Pamunkey Indian Tribe purchases 18th-century tavern on site of Native American village

KING WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. —

Musician Kevin Brown has never played his dobro in a venue like Windsor Shades. There is no audience and no stage. But the musician’s songs sound sweeter in the historic landmark that feels just like home.

“I mean you just can’t find this anywhere else,” Brown said. “It is just a pristine location. So the whole property is like a living history museum.”

Windsor Shades has been standing in King William since 1745. It was built 31 years before America’s birth.

“When you walk in here, you just feel the history. It’s just- it just drips from the walls sometimes,” Brown said. “It is rare to find a Colonial House in this good of condition.”

Built as a tavern, Windsor Shades welcomed weary travelers from the nearby ferry on the Pamunkey River.

“When you look across the river, you could be looking across the river in the 1500s and it would look exactly the same,” Brown said.

Windsor Shades' most revolutionary guest darkened the doorstep dozens of times.

“You just can’t help imagining him here,” Brown said. “Oh, every time you come here when you sit down in this room, you know that George Washington sat here. And drank a beer and mead and wine.”

Yes. General Washington really did sleep here.

“So we have all this history and documentation and we’re just trying to share it with the public now,” Brown said.

Colonial stories may span 281 years on this spot, but the roots of Pamunkey Indian Tribe Chief Kevin Brown’s family tree go back much farther.

“Windsor Shades is not a reproduction. It is an original home,” Brown said. “10,000 years. We inhabited the shores of this river for 10,000 years.”

One famous English explorer documented what he witnessed sailing up the waters of the Pamunkey River.

“John Smith said at the time in 1608 that there was about between 800 and 1200 people that lived here,” Brown said. “This house was built right on top of our village.”

Last spring, a "for sale" sign hung at Windsor Shades. Chief Brown and the citizens of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe purchased the property in May.

“We just- I mean, it’s a no-brainer. We have to have it. It is part of us. It’s part of our history. And it’s just so important to us and such an opportunity for the tribe,” Brown said. “We’re about 10 miles downriver from the reservation, so it’s just a perfect location for us.”

The Pamunkey were forced off the land where Windsor Shades sits in 1644. But the tribe always remembered.

“But when I walk around the ground and look at the river. I can feel my ancestors,” Brown said.

Kendall Stevens, Cultural Resources Director for the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, says the 13-acre property can tell the tale that stretches back millennia.

“You can feel the history here sometimes, especially a place at King William County. I think this is an untouched gem of American history,” Stevens said. “And I think it’s just really important in general that you know the tribes are, you know, throughout the country, but especially Virginia, are reclaiming from their ancestral land and sort of reclaiming their sovereign ability to tell the story of their people. Which is American history.”

The 18th-century tavern comes fully furnished.

“All of the original crown molding. And original doors,” Brown said. “Everything dates back to 1745.”

Brown applauds the former owners for restoring the tavern to its former glory.

“It is just — it’s awesome being here. It’s a real honor for us to own this place and to be the stewards of it. We want to make sure that we do everything just right,” Brown said. “I’m very excited to be a part of the future of my tribe.”

The Pamunkeys envision welcoming generations of new visitors. Ideas include a bed and breakfast, winery or wedding venue or a stop on a history trail linking nearby landmarks.

“And so when people come here, we can tell our story, but we can also tell the story of the American Revolution in the Civil War and the founding of this country,” Brown said.

Coming full circle on the banks of the Pamunkey. The next chapter of the chief's storied tribe is a homecoming four centuries in the making.

“We feel a responsibility to preserve culture, and also educate other people to our culture and our way of life,” Brown said. “The future is bright because we are connected to the past. Our future is so bright we got to wear shades.”