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Sports in the Colonial Period
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By the 1760s town life could support
some sporting activities as evidenced by the billiard room of the
restored Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia (above)
Note that the game was different then as illustrated by the sticks or smashers (right) used in the 18th Century
| Obstacles to Colonial Sport | Sport and the Founding Fathers |
| The European Sports Background | American Indian Sport |
| Fox Hunting | The English Sporting Heritage |
As the colonies grew
and prospered more time and resources were available for leisure
activities from gardens to sports, a glimpse of this more refined
lifestyle can be grasped at the
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Online
Almanac Site.
Photograph, formal gardens at the Governor's Palace at
Williamsburg. Virginians became known for their attraction to fox hunting.
Bonnie Ledbetter discusses "Sports and Games of the American Revolution," in a 1979 article available while Nancy Struna examines "Gender and Sporting Practice in Early America," in a 1991 article both available at The Journal of Sport History online site.
E-mail JTJWH@ttacs.ttu.edu
This page was
last updated
August 21, 2002