Women’s History in Williamsburg

Every weekend in March, Jamestown Settlement will present guided tours focusing on the lives of Indian, European, and West Central African women in early Virginia. 

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and Jamestown Settlement also house permanent gallery exhibits, films and interactives explore the fascinating stories of women who made a difference in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Programing at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg that celebrate and examine the lives 18th-century women include: 

  • Special “Expert Insights” programs at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays March 10-31. Guests learn how a silk sewing bag and a sampler stitched at Clarissa Lawrence's African School are connected to the abolition and women's suffrage movements
  • “A Quilter’s Housetop” at 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays, in which guests celebrate the life of Alabama quilter Susana Allen Hunter and then make a mini-quilt to take home
  • “Finding Jane Austen” at 12:30 p.m. Fridays. Guests assist museum guides in exploring three regency objects, using three Jane Austin quotes from six different books, then make an inspired bookmark to take home

Interpretive programs are scheduled at 1:30 p.m. daily in the Art Museums’ Hennage Auditorium, including:

  • “Succordia’s Prayer”: As she mourns the passing of her beloved, a woman in the twilight of her life tells us her story of love and faith that transcends her enslaved status
  • “The Price of Womanhood”: Two women separated by time but not by place, Martha Barksdale, first president of the William & Mary Women's Student Council during the 20th century, and Ann Wager, teacher at the 18th-century Williamsburg Bray School, discuss what it means to be female, educated, represented, and equal
  • “She Had on when She Went Away”: Historic Trades and actor interpreters explore the material culture and lives of self-liberated Black women in the 18th century based on runaway ads
  • “The Sword and the Press”: Col. George Washington and Public Printer Clementina Rind reflect on the war with the French and how it has affected their lives and the business of government 
  • “Nation Builders Discuss the Rights of Women”: Join two of our Nation Builders to discuss how they viewed and debated the rights of women

Women’s History Month at Colonial Williamsburg culminates with special virtual discussion March 20th examining expectations of women, their rights and roles – then and now.

For more information, contact publicrelations@visitwilliamsburg.com