Williamsburg was first settled in 1632. It was originally called Middle Plantation. In 1693, the College of William and Mary, named after the King and Queen of England, was established in Middle Plantation. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were among those who attended the college.

In 1699, a year after the statehouse burned for a second time in Jamestown, the capital of the Virginia colony was moved to Middle Plantation. Middle Plantation was built on higher ground than Jamestown, had an adequate supply of fresh water, was not infested with mosquitoes, and featured the facilities of the new college. Later that year, the town was renamed Williamsburg after the King.

In 1705, America's first state capitol building was built on Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg. Williamsburg would soon become the social, political, and economic center of Virginia. It was the site of America's first theater and Virginia's first successful newspaper, The Virginia Gazette. In 1722, it was granted a royal charter as a city.

Williamsburg remained capital of Virginia until 1779. During the Revolutionary War, Governor Thomas Jefferson permanently moved the capital to Richmond because he thought Williamsburg was vulnerable to a British attack.