For More Information:
Richard Keurajian ᴥ [email protected] ᴥ 757.253.3927
Kingsmill Resort Historical Backgrounder
(Williamsburg, Va., 2012) – Steeped in a tradition of gracious Southern hospitality, Kingsmill
Resort heralds a rich history dating back to Colonial America. The bucolic land along the banks
of the mighty James River was considered as a permanent base when encountered by the
English settlers on May 12, 1607. They decided to settle at Jamestown the next day. Situated in
the heart of Virginia’s Historic Triangle, it should come as no surprise that the land now known
as Kingsmill featured a bustling Virginia plantation from 1619 through the 1800s. Today, the
resort retains those magnificent traits inherent in Kingsmill’s early days with grand
accommodations, gracious hospitality and stately service.
Colonial Era Kingsmill played a significant role in the growth and development of the
Jamestown colony. When the first settlers arrived in Virginia, colonist Gabriel Archer proposed
to his fellow pioneers to consider the currently‐named Hope section of Kingsmill their new
home. Thought to be a true paradise and idyllic locale for their homesteads, the settlers
eventually made their home slightly west at Jamestown, which permitted their ships to anchor
closer to shore. More than a decade later, the first 300 acres of Kingsmill would be settled by
Richard Kingsmill, a member of the Virginia Company, an organization chartered in England
and charged with the founding and settlement of Virginia. Several other early colonists played a
significant part in the development of Kingsmill and the growth of nearby Williamsburg.
Col. Lewis Burwell III was a member of the Governor’s Council, the first elected legislative
assembly of the new world. He inherited his grandfather’s lands and built Kingsmill Plantation,
titling it after the original owner.
Col. Thomas Pettus was a prominent land owner and also served on the Governor’s Council.
After his death, Pettus’ lands passed to James Bray II, his widowed daughter‐in‐law’s new
husband.
James Bray II was one of the first legislative representatives for the new City of Williamsburg
and acted as a Burgess and Justice of the Peace for the County. These brave new adventurers
carved out a gracious existence along the banks of the mighty James River. The foundations of
several notable historical sites can still be found at Kingsmill Resort.
Kingsmill Plantation Col. Burwell’s Kingsmill Plantation was at the core of a thriving, small
riverbank community with its own compilation of mansions, outbuildings and slave quarters,
as well as an attended ferry landing and flourishing population. The Plantation’s grand mansion
was situated on the current Plantation golf course and overlooked the majestic James River.
The 4,800‐square‐foot manor house was two‐stories tall, built f brick and contained eight
rooms. Granite stairs manufactured in Wales lead to two acres of beautiful terraced gardens on
the river side of the mansion. The plantation also included two brick dependencies, a coach
house, dairy, stable, barn and two wells. Although the main house was destroyed by fire in
1844, the two flanking dependencies and original garden steps remain. These buildings can be
viewed on the second hole of the Plantation Course.
Burwell’s Landing Col. Burwell also established the Burwell’s Landing ferry and warehouse.
This water landing became a major port of entry for Williamsburg during the 18th century and
played a significant part in the American Revolution. The site is visible from the 17th golf hole
of Kingsmill Resort’s River Course.
Burwell’s Ordinary As Burwell’s Landing grew in commercial importance, it developed into a
social hub with the operation of the Ordinary at Burwell Landing. The Ordinary at Burwell
Landing provided travelers with entertainment, horse stables, storage and supplies. This site
can be visited on the River Course’s 17th hole.
Pettus Plantation Col. Pettus built his plantation in the 1640s and titled it Littletown
Plantation. A profitable tobacco plantation, it was situated on property now featuring Kingsmill
Resort’s marina. Littletown Plantation’s manor house encompassed six rooms, several
outbuildings and a well, all of which are marked at the site.
Bray Plantation Around 1700, James Bray II constructed a brick house flanked by out‐
buildings overlooking the James River. The substantial foundations of this home still stand
today and the main house, dependency and well are located on the path between the resort
center and the spa. William M. Kelso, Ph.D., director of Archaeology for the APVA Preservation
Virginia and author of Kingsmill Plantations, wrote about the excavation at Kingsmill. “The
study at Kingsmill, where numerous plantation sites represented the entire social and
economic range of plantation life in colonial Virginia from her earliest years, promised to reveal
for the first time substantial archaeological information about country life,” he wrote. Ever
cognizant of environmental and historical issues unique to Williamsburg and the Kingsmill
lands, Kingsmill is committed to preserving and maintaining the historical record of Kingsmill’s
history. Artifacts from the excavations are on display at the resort’s conference center, the
Jamestown Settlement museum, Historic Jamestown and at the Virginia Historical Society in
Richmond. In addition to the preservation of historical sites throughout Kingsmill, the names of
original settlers have been preserved and incorporated into the naming of streets and
subdivisions within the resort and in the residential division Kingsmill on the James. *William
M. Kelso’s Kingsmill Plantations 1619‐1800: Archaeology of Country Life in Colonial Virginia,
published by University of Virginia Press, 1984.
Kingsmill Resort is an AAA FourDiamond property and a member of the Preferred Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide – a global association of the world’s finest independent luxury hotels.
Kingsmill Resort is located in Williamsburg, Va., between Richmond and Norfolk, and is easily
accessible via I64. Situated along the historic James River, Kingsmill Resort is conveniently located
minutes away from Colonial Williamsburg, adjacent to Busch Gardens, with easy access to Water
Country USA, Jamestown and Yorktown. For media information and complimentary images, visit
www.kingsmillnews.com. Follow Kingsmill on Twitter and on Facebook.
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