The first comprehensive history of Williamsburg, Virginia, this handsome volume instantly becomes the standard reference on more than three hundred years of the city's fascinating history. Founded as the capital of Virginia in 1699 and named in honor of King William III (1650-1702), Williamsburg has seen the birth of the American republic, the growth of the College of William and Mary, which educated five presidents, the founding of the first mental hospital in America, occupation in the Revolution and the Civil War, post-Civil War reconstruction, suburbanization, and the twentieth-century restoration of the historic area.

Edited by Robert P. Maccubbin amd Martha Hamilton-Phillips, this book documents Williamsburg's history in chronological and thematic chapters enhanced by 378 maps, drawings, and photographs, including color illustrations and rare materials from family archives. From the Anglo-Powhatan war and Bacon's Rebellion, through Williamsburg's struggles during and after the Civil War, to the city's role in two world wars and its remarkable growth in the second half of the twentieth century, the twenty-five contributors cover all three centuries of Williamsburg's history, documenting the diverse cast of characters that has met the city's historical challenges.