Throwback Thursday - Christmas Dinner 1935 Back in 1935, town residents and guests to Colonial Williamsburg could savor a delicious Christmas dinner for $1.25. Served at the old Williamsburg Inn located on the site of Chowning’s Tavern, the meal offered patrons an opportunity to celebrate in one of the finest establishments on Duke of Gloucester Street. Built around 1857 by its original proprietor, Dr. Samuel S. Griffin, the structure was first known as the Colonial Hotel. In the late 19th-century, owner Jack Spencer began to expand the structure and catered to the influx of visitors to the area for the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition of 1907. A grand opening of the renovated and expanded hotel occurred on January 3, 1896. He sold the business to W.A. Bozarth in 1923. It became known as the Williamsburg Inn after Dr. Goodwin bought it in 1927 for the Foundation. Soon after, work started to convert it into a hotel to serve visitors to Colonial Williamsburg. When today’s Williamsburg Inn opened in 1937, this structure served for a few years as an annex until it was demolished in 1939. Chowning’s Tavern opened on the site in 1941.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 14:00:00 +0000