On the Fourth of July in 2013, I took my family to the same spot where Ethan took Madeline to picnic in chapter nine of my book, "Wellington Cross," in celebration of their anniversary. In my book, Ethan tells Madeline that the hill above them was the site where pirates were hung. My husband and I had visited this park before and read a sign about that very thing, but this time when we went, the sign had unfortunately been taken down. There was a new sign there instead that read that this was the site of Princess Anne Port, which was a "major port linking Williamsburg to local and European trade routes via the James River" in the 1600s. The creek that runs by this site was originally called Archer's Hope Creek. It was renamed College Creek in 1699, at the same time that Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg. - July 8, 2013
