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History Through Archaeology
A Catalog of Archaeological Sites from Williamsburg
This is an excerpt of William Pittman’s final report to the
National Endowment for the Humanities on the cataloguing of four
important eighteenth-century Williamsburg sites.
Matching Chinese porcelain saucers with interior painted overglaze
red and black in fishing scene (catalog numbers 01598-04BA and 01599-04BA).
From the Custis site.
Archaeological research and interpretation at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
have been mainstays of the research program that has made possible
of the restoration the eighteenth-century town of Williamsburg.
The extensive archaeological artifact collection—retrieved
in the course of nearly seventy years of excavation—is
used daily by historians, architects, decorative arts curators,
historical interpreters, and material culture specialists to portray
accurately the landscapes and lifestyles of the colonial capital’s
inhabitants. The collection, believed to be one of the largest
of its kind in North America, is a treasure trove containing a
wealth of information about urban domestic lifestyles, urban landscapes,
pre-industrial trades and crafts, consumerism, and colonial trade.
Through the generosity of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in
1994 the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Department of Archaeological
Research began a two-year cataloging project titled History Through
Archaeology: A Catalog of Archaeological Sites in Williamsburg Virginia.
The project’s objective was to create a machine-readable archive for the most
significant portions of the four most frequently accessed archaeological
assemblages in Colonial Williamsburg’s archaeological collections.
The resulting artifact inventories and object catalog make accessing
these assemblages simple and efficient. Analysis and interpretation
of this collection remains a focal point of Colonial Williamsburg’s
historical research which is aimed at the recreation of the colonial
town of Williamsburg.
Prior to this grant-funded cataloging
endeavor, the archaeological collections were not systematically
cataloged, and only a small portion of the objects were documented
in formal written records. To remedy this lack of documentation,
Colonial Williamsburg created linked databases using a museum
management software called
Re:discovery. The linked modules in this program make it possible
to catalog artifacts on two levels—as individual fragments linked
to their archaeological contexts and as unique objects with full
descriptions, video images, and cross-mend information. The fragment
inventories are useful for certain types of archaeological analyses,
such as distribution mapping (analyses that deal with the density
of artifact types on a site that suggest functional behavior patterns).
The more complete object records are invaluable in comparative
studies of public and private households and trade sites. Context
records and other documentary materials are cataloged into Re:discovery
to complete the user-friendly archive.
Cataloguing Staff
Funding for this project began in
July 1994 with a search for the best-qualified cataloging staff.
Two individuals with years of experience were hired. Ms. Kelly
Ladd, senior cataloger for the James River Institute for Archaeology,
and Ms. Leslie McFaden, project archaeologist and laboratory technician
for many years in the Department of Archaeological Research, were
eminently qualified to undertake the important job of creating
the archive. Each received a full month of refresher training
in eighteenth-century material culture that was designed to coordinate
their approach to artifacts so that data entry would be accomplished
more efficiently and consistently. The training included a thorough
familiarization with the new software program so that actual cataloging
work could begin at full speed. Department of Archaeological Research
staff members Meredith Poole, Kathleen Meatyard, Gregory Brown,
and William Pittman completed the cataloging team. Ms. Poole was
responsible for evaluating the excavation field records so that
the catalogers could concentrate on those features with the highest
degree of archaeological integrity. In this way, we were able
to associate the considerable amount of artifacts with the specific
households known to have inhabited the four sites. Ms, Meatyard
completed the exhaustive task of reviewing all of the documentary
materials and cataloging them, while Mr. Brown assisted with computer
applications, and Mr. Pittman provided overall guidance and administrative
support.
Major Activities
James Geddy Site
The first assemblage to be cataloged was from the James Geddy property. This
assemblage comprised household and metalworking debris (brass founding,
gunsmithing, and silversmithing) left on the site by two generations of
the Geddy family. The domestic and trade-related refuse was first inventoried
on a fragment level after forty-six context records were entered into
Re:discovery. A total of 9035 fragments of ceramics and table glassware
were cataloged in 1552 records. In addition, approximately 10,500
fragments of items from other Geddy features, such as beverage
bottle glass, nails, and faunal material, were inventoried. From
the combined Geddy features, 1002 ceramic, glass, metal, and organic
objects were fully cataloged in the object database between August
24, 1994 and January 31, 1995. Among the most significant objects
were unusual English soft paste porcelain sauceboats, and a wide
variety of English white salt-glazed stoneware dinner wares with
matching drinking vessels. Ninety-two English beverage bottles
and several rare French case bottles complement the ceramics.
Organic materials from these mid-eighteenth-century features include
six bovine horns that are thought to be related to the cutlery
activities carried on by the Geddy family. Video images of 162
of the most important, complete, and most fragile objects were
captured and stored in the database. These images can be called
up on screen simultaneously with the written object records.
Metal artifacts from the James Geddy and Wetherburn’s Tavern sites.
Left, small brass watch key, one of two found on the Geddy site (catalog
number 03148-19BB). Center, copper alloy name plate, possibly a tag for
a dog collar (catalog number 01207-19BB, also from the Geddy site). Right,
small copper alloy padlock (catalog number 01612-09NA, from
the Wetherburn’s Tavern site).
The material excavated from the Geddy property is remarkable because
of the large quantity of metalworking waste products that were
found in addition to the domestic refuse. Slag, flawed bronze
and brass castings, discarded lead patterns, and many partially
cut-up brass objects show that the Geddys recycled old brass alloys
to make new objects.
Wetherburn’s Tavern
Work began on the Henry Wetherburn
Tavern assemblage on February 2, 1995.The most important Wetherburn’s
Tavern archaeological features included two wells, the builder’s
trenches that surround the main structure, a very large trash
pit, a unique series of pits containing whole beverage bottles
filled with Morello cherries, and a large area of backyard sheet
refuse and kitchen refuse all dating to the mid-eighteenth century.
A total of 13,694 fragments in 2321 records were inventoried.
From these fragments, 1346 ceramic, glass, metal, and organic
objects were cataloged. Thirty-eight context records and 187 color
video images of the most important objects were captured.
Some of the most notable objects
cataloged from this public house assemblage include: leather shoes,
woolen blanket fragments, and shrubbery trimmings, leaves, gourd
seeds, and peach pits from the anaerobic environment of the well
shafts. Of particular interest were the forty-five complete glass
beverage bottles that preserved the remains of hundreds of Morello
cherries. These bottles were buried in small pits around the building
foundations and along fence lines in the backyard during Henry
Wetherburn’s lifetime. Recipes of flavoring brandy with this type
of cherry recommend burying the glass bottles to aid the maturation
process. Apparently these bottles were buried by Wetherburn and
forgotten after his death in 1760; they remained hidden in the
archaeological record until 1968. Work on the Wetherburn’s Tavern
material was completed in early September 1995.
Francis Nicholson and Thomas Jones Cellars
In early June 1995, concurrent with
the final phases of work on the Wetherburn’s Tavern artifacts,
our attention turned to excavated material from the Francis Nicholson
House cellar, a wood-lined pit, and the contents of a well that
was filled around 1720.
The Thomas Jones House cellar material
was inventoried and cataloged beginning at the end of July and
was completed by January 1995. These two house cellars and related
features are associated with the Custis Site features. A total
of 2524 inventory records representing 19,969 fragments of glass,
ceramic, metal, and organic material was created. Two factors
created the unusually large fragment count. As a merchant, Thomas
Jones had ready access to a large quantity of goods and, when
the Jones House collapsed as it burned, the objects inside were
smashed into small fragments. One speculation is that some of
the artifacts in the cellar fill were merchandise being stored
in the house. Eight hundred twenty-seven objects were identified
and full catalog records were created for them in the database.
In addition, 277 context records and 163 video images were captured
and stored in the object database. Some of the most important
objects were elements of a late seventeenth-century Chinese porcelain
tea service decorated in the late Ming dynasty style, large quantities
of English beverage bottles, and previously-unknown coarse earthenware
plate forms.
Custis Site
Wedgwood green handled sauce boat, from the Custis site (catalog
number 01994-04BA).
Work on the Custis site material was complete by the end of August
1995. The non-cellar features on this site included a well containing
a total of 7756 fragments documented by 842 inventory records.
Seven hundred forty objects were identified and cataloged, with
full-text descriptions, measurements, and cross-mend information.
Seventy-five video images of the most fragile and unique objects
were captured in the system and forty-eight context records completed
the archive for this site. Some of the most notable objects from
this site include a complete tinned-iron drinking cup, rare “Wedgwood
Green-glazed” dinnerware, horticultural tools, and numerous
beverage bottle seals hearing the name “JOHN CUSTIS”
and the “1713.”
Anthony Hay House and Cabinetmaking Shop
Whieldon-type tea pot, from the Anthony Hay site (catalog number
2474-28DB).
Beginning in September 1995, we began cataloging the material from the Anthony
Hay House and Cabinetmaking Shop. The Hay Site is an important
site in Williamsburg because it combines elements of domestic
occupation with furniture making and related trade activities.
Also, in sheer quantities of artifacts, this site is one of the
most prolific in Williamsburg. Some of the most notable objects
are matching sets of delftware dinnerware, and a surprising amount
of locally produced coarse earthenware and stoneware drinking
vessels. The Hay site is bisected by a natural stream that contained
a large quantity of well-preserved organic objects, including
wooden furniture elements, wooden patterns, tools, woodworking
scrap discarded from Hay’s shop, leather shoes, and even a fragment
of an eighteenth-century oboe. A total of 2542 inventory records
representing 7212 fragments have been entered from this site.
From these fragments 1531 object records representing 20,090 fragments
were created. Two hundred eighty-six context records and other
documentation records are now accessible in the database for the
Anthony Hay site.
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