Colonial Williamsburg plans new home for historic "Cowles Quarters"
Plus, African American Heritage Trail; W&M students explore for Appalachian fish
Colonial Williamsburg plans to relocate a historic structure known as the Cowles Quarter to a site beside Booker Tenement on Nicholson Street, making room for a new parking lot at the Lafayette Street Arrivals Area. That new facility for visitors is currently under construction and expected to be completed later this year. Jennifer Wilkoski, Director of Architectural Preservation & Research at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Grainger Department of Architectural Preservation & Research, wrote in an email that the Nicholson Street site was chosen based on a connection to a similarly configured building that once stood at that site.
Wilkoski noted that the structure was first documented in a 1928 photograph standing behind the Jeanette Cowles house on Duke of Gloucester Street. She explained that the building’s two front doors, lack of interior connection between units, and shared central chimney identify it as a “double quarter,” historically used to house two enslaved families. While approving the relocation request earlier this year, city staff wrote that the building’s current site is not original and that the new site’s proximity to neighboring buildings and community features better explains its background.
Following the upcoming move, architectural historians intend to investigate the building in detail, Wilkoski wrote. Because no written records document the structure’s origins, much of what is known has been pieced together from photographs and physical evidence, and the investigation is expected to fill in some of the remaining gaps. Research methods under consideration include dendrochronology, which uses tree-ring patterns to help establish a construction date, and paint analysis, to inform understanding of the building’s original color scheme and appearance. Findings from this work are expected to guide a future restoration to the building’s earliest known form, though no timeline has been set for that phase.
The structure was moved in 1930 to the rear of the Raleigh Tavern site when Merchants Square was developed and was altered at that time to resemble a kitchen outbuilding, then relocated again in 1951 to a Franklin Street parking area, as part of an effort to make the Raleigh Tavern site more historically accurate, where it served as a breakroom. Its new site beside Booker Tenement was chosen for its ties to the John Ashby House, a similar double quarter that stood there until 1929.
Details like pavers, paths, flowers and trees will shape Colonial Williamsburg visitors arrival area experience
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation recently presented updated plans to the Williamsburg Architectural Review Board for several aspects of its Lafayette Arrival Area, which is bounded by Lafayette Street, Franklin …
In other news:
Williamsburg posted a video of signing ceremony for African American Heritage Trail The City of Williamsburg hosted a trail medallion signing ceremony for the Williamsburg African American Heritage Trail on Friday, June 19, 2026. The project is designed to honor and interpret the city’s African American history. The trail will be a 2-mile, self-guided experience consisting of interpretive markers at historically significant locations, a comprehensive mobile app, and a corresponding website.
William & Mary’s Batten School and VIMS Continue 56-Year Roanoke Roundup Tradition For more than five decades, students at William & Mary’s Batten School and VIMS have participated in the annual Roanoke Roundup, a field expedition that explores the diversity of freshwater fish in Appalachian rivers and streams. Founded 56 years ago by former VIMS Professor Jack Musick, the tradition provides students with hands-on learning opportunities in collecting, identifying and preserving fish specimens. Professor Eric Hilton, Ph.D. student Miguel Montalvo and M.S. student Sarah Allen discuss the expedition’s history, the scientific importance of documenting freshwater fish communities and the educational value in this video.
