On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we explore Williamsburg’s colonial playhouse and the entertainment culture that flourished before the American Revolution. Theater, music, and performance connected Virginians to the wider British world until war transformed the city and brought the curtain down on a fading colonial era.

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we explore the Great Dismal Swamp and the hidden communities that formed there during the Revolutionary era. As colonists tried to reshape the land for profit, people escaping slavery built lives within the swamp, beyond the reach of the society they fled.

As America reflects on 250 years of independence, we remember the women whose courage, sacrifice, and determination helped shape a nation. They published revolutionary ideals, organized boycotts, supported the fight for freedom, and in many cases followed their husbands into battle. From celebrated figures to the countless unnamed women whose strength carried the Revolution forward, their stories continue to inspire generations today.

Join Jordan Christie, Barry Graham, and Connor Worley as they explore the lives and legacies of the women who helped create a nation and immersed themselves in the struggle for independence in WHRV’s The Founding Mothers, part of our Revolution 250: Stories from the First Shore initiative.