Winston Churchill briefly visited Richmond and Williamsburg in March 1946, and 70 years later Historic Triangle residents can take a look at the photos documenting his time at the Williamsburg Regional Library.
Great Britain’s wartime prime minister stopped in Richmond and Williamsburg for 19 hours on March 8, 1946. His visit came just days after his famous “Iron Curtain” speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri – a speech that many historians mark as the onset of the Cold War.
Richmond photographer Frank Dementi documented Churchill’s visit to the area, and the Williamsburg Library will be displaying his photographs through the end of April.
The images in the exhibit, organized by Dementi’s sons Brian and Wayne Dementi, trace Churchill’s eventful day beginning with a speech he gave before the General Assembly in Richmond.
Accompanied by his wife Clementine and General Dwight Eisenhower and his wife Mamie, Churchill traveled by train to Williamsburg after the conclusion of his speech.
The group visited the College of William & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg, pausing to enjoy drinks and tea at the Raleigh Tavern and concluding the outing with dinner at the Williamsburg Inn.
Visitors to the library can see the collection of images during normal operating hours throughout the month. The library will also be hosting a talk about the historic visit to complement the exhibit at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 10.
Both the lecture and the exhibit are free and open to the public.
