For more than thirty years, the architectural research department
at Colonial Williamsburg has engaged in comprehensive study of
early buildings, landscapes, and social history in the Chesapeake
region. Its painstaking work has transformed our understanding of
building practices in the colonial and early national periods and
thereby greatly enriched the experience of visiting historic sites.
In this beautifully illustrated volume, a team of historians,
curators, and conservators draw on their far-reaching knowledge of
historic structures in Virginia and Maryland to illuminate the
formation, development, and spread of one of the hallmark building
traditions in American architecture.
The essays describe how building design, hardware, wall coverings,
furniture, and even paint colors telegraphed social signals about
the status of builders and owners and choreographed social
interactions among everyone who lived or worked in gentry houses,
modest farmsteads, and slave quarters. The analyses of materials,
finishes, and carpentry work will fascinate old-house buffs,
preservationists, and historians alike. The lavish color
photography is a delight to behold, and the detailed catalogues of
architectural elements provide a reliable guide to the form, style,
and chronology of the region's distinctive historic
architecture.