The spirit of Colonial Williamsburg : ghosts and interpreting the recreated past / Alena Pirok.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pirok, Alena, 1988- author.

Series:

Public history in historical perspective

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Historic sites--Interpretive programs--Virginia--Williamsburg.

Historic sites.

Ghost tours--Social aspects--Virginia--Williamsburg.

Ghost tours.

Ghost stories, American--Social aspects--Virginia--Williamsburg.

Ghost stories, American.

Folklore and history--Virginia--Williamsburg.

Folklore and history.

Public history--Methodology.

Public history.

Heritage tourism--Social aspects--Virginia--Williamsburg.

Heritage tourism.

Colonial Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Va.)--History.

Colonial Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Va.).

Williamsburg (Va.)--Historiography.

Williamsburg (Va.).

Heritage tourism--Social aspects.

Historic sites--Interpretive programs.

Historiography.

Virginia--Williamsburg.

Virginia--Williamsburg--Colonial Williamsburg.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xi, 218 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press, [2022]

Summary:

"On any given night, hundreds of guests walk the darkened streets of Colonial Williamsburg looking for ghosts. Since the early 2000s, both the museum and private companies have facilitated these hunts, offering year-round ghost tours. Critics have called these excursions a cash grab, but in truth, ghosts and hauntings have long been at the center of the Colonial Williamsburg project. The Spirit of Colonial Williamsburg examines how the long-dead past comes alive at this living-history museum. In the early twentieth century, local stories about the ghosts of former residents-among them Revolutionary War soldiers and nurses, tavern owners and prominent attorneys, and enslaved African Americans-helped to turn Williamsburg into a desirable site for historical restoration. But, for much of the twentieth century, the museum tried diligently to avoid any discussion of ghosts, considering them frivolous and lowbrow. Alena Pirok explores why historic sites have begun to embrace their spectral residents in recent decades, arguing that through them, patrons experience an emotional connection to place and a palpable understanding of the past through its people"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. One The Age of Ghosts in Virginia

ch. Two Restoring the "Ghosts of the Past"

ch. Three The Question of Interpretation

ch. Four A Magnificent Stage Setting

ch. Five The Spirits of '76 Come Alive

ch. Six Conjectural Williamsburg

ch. Seven The Rehaunting of Williamsburg.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Pirok, Alena, 1988- Spirit of Colonial Williamsburg

ISBN:

9781625346957

1625346956

9781625346940

1625346948

OCLC:

1302578943