Site 44JC969 is a mid- to late eighteenth-century slave quarter located just outside of Williamsburg, Virginia. Between August 2000 and October 2002, archaeological excavations sponsored by the Virginia Department of Transportation and conducted by the William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research identified four buildings on the site, including subfloor pits, postholes, hearths, and other structural elements of slave cabins. In the landscape surrounding the buildings, fencepost holes, shallow middens, and refuse scatters were identified. These remains are part of a complex of structures identified as Southall's Quarter on at least one late eighteenth-century map and may have been a field quarter associated with property owned by James Southall, the proprietor of Raleigh Tavern.

 

This website describes the research, how and why it was done, and what it tells us about the lives of slaves in eighteenth-century Tidewater. From most of the main pages, listed above at the right, you can link to secondary pages with more detailed information. Also, be sure to click on pictures for a larger view and detailed explanation.