Attend the Dedication of the Benjamin Spraggins Carriage (Free & Open to the Public) Feb 26, 2022
Attend the Dedication of the Benjamin Spraggins Carriage (Free & Open to the Public) Saturday, Feb 26, 2022 at 12:30 pm
Join The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the broader Williamsburg community to acknowledge and honor the legacy of the foundation’s early Black coachmen. As the processional lineup indicates, this is going to be a major community event.
- The 1 p.m. ceremony will be preceded by a carriage processional and parade beginning at the Colonial Capitol at 12:30 p.m.
- A reception will follow in a heated tent adjacent to Chowning’s Tavern.
- This event is free and open to the public.
- The event will be streamed live at
colonialwilliamsburg.org/carriagededication - In the case of inclement weather, this event will be rescheduled for Mar. 5.
Processional:
Buffalo Boyz Motorcycles
Coming to the Table
Williamsburg – Racial Healing and Restorative Justice
Williamsburg Action
York-James City-Williamsburg NAACP Branch
New Zion Baptist Church
“Bullies of the Burg”
Oleta Fleet SUV
Black Gum Saddle Club
Colonial Williamsburg Virginia State Military Garrison
Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums
Colonial Williamsburg carriages
A dedication ceremony will immediately follow at the Colonial Courthouse at 1:00 p.m. Reception with light refreshments to follow.
Ceremony:
Cliff Fleet, president and CEO, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Dr. Ywone Edwards-Ingram, Assistant Professor, VCU
Willie Parker, retired Colonial Williamsburg master printer
James Curtis, retired Colonial Williamsburg master silversmith
Robert Watson, Sr., Assistant Professor, Hampton University
Reverend James Ingram, Colonial Williamsburg Nation Builder
Background on Mr. Spraggins Sr.
Benjamin Spraggins Sr. served as a coachman and guide for Colonial Williamsburg from 1934 to 1953. At a time in the Founda tion’s history when African American history was mostly invisible, Spraggins and the early coachman laid the groundwork not only for the other Black coachmen who came after them, but also for the introduction of African American interpretation at Colonial Williamsburg in 1979. Today’s coach drivers are composed of a racially diverse group of men and women. The program – and Colonial Williamsburg as a whole – is forever indebted to the work of Spraggins and numerous other Black employees to bring visibility to the African American experience in the early years of the Foundation and beyond.
In honor of Benjamin Spraggins, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has named its newest carriage The Benjamin Spraggins Sociable Carriage. A sociable is an open, four-wheeled carriage with two double seats facing each other. The carriage was built in Bird-in-Hand, PA, by Double E Carriages. The Spraggins carriage is embellished with a BLS monogram based on the letters of Benjamin L. Spraggins’ name. The monogram design was taken from a French graphic design book published in 1724 and was painted on the carriage by Norfolk artist Dannis Doles.
The carriage will be unveiled at the Colonial Courthouse in the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg by Benjamin Spraggins’ grandson and family and will be available to book for carriage rides beginning in April. For more information about Colonial Williamsburg’s carriages visit 
colonialwilliamsburg.org/explore/carriage-wagon-rides.
This event is free and open to the public. If you can’t attend in person, please join them online on Saturday, February 26 at 1:00 p.m. LIVE from the Courthouse. Learn More
Rain Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022
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