Annual open house today at Historic Greensprings Plantation

Once a year, the National Park Service and the Friends of Green Spring provide an opportunity for the public to tour the site of Historic Green Spring Plantation, the 17th century home of Colonial Virginia’s Governor Sir William Berkeley and his controversial wife, Lady Frances Berkeley. Actors portraying Lord and Lady Berkeley will welcome guests as staff from the National Park Service tell the story of the people, the battles, the events that are part of this great plantation. Please park at Jamestown High School and take free bus transportation to the site. Those who attend will have the chance to interact with actors playing the characters of Governor Sir William Berkeley and his wife, Lady Frances Berkeley. The roles are played by local performer Joe Dellinger and College of William & Mary actress Zoe Speas. Dellinger has portrayed the controversial colonial governor for the last three years. He’s a familiar face to audiences, having performed roles at various local venues including Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Wedgewood Renaissance, and Williamsburg Players. This year’s Tour is today Saturday, October 13, 2012, from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 pm  Historic Green Spring (please park at Jamestown Island Visitor Center) Admission is free and parking is available at the Jamestown Island Visitors Center. Free shuttle buses will take visitors to the Historic Green Spring site. There is no parking at the site. There will be no rain date for the annual tour.

For more information, call 757-880-4187.

WHAT IS GREEN SPRING AND WHO ARE THE FRIENDS? The Historic Green Spring plantation site–a part of Colonial National Park, which includes both Jamestown and Yorktown–looks today like an undeveloped tract of forests and fields. But appearances are deceiving: from the time of Jamestown through the Civil War the people of Green Spring have played a central role in Virginia’s history. Location map of the Historic Green Spring plantation site Today there is only one 19th century building standing on land that once was part of a vast plantation belonging to the most influential English governor of the Virginia colony, Sir William Berkeley. Hidden under the ground are the remains of two magnificent 17th century mansions built by Sir William, an orangery, slave quarters, a pottery, an 18th century plantation house belonging to the Ludwell and Lee families, and many things yet to be discovered.