Anthony Conyers Jr.

Anthony Conyers was born on June 4th, 1947. His father was a landscaper for Colonial Williamsburg and his brother was a maid for The College of William and Mary. His family moved from South Carolina to Williamsburg in 1914 and rented on South Henry Street, where his sister was born, close to Easton State Hospital. After that, they rented a house on Nicholson Street in the historic area, where Conyers spent the early part of his childhood.

Oral History

"I went to graduate school at Old Dominion…I came back to Williamsburg in 1976 to organize and, both in terms of structure and rolling stock and administrative function, the entire operation of the new transit system. I also was their first director. It was called James City County Transit…it is now WATA…It was very important to some segments of the community. We still had a lot of ladies doing days [domestic] work back then…they worked for 20-25 bucks a day but they’d spend half of it on cab fare….so now you can catch the bus for a dollar round trip. That’s life-changing! That’s putting a lot—40-45% of your income—back into your pocket. It wasn’t a problem getting motivated to do that."

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Community Forum

On June 27, 2021, Mr. Anthony Conyers participated in an oral history night for the Bruton Heights Class of 1965. The Bruton Heights alumni reflected on their experiences at school and in the community during the Civil Rights era. The event was co-hosted by Mr. Curtis Lassiter and his family and The Village Initiative's Local Black Histories Project.

Participants included Mr. Curtis Lassiter, Mrs. Yvonne Alston, Mr. Anthony Conyers, Mrs. Fredi Epps-Jackson, Mrs. Kaye Pierce Molley, Mrs. Verne H. Parker, Mr. Elwood Lewis, Mrs. Mable V. Wynne, Mrs. Sandra Braxton Trower, and Mrs. Thomasine Lewis.

Video Series

Mr. Anthony Conyers, Jr. provided the reflections below as part of James City County: A New World, an oral history video series that aired on local government channel JCC TV48. The four-part serives was produced by the County through an Innovation Grant as part of its 2007 Legacy Projects.

Mr. Conyers reflects on his rural life, including childhood friends and activities.

Mr. Conyers discusses the Bruton Heights School's positive impact and influence on his life and the prestige of the institution.

Mr. Conyers and Mr. Abram Frink discuss their lives growing up in Williamsburg. Mr. Frink recalls the mobile park homes in Grove, and Mr. Conyers remembers growing up in the Historic area.

Mr. Conyers describes his transition to Williamsburg as a transit manager and the birth of the WATA system.

Mr. Conyers discusses how the transit system has influenced the lives of domestic workers.

Mr. Conyers discusses the reinvention of governance in James City County from the 1970s onwards and key challenges facing the county and the nation.

Mr. Conyers describes the county's work in the 1980s to balance growth with maintaining the community's character.

Interview with Anthony Conyers Jr. | Conducted by Dr. Amy Quark | June 26, 2022 | The Villiage Initiative Collection

Anthony Conyers Jr. and Raymond Johnson offer their memories of growing up on Nicholson Street, in the northeast corner of the City of Williamsburg, during the late 1940s and 1950s in this oral history with The Village Initiative’s Local Black Histories Project.

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