Port Royal was established in 1744 as a tobacco export hub, and it experienced a brief time of economic prosperity. Since it was on the route between Williamsburg and Philadelphia/Washington D.C., most if not all of our founding fathers stopped here on their travels, including George Washington. Today it is something like a cross between Williamsburg and Gone-away Lake.
Perhaps half of the homes have been lived in for the past 200 years or more, but many are empty, waiting for restoration.
Here are some more pictures gleaned from the Internet.
this is the Fox Tavern built around 1767. The receipts still exist from the serval times that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson stayed here.
the most notorious person to visit Port Royal was John Wilkes Booth---on the run after assassinating Lincoln. He stopped here:
But the spinster sisters sent Booth and his companion on after serving them tea. Their next stop would be a tobacco barn on the Garrett farm, a couple miles away.
I found a very interesting presentation about John Wilkes Booth's run from the law HERE. Each of the posts linked at the website has pictures and videos filmed on location. It is quite compelling! i think you'll find it fascinating, too.
After visiting Port Royal, we swung through Colonial Beach for some ice cream.
Colonial Beach is growing! Literally :-) There is a big, beautiful raised bed community garden downtown. This project is so new that there is just one plant in the garden, a tomato.
Can you find it?
However humble this beginning, we know that plants do grow in Colonial Beach---exhibit A:
A photo cannot begin to capture the size of this tree. the house was built right next to the tree--too close! :-)
And here is a pic of this tree from the Internet:
what a very interesting and Happy Mothers Day!
