Thomas Jefferson paid a visit to Mathews County last week. The third president of the United States, as portrayed by Bill Barker, addressed 70-80 people gathered at Kingston Parish House on April 4 for a program sponsored by the Mathews County Historical Society. Barker, a historical interpreter who portrays Jefferson at Colonial Williamsburg, spoke (in character) about the busy summer of 1776—from the Battle of Cricket Hill to his drafting of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Barker’s visit is part of a build-up to a July reenactment and commemoration of 242nd anniversary of the Battle of Cricket Hill, the final stand of Virginia’s last royal governor, Lord Dunmore, in and around Gwynn’s Island. ...