Our symbol, the Anvil, comes from our family's history in blacksmithing. Our great grandfather and grandfather contributed to the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg from 1929 to 1935 making the original wrought iron work; tools, locks, hinges, shutter dogs, gates, and anything else that was needed. Our family is very proud of our historical ties to Colonial Williamsburg! To share some of our family's history with you, there is a blacksmith display in our general store. It has some of the types of items made by our family for Colonial Williamsburg. There is even our original Anvil dated back to 1930! It was made in Falun, Sweden by Soderfors Bruks Akkticbolag which is know world wide for their "Soderfors Anvils". The town of Falun has been producing Anvils since 1200 A.D.
Sign up for our newsletter!
THE HISTORY OF WILLIAMSBURG
Prior to European settlement, the area around modern-day Williamsburg was settled by the indigenous American tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy. Williamsburg was first settled in 1638 and was originally referred to as Middle Plantation due to its location on the high ground in the middle of the Virginia Peninsula. In 1699, Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg in honor of King William III of England.
By the turn of the 20th century, Williamsburg was a quiet country village, and many colonial buildings, while still standing, were in disrepair. The Reverend Dr. D.A.R. Goodwin made it his goal to restore Williamsburg to its colonial spendor, seeking financial help from none other than John D. Rockefeller Jr., the heir to Standard Oil. It was due to the Rockefeller contributions that Williamsburg became what it is today: A living museum, with history preserved and on exhibit every day.