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Weston Manor is truly one of Virginia's architectural treasures. Thanks to the efforts of the Historic Hopewell Foundation, the eighteenth-century mansion has been meticulously restored and is open to the public. Yet the standing structure tells us only part of the story the Foundation would like to interpret. During the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the house was at the heart of a much larger plantation enterprise that included servants and slaves. Although much of the original property had been sold before the Foundation acquired Weston in 1971, a remnant of some five acres remains around the mansion. Within this area, several other specialized service buildings would have served the household as well as the wider plantation. Through archaeological testing and historical research, this year's immediate goal was to explore the layout of the yard and locate the remains of outbuildings. Using this information, we sought a better understanding of both the plantation household and the anonymous servants and slaves who worked here. As part of the City of Hopewell's long-term public program of historic preservation, the dig at Weston also served as the ideal venue for visitors to see archaeology in action and even participate themselves. |
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