Home » 250 years ago today, Virginia’s royal governor seized Colonists’ gunpowder. Now, the building that (literally) sparked the Revolution is being restored.

250 years ago today, Virginia’s royal governor seized Colonists’ gunpowder. Now, the building that (literally) sparked the Revolution is being restored.

250 years ago today, Virginia’s royal governor seized Colonists’ gunpowder. Now, the building that (literally) sparked the Revolution is being restored.

The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Cardinal News has embarked on a three-year project to tell the little-known stories of Virginia’s role in the march to independence. This project is supported, in part, by a grant from the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. Find all our stories from this project on the Cardinal 250 page. You can sign up for our monthly newsletter:

TheMagazineisperhapsoneofthemostrecognizedsiteswithinColonialWilliamsburg’sHistoricArea.Thestructure,oneoftheoldestsurvivingbuildingsassociatedwiththeAmericanRevolution,playedakeyroleduringthetimeperiod.ArchitecturalhistoriansandarchaeologistsareinthemidstofanextensiveprojectthatwillrestoretheMagazinetowhatitlookedlikeattheonsetoftheRevolutionaryWar,and,inparticular,duringthefamousGunpowderIncident,whichismarking250yearsthismonth. RearoftheMagazineshowingconstructionprogress ont