WAR Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg from 1903 to 1908, and again from 1926 to 1937, was a fan of the historic architecture and charm of the city. Worried about the destruction of several buildings in his time away from Williamsburg, he began campaigning for support to preserve and restore the city, eventually convincing John D. Rockefeller Jr. to provide the financial backing. The first restored sites opened to visitors in the 1930s.

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