Publications

1. Limited Testing at a Slave Quarter and Small Prehistoric Sites

by J. B. Jones, M. W. McCartney and L. McFaden 

A Phase II Archaeological Evaluation of Sites 44KW71 and 44KW73
Proposed Mann Landfill Expansion Area, King William County, Virginia
1990 viii + 100 pp. 35 figs., 4 tables, 3 appdx.

This report summarizes archaeological evaluations of two sites near the Pamunkey River in King William County, Virginia. Site 44KW71 is a prehistoric lithic scatter occupied during the Late Archaic and Middle Woodland periods. Site 44KW73 is a multicomponent site with occupations dating from the Late Archaic, Middle Woodland, Late Woodland/Protohistoric, and the early to mid-19th century. The Late Woodland/Protohistoric component may represent an ephemeral camp indirectly associated with nearby Uttamussak, an important ceremonial site of the Powhatan Confederacy. The 19th-century component includes two refuse-filled pits that served as interior root cellars for slave cabins.

2. A 17th-Century Farmstead in the Interior Coastal Plain

by J. B. Jones, M. W. McCartney, D. B. Blanton, R. R. Hunter, Jr. and J. L. Smith

Phase III Data Recovery of Site 44CC297
Proposed Landfill, Charles City County, Virginia

This report summarizes archaeological data recovery conducted on a late 17th-/early 18th-century farmstead in the upper reaches of the Chickahominy River drainage. The fieldwork focused on a feature complex that included the remains of a small earthfast house and several pit features. The low artifact density and feature characteristics indicate a brief occupation span. This is confirmed by documentary sources suggesting that it is the first-stage homelot of a tenant farmer. The information summarized in this report provides comparative data useful in studies of late 17th-/early 18th-century intersite and intrasite settlement patterns in the Chesapeake region. A refitting study of prehistoric lithic artifacts from the site is also included.

3. A Preservation Plan for the Matthew Jones House

by W. Graham, W. J. Davis, D. W. Linebaugh, L. McFaden and V. Patrick

Fort Eustis, Virginia
1991 xii + 110 pp. 47 figs., 3 tables, 6 appdx.

This report summarizes archaeological, historical, and architectural evaluations conducted on the ca. 1725 Matthew Jones House. These evaluations served as the context for developing a preservation plan to manage and maintain the structure. The house is a 1 ½-story structure with two exterior gable-end chimneys. There is significant evidence that the building originally was of frame construction (Period I, ca. 1725) and in 1730 was rebuilt in brick (Period II). All that survives from the Period I house are four framing members and the two chimneys. In 1893 (Period III), the structure was given a full second floor, and the chimney stacks were modified. The building exhibits characteristics, including earthfast technology, that have been virtually lost in Virginia, and demonstrates the transformation from a pre-Georgian hall/chamber house to the ideal gentry house of the period. This house is a complex building with many rare features that add considerably to our knowledge of the architectural expectations of America's gentry class during the first half of the 18th century.

4. An 18th- and 19th-Century Plantation in the Interior Coastal Plain

by J. B. Jones and C. M. Downing

Phase III Data Recovery at Site 44JC240
Massie Farm Property, James City County, Virginia
1991 xiii +140 pp. 89 figs., 1 table, 4 appdx.

This report summarizes the results of excavations at a domestic complexoccupied from the mid-18th century until the end of the 19th century. Throughout the 19th century, the plantation was owned and occupied by members of a relatively affluent James City County family. The remains of fence lines, boundary ditches, and structural remains of both the main dwelling and nearby outbuildings, including a slave quarter, provide insights into changing utilization of space.

5. A Study of Small Prehistoric Site Structure and Function

by D. B. Blanton and S. C. Pullins

Phase II Archaeological Evaluation of Site 44SN203
Associated with the Route 58 Franklin Bypass Widening Project, Southampton County, Virginia
1991 viii + 60 pp. 25 figs., 4 tables, 1 appdx.

Site 44SN203 is a small prehistoric site located in a poorly drained section of the Coastal Plain. Intensive excavations at this relatively undisturbed site establish the potential of small "lithic scatters" to yield significant information. Analysis and refitting of lithic artifacts, emphasizing spatial relationships, indicate that the site results from a very brief, single-episode Archaic occupation. The report includes a proposed research design for treating similar sites region-wide.

6. Settlement across the James-Chickahominy River Divide

by D. B. Blanton, K. R. Burkhart, C. M. Downing, E. J. Harris, C. Jackson, S. Kozarek, C. McDaid, R. G. Meyers, D. L. Miller, J. W. Picklesimer and S. C. Pullins

Phase II Archaeological Evaluation of 23 Sites Along the Proposed Eastern Henrico Lateral Pipeline
Hanover, Chesterfield and Henrico Counties, Virginia
1992 xviii+ 390 pp. (2 volumes) 223 figs., 59 tables, 4 appdx.

The results of archaeological evaluation at 23 sites along a transect spanning the James-Chickahominy River divide are described in detail. Virtually the full range of temporal periods and site types are represented. Particularly noteworthy are a Paleoindian site overlooking the Chickahominy floodplain, an outlier of the Native-American village of Arrohateck in the James River floodplain (depicted on Capt. John Smith's map), Archaic and Woodland occupations on interior drainages, and sites of Civil War defenses around Richmond.

7. An 18th-Century Tenant Site in the Lower Tidewater

by J. B. Jones, M. W. McCartney, D. B. Blanton and D. C. Boyd

Phase III Data Recovery at Site 44SK309
Associated with the Route 164 Project, City of Suffolk, Virginia
1991 xii + 138 pp. 73 figs., 6 tables, 3 appdx.

This late 18th- to 19th-century farmstead in the City of Suffolk, Virginia, was once part of the Yeates Free School Lands. One important source of profits to support the school was the leasing of parcels to tenant farmers who were obliged to improve the land. The small farmstead investigated documents occupation by at least one group of tenants on school lands. Data recovery provided documentation of plowzone artifact patterns, an earthfast tobacco barn, a small earthfast outbuilding, several ditch features, a trash-filled ravine, and two unmarked graves. Repeated ephemeral prehistoric occupations dated to the Early Woodland period were also documented.

8. A Small Colonial Industrial Site in the Lower Tidewater

by J. L. Smith and M. W. McCartney

Phase III Data Recovery at Site 44CS92
Associated with the Route 664 Project, City of Chesapeake, Virginia
1991 v + 90 pp. 39 figs., 9 tables, 1 appdx.

This report summarizes the results of archaeological excavations at the Taylor Site, a small 18th-century industrial site that probably served a nearby middling plantation. A small earthfast structure and a group of associated features form the work-area complex. Iron-working and shoe-making are indicated by the archaeological and documentary evidence. This multipurpose work area was located in an optimal position for both urban access and rural marketing.

9. Buena Vista, History Runs Through It

by L. McFaden, W. Graham, M. R. Wenger, C. M. Downing and C. A. Huston

Phase I/II Archaeological Investigation of Area #4 and Documentation of the North River Navigation System (HAER VA-61)
Associated with the Buena Vista Floodwall Project, Buena Vista, Virginia
1992 xiv + 162 pp. 81 figs., 10 tables, 1 appdx.

This report summarizes archaeological investigation and architectural documentation for the proposed Buena Vista Levee/Floodwall project, Buena Vista, Virginia. Prehistoric ceramic sherds recovered from a feature and a midden layer at Site 44RB65 date primarily to the Late Woodland period. Site 44RB66 represents a multicomponent site that dates from the Late Archaic/ Transitional period and the Middle and Late Woodland periods. Five architecturally significant canal features were documented, all parts of the North River Navigation. Built between 1851 and 1860, this project ultimately provided a transportation link between Lexington, Virginia, and the upper James River. The features include the remains of three aqueducts and the fragmentary remains of two nearly identical stone locks. The North River Navigation represents a rare and intact example of stone lock and aqueduct construction in Virginia, exhibiting similarities to earlier structures of the Potomac Canal at Great Falls, Virginia.

10. Late Archaic (Halifax) Lithic Procurement and Use

by D. B. Blanton and G. G. Robinson

Phase III Data Recovery of Site 44PW308
Interstate 95 HOV Lane, Prince William County, Virginia
1990 vi + 58 pp. 22 figs., 15 tables, 4 appdx.

The primary component of this prehistoric site is early Late Archaic, Halifax. The assemblage consisted largely of lithic reduction debris and few formal tools. Analysis of the material, including limited refitting, documents a series of rather brief, generalized occupation episodes. Procurement and reduction of locally available lithic material was a common activity, probably conducted incidentally to other activities.

11. Archaeology in the Shadow of the Hayes Creek Mound

by D. B. Blanton, J. Schuldenrein III and E. Voigt

Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery at Site 44RB281
The Dryfoot Site, Route 602 Bridge Replacement, Rockbridge County, Virginia
1992 viii + 92 pp. 33 figs., 14 tables, 2 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

Data recovery at this site in Rockbridge County, Virginia, investigated three major components dating from the Middle/Late Archaic transition, the Late Archaic, and the Late Woodland periods. Two artifact concentrations mark activity areas associated with the Archaic occupations. They permit inferences regarding the nature of the occupations at this time, specifically short-term occupations by small groups. The Late Woodland features are believed to be coeval with the primary period of activity at the nearby Hayes Creek Mound (44RB2) and provide new information regarding the nature of activities in the mound locality. Geoarchaeological observations contribute to explanations of evolving settlement patterns in the area.

12. The Evolution of an Early Tidewater Town

by T. F. Higgins III, C. M. Downing, J. M. Bradshaw, K. J. Reinhard, G. J. Brown, D. L. Davenport and I. Rovner

Phase III Data Recovery at Sites 44HT38 and 44HT39
City of Hampton, Virginia
1993 vol. 1: viii + 246 pp. 113 figs.; vol. 2 (specialized studies and inventory): iv + 292 pp. (artifact inventory on microfiche)

The investigation of Sites 44HT38 and 44HT39 involved data recovery on over 1,000 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century features, including the remains of wells, walkways, posthole complexes, cellars, and building foundations. The research results provide important information for reconstructing early Hampton and understanding its development, including: town formation processes as reflected in the orientation and location of archaeological resources; the evolution of architectural styles along Hampton's waterfront during the early colonial period; the locations of residential, commercial, and industrial areas along Hampton's waterfront; and the general economic status of waterfront residents during the colonial and antebellum periods.

13. A Study of Interior Coastal Plain Settlement

by R. R. Hunter, Jr., M. E. N. Hodges, D. B. Blanton, J. L. Smith, T. F. Higgins III, M. W. McCartney and A. S. Martin

Phase III Data Recovery of Significant Archaeological Resources
Within the Proposed Route 199 Extension Corridor
1993 vol. 1: viii + 112 pp. 52 figs., 36 tables; vol. 2, part 1: vi + 64 pp. 64 figs.; part 2: vi + 58 pp. 50 figs., 2 tables; 1 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

At small, interior prehistoric sites of the James-York Peninsula, research focused on the development and execution of strategies designed to assess site identification probabilities, structure, function, and age. The sites exhibit episodes of use ranging from the Early Archaic to the Late Woodland period. In addition, two historic components were investigated: a mill pond dam and features associated with a mid-18th- century indigo growing and processing operation and a first-quarter- of-the-18th-century tenement dwelling.

14. Geoarchaeology Along the Upper Chickahominy

by D. B. Blanton, J. B. Jones and J. Schuldenrein III

Limited Phase III Data Recovery for Mitigation of Adverse Effects to Site 44HN202
Associated with the VNG Mechanicsville to Kingsmill Lateral Pipeline, Hanover County, Virginia
1994 vi + 74 pp. 23 figs., 7 tables, 1 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

Components consist of Early/Middle Archaic, Late Archaic, terminal Late Archaic/Transitional, and Middle Woodland occupations. Geoarchaeological analysis at Site 44HN202 indicates that intrasite patterns reflect adaptation to changes in the fluvial landscape over time. The report concludes with a model of adaptive responses in the Chickahominy basin.

15. Archaeological Data Recovery - Site 44HN203

by S. C. Pullins and J. Schuldenrein III

Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery for Mitigation of Adverse Effects to Site 44HN203
Associated with the VNG Mechanicsville to Kingsmill Lateral Pipeline, Hanover County, Virginia
1993 viii + 76 pp. 53 figs., 6 tables, 4 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

Evidence for four prehistoric components was detected at Site 44HN203: Early/Middle Archaic, two Late Archaic occupations, Early Woodland, and Middle Woodland. The site functioned as a short-term encampment during all periods of occupation, likely as a specialized foray/procurement camp. However, the internal structure of the site changed over time, reflecting changes in the subsistence and settlement systems.

16. Archaeological Data Recovery - Site 44HN204

by J. B. Jones and D. B. Blanton

Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery for Mitigation of Adverse Effects to Site 44HN204
Associated with the VNG Mechanicsville to Kingsmill Lateral Pipeline, Hanover County, Virginia
1993 viii + 82 pp. 44 figs., 7 tables, 1 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

The site's three primary components consist of Late Archaic, terminal Late Archaic/Transitional, and Middle Woodland occupations. Block excavation revealed that the general chronological trends have been preserved in the site's stratigraphy, and a small number of scattered rock hearth features were identified, two of which provided useful radiocarbon dates. Geoarchaeological analysis of the stratigraphy at this site and nearby Site 44HN202 indicates that these intrasite patterns may reflect adaptation to changes in the landscape and environment over time.

17. Excavations at an 18th- to Early 19th-Century Slave Quarter

by T. F. Higgins III and C. M. Downing

Phase III Data Recovery at Site 44JC643
Associated with the Proposed VNG Mechanicsville to Kingsmill Lateral Pipeline, James City County, Virginia
1993 viii + 78 pp. 43 figs., 3 tables, 2 appdx.

A complex of features, including the remains of post buildings, root cellars, fences, and a ditch, makes up components of an 18th- and early 19th- century slave quarter. The initial occupation began during the first quarter of the eighteenth century and continued until around 1730/1740. During this period, a sizable dwelling, fences, and possible storage buildings were constructed. The site was reoccupied during the fourth quarter of the 18th century. This occupation, characterized by a cluster of small huts, lasted until the end of the first quarter of the 19th century.

18. Capital Punishment in Colonial Virginia

by J. B. Jones and C. M. Downing

Phase III Data Recovery for Mitigation of Adverse Effects to Site 44WB66 (The Colonial Gallows)
Associated with the VNG Mechanicsville to Kingsmill Lateral Pipeline, City of Williamsburg, Virginia
1992 vi + 80 pp. 35 figs., 1 appdx.

This 18th-century feature complex near Williamsburg is the remains of a triangular gallows that served as the Virginia Colony's official place of execution from 1699 until 1781. Additional exposure of a previously identified linear feature interpreted to be the remains of an early 17th-century palisade allowed for a refinement of its orientation.

19. The Civil War at Gloucester Point

by T. F. Higgins III, C. M. Downing, K. E. Stuck, G. J. Brown and K. J. Reinhard

Mitigation of Site 44GL358
Associated with the Proposed Route 17 Coleman Bridge Project, Gloucester County, Virginia
1995 vi + 94 pp. 66 figs., 2 tables, 2 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche).

Dwelling remains of Sibley tents and stove/furnace features were determined to be a domestic component of a Union army camp. The report provides important information about daily camp life through analyses of military material culture, structural data, faunal and parasitological remains, and historical information. Research also focuses on the social and spatial organization of the camp within the context of the Gloucester Point defenses.

20. Farm to Foundry, African-American Tenancy in 20th-Century Radford, Virginia

by J. Peterson, C. M. Downing, G. J. Brown and J. Bowen

Phase III Data Recovery at Site 44MY463
Associated with the Route 611 Project, City of Radford, Virginia
1995 viii + 92 pp. 58 figs., 10 tables, 2 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

Archaeological and historical evidence provide a detailed and concise view of a 30-year period in the life of a single African-American tenant farmfamily residing in the New River Valley of southwestern Virginia. Excavations uncovered evidence of the domestic structure, a refuse disposal pit, low yard enclosure walls, and a variety of postholes and shallow pits.

21. Ceramic Technology, Early Woodland Settlement and Enfield Plantation

by S. C. Pullins, J. B. Stoltman, V. L. Deitrick, D. B. Blanton and A. L. Gray

Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery for Mitigation of Effects to Site 44KW81
Associated with the Route 629 Bridge Replacement Project, King William County, Virginia
1996 viii + 144 pp. 57 figs., 19 tables, 2 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

The primary occupation at this multicomponent site dates from the Early Woodland, as represented by an abundance of Croaker Landingceramic sherds—perhaps the largest collection recovered to date. Highlights of the study include detailed description of the ceramics, and petrographic characterization of ceramic paste to initiate assessment of Early Woodland ceramic technology and settlement. The report also includes a reconstruction of depositional history on the elevated terrace over the Mattaponi River. A colonial occupation associated with the Enfield property, owned by the Waller family from 1696 to 1814, is also described.

22. Watsons, Willses and Dedakers - The Evolution of a Nineteenth-Century Farm in Piedmont Virginia

by S. C. Pullins and C. M. Downing

Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery for Mitigation of Adverse Effects to Site 44AH277
Associated with the Route 29 Lynchburg Bypass Project, Amherst County, Virginia
1996 viii + 174 pp. 53 figs., 44 tables, 1 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

This research documents life on a nineteenth-century middling farm in Piedmont Virginia and may serve as a "case study" since few such sites have been so thoroughly investigated. Archaeological features include stratified deposits in two stone cellars; historical documentation for the site is also extensive. The report explores the most useful ways of integrating archaeological and historical data to address issues such as gender, status, and landscape evolution at nineteenth-century farm sites.

23. Reclaiming a Tidewater Town

by K. E. Stuck, T. F. Higgins III, C. M. Downing, D. W. Linebaugh and M. W. McCartney, with contributions by G. J. Brown and S. Dean

Archaeological Survey, Evaluation and Data Recovery
Sites on the Campus of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, Virginia
1996 viii + 304 pp. 226 figs., 12 tables, 8 appdx (artifact inventory and some faunal data on microfiche)

Gloucester Point has been the subject of numerous archaeological investigations over the last two decades. Overlapping historic-period occupations include the abandoned site of Gloucester Town and fortifications from the Revolutionary and Civil wars. Results of survey, evaluation, and data recovery at sites on the campus of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science are detailed in this report. Excavation results from both military and domestic sites are presented. Results from previous work and the current project are synthesized in a sequence of maps illustrating four centuries of settlement at Gloucester Point.

24. Four Thousand Years on the Appomattox

by K. E. Stuck, D. B. Blanton, C. M. Downing, V. L. Deitrick, G. J. Brown, S. T. Andrews and J. Bowen

Archaeological Data Recovery at Site 44PG381
Associated with the Route 10 Bridge Widening, Prince George County, Virginia
1997 viii + 204 pp., 136 figs., 19 tables, 3 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

Savannah River lithic technology of the Late Archaic was reconstructed based on in situ debitage and tools from all stages of the biface manufacturing process in this small camp. Hundreds of ceramic sherds, several projectile points, and portions of two structures yielded important information on Late Woodland settlement. X-radiographic techniques were used to study variations in ceramic paste and its implications for group interactions, mobility, and technological expediency. The 18th-century component included a large midden area and several features. Personalized bottle seals traced these contexts to the Bland family's Cawsons Plantation. A Civil War component was represented by tent features and artifacts dating to the area=s use as a Union hospital during the siege of Petersburg.

25. A Post-Revolutionary Farmstead in Northern Virginia

by T. F. Higgins III, C. M. Downing and K. E. Stuck, with contributions by D. L. Davenport, J. Bowen, G. J. Brown and S. T. Andrews

Archaeological Data Recovery at Site 44FX1965
Associated with the Proposed Interstate 66 and Route 28 Interchange Improvements Project, Fairfax County, Virginia
1998 vii +104 pp. 50 figs., 9 tables, 3 appdx (artifact inventory and some faunal data on microfiche)

Few middling farmsteads in this region have been extensively excavated. This site was occupied by owners, tenants, and slaves during a span from the late 18th to early 19th century. Features including a stone-lined cellar, small root cellars, and trash pits yielded large numbers of artifacts and faunal material. The large ceramic assemblage allowed detailed vessel and ware type comparisons between the different periods of occupation.

26. An Archaeological Evaluation of Site 44FK533

by J. B. Jones

Proposed Winchester Area Headquarters Project, Frederick County, Virginia
1998 vi + 60 pp. 22 figs., 5 tables, 2 appdx.

Rigorous documentary research, information from relic collectors, and a metal detector survey supplemented more conventional archaeological methods at this Confederate encampment. This report represents a case study for treating such ephemeral Civil War sites with low archaeological visibility and how they can be best approached from a cultural resource management standpoint. Despite small numbers of intact features and low artifact density, such sites can reveal important spatial information based on distribution mapping and sampling of metal detector targets.

27. Life and Landscape on a Northern Virginia Farmstead at the Turn of the 19th-Century

by S. C. Pullins and C. M. Downing, with contributions by D. L. Davenport and S. T. Andrews

Archaeological Data Recovery at Site 44PW600
Associated with the Route 234 Wetlands Mitigation Project, Prince William County, Virginia
1998 viii + 174 pp. 66 figs., 83 tables, 4 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

Several well-defined functional areas were distinguished at this early 19th-century middling farmstead site. These include the main house and stone-lined cellar, a kitchen, a slave quarter/workshop area, a blacksmith shop, work areas, and a cemetery. A wide variety of artifact classes are analyzed and presented with detailed tabular information. Intensive historical research and comparative data from other piedmont farmsteads provide insight into the role of gender in ceramic assemblage composition. Numerous matched sets of creamware and pearlware indicate a mass dumping phenomenon observed at other contemporary sites along the East Coast.

28. Traces of Historic Kecoughtan

by T. F. Higgins III, C. M. Downing and D. W. Linebaugh, with contributions by G. J. Brown, S. T. Andrews, J. W. McKnight and G. S. Brush

Archaeology at a 17th-century Plantation: Data Recovery at Site 44HT44
Associated with the Proposed Pentran Bus Parking Lot Project, City of Hampton, Virginia
1999 viii + 156 pp. 105 figs., 18 tables, 4 appdx (artifact inventory on microfiche)

Excavations in downtown Hampton revealed several hundred features from a 17th-century plantation homelot on the outskirts of Kecoughtan. Mapping of structural features, trash pits, a well, and fencelines allowed a detailed reconstruction of the site's layout. Numerous high-status artifacts indicate a level of sophistication in this early period of settlement. Assemblage comparisons with 17th-century sites in the Chesapeake region document other indicators of status at this homelot.

29. Archaeology at Fort Pocahontas

by J. M. Harwood, M. E. Grow, M. E. Lorenzo and A. Machida

Results from the 1998 Field Season
1999 viii + 42 pp. 28 figs., 5 tables, 2 appdx.

Fort Pocahontas saw the first major victory of the U.S. Colored Troops in the Civil War in May 1864. Following the battle, the fort was occupied by various Union regiments. Excavation results and historical research indicate that an early 19th-century farmhouse within the fort served as the commanding officer's headquarters. Encampment areas outside the earthworks include features documenting various types of shelters. The report also discusses plans for future research and public interpretation at this important, well-preserved site.

30. Virginia's Powell Valley during the Late Archaic/Early Woodland and Middle/Late Woodland Transition

by S. C. Pullins, with contributions from D. R. Hayes, J. W. McKnight and R. Yerkes

Archaeological Data Recovery at Site 44LE165
Associated with the Route 58 Project, Section E32, Lee County, Virginia
1999 vi + 72 pp. 32 figs., 31 tables, 5 appdx.

The Late Archaic component of this Ridge and Valley site included structural features containing radiocarbon data. A pit feature from the Middle/Late Woodland component also yielded radiocarbon samples, along with Radford-like ceramics and subsistence remains. Recovery of nearly 21,000 artifacts allowed detailed analysis of spatial organization within the site. Results of geomorphology, lithic microwear, and ethnobotanical studies are also incorporated with the report.

31. Ephemeral Late Archaic Occupation in the Culpeper Basin

by J. B. Jones, with a contribution from D. L. Smith

Archaeological Data Recovery at Site 44FQ161
Proposed Route 676 Project, Fauquier County, Virginia
2000 48 pp. 15 figs., 8 tables, 2 appdx.

Excavation of an intact, buried Late Archaic component revealed discrete activity areas, including a single-episode lithic reduction area dominated by debitage of locally available quartzite. The activity area may represent a very brief occupation by single inidividual or small group engaged in a hunting foray.

32. Southall's Quarter

by S. C. Pullins, J. B. Jones, J. R. Underwood, K. A. Ettinger and D. W. Lewes, with contributions from J. W. McKnight and G. J. Brown

Archaeology at an 18th-Century Slave Quarter in James City County, Data Recovery at Site 44JC969
Associated with the Proposed Route 199 Project, James City County, Virginia
2003 182 pp., 92 figs., 62 tables, 6 appdx.

Excavation of this mid- to late eighteenth-century slave quarter site identified four structures defined by subfloor pits, postholes, hearths, shallow middens, and other features. According to the documentary record, Southall's Quarter may have been a field quarter owned by Raleigh Tavern proprietor James Southall. Carefully integrated archaeological and historical data reveal clues about the site’s landscape, organization, and material culture. Unlike many archaeological studies of quarters on the grounds of Virginia's great mansion houses, the Southall's Quarter excavations document slave life at a small quarter quite isolated from the primary residence of the owner.

33. Middle Woodland Settlement and Environment in the Chisel Run/Powhatan Creek Drainage

by D. B. Blanton and S. C. Pullins, with contributions from G. Brush, W. Hilgartner and L. Kealhofer

Archaeological Data Recovery at Sites 44JC127 and 44JC850
Associated with the Route 199 Project, James City County, Virginia
2004 98pp., 48 figs., 22 tables, 4 appdx.

Findings at these two small Middle Woodland interior sites are synthesized with data recovery results from seven analogous sites excavated along the Route 199 corridor over the past two decades. Adding useful context are detailed environmental reconstructions based on analysis of sediments from wetland cores and stratified deposits at 44JC127. The discussion also draws on findings from dozens of interior Middle Woodland sites identified during cultural resource management projects on the James-York peninsula. The result of this research is a comprehensive new interpretation of Middle Woodland cultural dynamics in the lower Chesapeake.

34. Rural Life in the Back Creek Valley

by D. W. Lewes and K. Houston

Documentation of the Harris House (080-0294), Roanoke County, Virginia
2004 72 pp. 64 figs. 1 table

Although hall-parlor floor plans are typically associated with the earliest Euro-American vernacular architecture, this 1876 example is a reminder of the persistence of earlier architectural forms in rural areas. An 1890s addition expanded the Harris House but barely altered the original section. Owned by the same family for more than 125 years, the house remained virtually unchanged until it was dismantled in the late 1990s. In this popular-format report, documentation of intact architectural fabric and a collection of agricultural outbuildings is combined with an examination of traditional lifeways in a rural neighborhood of the Back Creek Valley.

35. Near the Water’s Edge: The Archaeology of Colonial Newtown On the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River

by T. F. Higgins III, D. W. Lewes, E. J. Monroe, with contributions from: S. T. Andrews, D. Lightfoot, and J. McKnight

Archaeological Data Recovery at Sites 44NR0009 and 44NR0012 Associated with the I-64/I-264 Improvements Project, City of Norfolk, Virginia
2017 x + 286 pp. 236 figs., 19 tables, 5 appdx.

Archaeological data recovery at Sites 44NR0009 and 44NR0012 in the City of Norfolk, Virginia uncovered the remains of eighteenth-century warehouses and slave quarters on the outskirts of historic Newtown, a once flourishing community established along the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River at the close of the seventeenth century. Fueled by brisk maritime trade and subsequent commercial and residential development, Newtown flourished during the first half of the eighteenth century, but as other economic and political centers emerged, the town’s prosperity waned during the third quarter of the century; by the century’s close, the town and the outlying properties associated with Sites 44NR0009 and 44NR0012 were largely abandoned. They melded into an agricultural landscape of cultivated fields and pasture by the late nineteenth century. By the third quarter of the twentieth century, most of the acreage of Newtown was occupied by residential development and the raised grade of I-64. Excavation at these sites revealed rich archaeological evidence little more than a foot below surface, giving researchers important clues about material culture and the cultural landscape along this portion of the Elizabeth River in the eighteenth century. The emerging picture of life here, though far from complete, helps us to better understand the socioeconomic dynamics that played out at Newtown over generations, between enslaved African-Americans, merchants, and property owners.

36. Claiming Rocky Ground: Documentation of Stone Walls in the Proposed Gooney Manor Loop Road Rural Historic District

by D. W. Lewes, and K. Houston

Documentation of Stone Walls in the Proposed Gooney Manor Loop Road Rural Historic District
2004 vi + 64 pp. 77 figs.

Documentation of stone walls in the Gooney Manor Loop Road Rural Historic District, located in Warren County, Virginia, ahead of road improvement revealed networks of "consumption" walls. The rough, drylaid walls mostly served to collect stone removed from rocky fields over a period of decades in the late nineteenth and twentieth century. In one instance, the walls were topped with wooden fencing to contain livestock within field boundaries. The report includes a discussion of various types of stone wall construction in the district and the region.

37. An Early Nineteenth-Century Shipwreck in Hampton Roads

Archaeological Data Recovery of Site 44HT0125, Associated with the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion Project, City of Hampton, Virginia
D. W. Lewes1, T. F. Higgins1, G. P. Watts, Jr.2, C. Bailey3, and C. Griggs4
2022, 186 pp., 142 figs., 3 tables, 1 appdx.

This multidisciplinary report describes the remains of an early nineteenth-century vessel and its cargo of granitic gneiss (Site 44HT0125) that were dredged from the vicinity of the North Island of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in November 2020. Analysis of the vessel remains identified a distinctive element known as a forefoot knee. Other distinctive construction features include the pattern of fastening the floor timbers to the keel and/or keelson, limited use of trunnels, and employment of iron fasteners. The combination of findings from documentary research, dendrochronological sampling, geological analysis, and analysis of vessel remains indicate that the Site 44HT0125 vessel was likely a schooner transporting a cargo of gneiss building stone from a quarry in Port Deposit, Maryland for the construction of Fort Monroe ca. 1818–1834.

1 – W&M Center for Archaeological Research – Website – Facebook

2 – Tidewater Atlantic Research, Inc.

3 – W&M Department of Geology – Read a blog post about the study by Professor Chuck Bailey

4 – Cornell Tree-Ring Laboratory

38. "Comfortable things that were left behind": Archaeology of Civil War Camp Life at Gloucester Point, Virginia, 1861-1865

by T. F. Higgins III, D. W. Lewes, C. M. Downing, K. Goodrich, E. J. Monroe, with contributions from J. McKnight

In 2021 through 2022, the Center was contracted to investigate several archaeological sites at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at Gloucester Point. The proposed Chesapeake Bay Hall Replacement Capital Project has an Area of Potential Effect that encompasses four archaeological sites: 44GL0034, 44GL0355, 44GL0356, and 44GL0358.

While components of domestic resources from the Revolutionary War all the way through World War II are documented here, the majority of research is on the Civil War era, because these sites fall within what was once a 15-acre Civil War fort. Various levels of investigations on portions of these sites have occurred since the 1990s. Along with recovering hundreds of artifacts, researchers in prior decades identified surviving portions of earthworks of the fort constructed by the Confederate Army in 1861, then subsequently occupied and modified by Federal forces as "Fort Keyes" in 1862.

One of the most noteworthy features of the area is the remnants of Federal Army Sibley tents. Archaeological remains of Sibley tents are exceptionally rare, and the examples in Site 44GL0358 may represent the only such features found in the region to date.

The Chesapeake Bay Hall Replacement Capital Project provided the Center the opportunity to undertake intensive research, fieldwork, and study of the four archaeological sites that the project could not avoid. The Center's researchers compiled and examined all prior investigations, including those completed by the Center's own staff in past decades. Extensive fieldwork was carried out, along with further intensive historical research to provide context for the interpretation of of features. The end result is one of the Center's largest technical reports to date, which details the Center's research methods, historical context, archaeological evaluations, data recovery, artifact descriptions, a historical and archaeological perspective on camp life 1861-1865, and even a macrobotanical analysis carried out by archaeobotanical consultant Justine McKnight. View her website here.