Free previewStop 4 of Colonial Williamsburg Walking Tour: Duke of Gloucester Street
The Governor Who Fled, and Who Moved In
You're standing at the head of the Palace Green, and the brick mansion in front of you is the Governor's Palace. Look at that front door and the windows lined up on either side of it. It was built to display the colony's wealth, power and permanence, a house meant to tell every Virginian that the Crown was here to stay.
Inside, the entrance hall was famous for its weapons: hundreds of swords and firearms arranged on the walls. They were meant to impress, and they were not only for show. Those arms were taken down and used in the French and Indian War in the 1750s.
The message of permanence stopped working in 1775. In that year the Palace was home to John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore, the royal governor, who lived here with his family.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 4 of Colonial Williamsburg Walking Tour: Duke of Gloucester Street (2 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
