It’s afternoon tea at Colonial Williamsburg — and don’t be late.
Lessons in 18th-century etiquette and other fancy matters come alive during the All-American Tea Parties, a featured event every first and third Saturday throughout summer at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern — and hosted by the proprietor herself, Mrs. Campbell.
Guests of all ages get an opportunity to travel back to the days of the famous Virginia tavern, learn period etiquette and participate in Historic Area scavenger hunts, according to a Colonial Williamburg Foundation press release.
The tavern event features a special blend of tea and sippets of mid-day fare, scones and other treats to be shared. Guests are encouraged to bring along their period-inspired dolls and partake in the festivities, according to the release.
According to Mrs. Campbell, the tavern was a frequent haunt of George Washington, when he was a younger man, long before he became president, long before there was a Martha Washington.
Mrs. Campbell, aka, Stevie Kauffman, 77, who lives in James City County is a character actor with Colonial Williamsburg. She has played Campbell for the past 18 years.
Kauffman says the afternoon tea is a lot fun for the children and very visual. They learn proper tea etiquette, they learn a dance and colonial era games.
Kauffman is joined by two other players; one who plays Campbell’s daughter Molly and another woman who is a musician and plays the harp, she said.
“We do a lot more with etiquette [than at prior tea party events],” Kauffman said. “How to hold your cup, how to be polite… and to get across to the guys that this is social event.”
When she is playing Campbell, Kauffman believes she is helping people connect with history. Especially when it comes to children, Kauffman says if she can make a child interested in history by teaching them something they can make a connection to, such as drinking tea, than she’s done her job.
“They don’t get the kind of personal connection that I can give,” she said. “I am personal with them. That’s my job.”
She said Christiana Campbell was a trailblazer and one of the first women to own a tavern during the period.
Campbell started working in the tavern in 1771, sometime after the death of her husband Ebenezer Campbell, an apothecary, Kauffman said. By 1774, Campbell, who had two daughters, had purchased the property with her own money, something that was very uncommon at the time, according to Kauffman.
“There weren’t a lot of women in town who owned property… but mostly inherited [property],” she said.
Kauffman says her work as a character actor is rewarding, but requires a lot of work.
“I don’t think a lot people who come to Colonial Williamburg understand the depth and breadth of knowledge we have,” she said. “As characters we have to do our own research and do it with however [age] level of audience we have.”
All-American Tea Parties take place every first and third Saturday from now through Aug. 19, from 1 until 3 p.m.
Tickets are available for $39.95 per person and include a bread course, a tea sandwich course and dessert, plus tea, cider and other beverages and souvenirs.
They may be purchased at colonialwilliamsburg.com/tea-parties or by calling (855) 296-6627.
