parson's Cause Speech. You can read more here on Red Hill's website. An example of what I hinted at above, Patrick Henry didn't seem to write his speeches down...

[Captain Thomas Trevilian, a member of the audience, recalled this portion of Henry’s speech.]

We have heard a great deal about the benevolence and holy zeal of our reverend clergy, but how is this manifested? Do they manifest their zeal in the cause of religion and humanity by practicing the mild and benevolent precepts of the Gospel of Jesus? Do they feed the hungry and clothe the naked? Oh, no, gentlemen! Instead of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, these rapacious harpies would, were their powers equal to their will, snatch from the hearth of their honest parishioner his last hoe-cake, from the widow and her orphan child their last milch cow! The last bed, nay, the last blanket from the lying-in woman!

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There is a huge practical disclaimer to the content on this blog, which is my way of sharing my excitement and basically journaling online.

1) I am not a historian nor an expert. I will let you know I’m relaying the information as I understand and interpret it. The employees of Colonial Williamsburg base their presentations, work, and responses on historical documents and mainly primary sources.

2) I will update for accuracy as history is constant learning. If you have a question about accuracy, please ask me! I will get the answer from the best source I can find.

3) Photo credit to me, Daphne Reznik, for all photos in this post, unless otherwise credited! All photos are personal photos taken in public access locations or with specific permission.