As it’s America’s birthday today, July 4, we’re going to go back in time and have a glimpse into one of the nation’s colonial houses — the Ewing House, a guesthouse at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. Walk via its brick-laid entry, open its shuttered windows and step to this colonial home to find the elaborate Queen Anne–heavenly insides of 18th-century America.
at a Glance
Who lived here: Ebenezer Ewing, his spouse, Elizabeth Ashton, as well as his son, Thomas
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Size: 2,047 square feet
That’s intriguing: The first owner of the house, Peter Moyer, was a baker who utilized the east area of the house to sell his baked products.
One chimney functioned two chambers . That and historic records that one of the east rooms was initially unfinished imply that one area could have been a cloth workshop for Ewing, who had been a merchant.
When the house was restored by Colonial Williamsburg in 1940, a 20th-century porch was removed from the north facade, while the original framing was retained. Some of the interior woodwork, such as the staircase, several doors and the flooring, survives in the 18th century.
A view of the eastern exterior of the main house and its own following three additions show the white clapboard siding, gambrel roof and shed dormers that describe Dutch colonial houses.
The open, grassy field separates the Ewing House and complex in the next colonial house, the Chiswell-Bucktrout House. From the 18th century, the field may have had a house on it, or it may have been an open field.
All of the rooms at the Ewing House are furnished with replicas identical in color and scale to the first bits or are largely inspired by English regency designs in the 18th century. Interior designer Cheryl Griggs worked closely with Colonial Williamsburg’s historians to be certain that each of the rooms at the Ewing House reflect the period as accurately as possible, so all the public and private spaces possess a manicured, curated feel.
The parlor floor is covered with a wool Wilton-weave carpeting, a dear British import which continues to inspire carpeting makers today. The red and cream linen and cotton drapery and wingback chair fabric are inspired by a French antique copperplate withstand pattern. Trumpet vases (over the mantel) were all the rage in the 18th century, and it’s quite easy to see why: They were great conversation pieces, and also the splayed design made for the ideal way to display young flower buds.
Trumpet vases: white five-finger vase, Williamsburg Marketplace
This guest area deftly combines antiques and replicas: A walnut table table made between 1800 and 1820 is flanked by reproduction Kittinger mahogany wing chairs which were inspired by originals out of 1730; fluted mahogany articles and canopy bedsteads with ball and claw feet are also reproduction pieces. A set of twin canopy beds doubles the drama and adds vibrant curves into an otherwise living room.
Clearly, the Ewing House pays homage. An 18th-century English copperplate-printed cloth inspired with a romantic blue and white floral toile is utilized on the canopy, the bed skirt …
… and the window treatment, highlighting that toile was the cloth of choice in the 18th century. You could never have toile. The blue carpeting and cries are a symbolic tribute to shipping history and the nation’s naval.
Windsor chairs are sprinkled across the house, which shows just how versatile the chairs are in the house: They’re paired with a writing desk at the guest area, placed bedside in the blue and white space and play a supporting role to wingback chairs in the prior picture.
Here, the chairs are the porch seats of selection for tea; the ebony color brings out the dark colours of the walls, the nearby smokehouse door and the table napkins. The Windsor chair is one of the initial imports introduced from the British in the early 1700s, and we have clearly come to appreciate all about its simplicity and ability to combine with various types of traditional decor.
The Ewing House and other historic houses in Colonial Williamsburg are available for guest stays during the year. Read more about accommodation options and plan your next visit.
More:
The Colonial: America’s Home Style
Traditional-Style Townhouse at Colonial Williamsburg