Layout of 1998 and 2006 excavation areas. A test excavation done in 1998 by Colonial Williamsburg staff uncovered a midden yielding approx. 9000 artifacts, including 6000 wine bottle fragments. One of the occupants of this lot (ca. 1730) was a tavern owner, so perhaps this was the location of the tavern? H’mm. sure looks like some partying was going on around here… Although 18th c. Williamsburg is fairly well-documented and very well-studied, the documentary information on this particular site is limited. Williamsburg archival records are strong on dead, rich White guys and less informational on working-class folks and slaves, so archaeology has to fill in some of the gaps on how “the other half” lived. More like the other 75% actually… We know from a 1713 deed that there was a structure, a well, and outbuildings on the site. It seems that Structure A ceased to exist around 1780-1790 -- the cellar was filled in with trash from that period and covered up. Fortunately, the site escaped destruction during the 19th and 20th centuries, including the reconstruction and landscaping efforts of Colonial Williamsburg. We are hoping that it will give us a rare and exciting glimpse of the 17th century peeking though in a busy urban context. We have a good team of William and Mary archaeology field school students working on the site and it is being presented as a public exhibit dig, where visitors are encouraged to interact and ask questions. So far hundreds of folks have stopped by for a chat and it has been working out great. As usual, people are real interested in archaeology and I’m glad to see Colonial Williamsburg bringing archaeology to the people! I invite all y’all Dirt Brothers to drop by the Colonial Williamsburg website and have a look-see. We posted a lot of historical and previous archaeological data on the site and a blog which will be updated daily as the excavation progresses. We’re expecting this to be a really rich site and a very interesting research project. If anybody is passing through Williamsburg this summer, drop by and look me up!! Click Thumnails to see enlargements, use back button to return here
For more information please visit the official website for the research project. |
