THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 16, 1995 TAG: 9511160267
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
One doesn't rush a grand dame - not one with three names, anyway.
The Cary Peyton Armistead House requires four days to gather her
skirts and move from the spot where she has resided on Duke of
Gloucester Street in Colonial Williamsburg, keeping an eye on the
Colonial Capitol and its unsavory neighbor - the Colonial lockup.
The Victorian lady, with her gingerbread trim and law office door
that opens discreetly onto a wraparound porch and away from the
front door, will be relocated to a neighborhood of similar houses
just outside the historic walkabout area. Next spring, Colonial
Williamsburg visitors will be able to oversee the archaeological
dig and eventual restoration of the 18th century buildings that
existed on the Armistead house site. A home and tavern, in which
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson broke bread and downed a pint
or two, occupied the spot before the Victorian structure was built
about 1891 and was occupied by the Armistead family until 1984. The
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities conducted
tours of the house from 1986 to 1993. The Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation obtained a lease to the house in 1994 with the
stipulation that it be moved and archaeological work conducted.
Expert House Movers of Virginia Beach is doing the moving. by CNB