News of Note

Summer archaeological field school at the Ravenscroft Site

From May 27 to August 1, 2008, the Department of Archaeological Research will conduct two sessions of a summer field school in conjunction with the College of William and Mary. The five-week sessions will take place on the Ravenscroft Site, located at the corner of Nicholson and Botetourt Streets in Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area. A domestic site, the Ravenscroft property consists of two city lots first purchased in 1715 and occupied continuously through the early decades of the 20th century. Among the Ravenscroft property's 18th-century owners were a tavern keeper (who may or may not have plied his trade here), two printers of Virginia's newspaper, the Virginia Gazette, a series of tenants, and a number of enslaved Africans.

The current project is focused on the area surrounding a 14-by-16-foot brick cellar. Prior excavation (in 1998 and 2006) indicates that this cellar was constructed sometime after 1720, though for what purpose is still not entirely clear. During the summer of 2007, field school students and staff exposed and excavated this cellar in an effort to determine its function and relationship to another cellar lying just to the east. This summer, archaeologists will explore a fenceline, and portions of the cellar and surrounding layers. The excavation area will also be expanded to gather additional archaeological evidence.

In the lab, archaeologists will continue analyzing an extraordinarily rich and varied assemblage of 18th-century ceramics and other materials recovered from the Ravenscroft Site. Among the tasks at hand are to cross-mend ceramics from past excavations with the material recovered in 2006 and 2007, with the goal of learning more not only about those who lived on the Ravenscroft Site, but also about the archaeologists who preceded us in its exploration.

Finally, the 2008 Ravenscroft project will continue to have a strong interpretive component. Students interpret the project to site visitors throughout the day, and hands-on activities will be offered each weekday from 10-11:30. Web features, including a blog, will provide background information and an opportunity for site visitors to stay current with the latest discoveries. The Ravenscroft site is opened to visitors Monday through Friday from 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00, weather permitting.

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