Reconstructing the Past: Archaeology at Colonial Williamsburg

Second-year Fellows Emelie Gevalt and Lan Morgan study bayonets in the collections of the Department of Archaeological Research at Colonial Williamsburg.

How does a scholar study historic trades in Colonial Williamsburg? From the ground up! This year, students in the Winterthur Program’s course, “Craftsmanship in Early America,” began their yearly trip to the living history museum with an insightful visit to the Department of Archaeological Research. Upon arriving, Kelly Ladd-Kostro, Associate Curator of Archaeological Collections, helped the class understand how Colonial Williamsburg uses the land to re-create the history, appearance, and ambiance of an eighteenth century town on the eve of the American Revolution. She began our introduction to Williamsburg by shattering some of our pre-conceived notions about the town. Many of us were surprised to learn that Colonial Williamsburg is largely the product of restoration and re-creation. Today, museum visitors encounter 301 acres of picturesque cottages, shops, and community buildings, all frozen in time on the eve of the Revolutionary War. In 1928, only 88 colonial structures survived in Williamsburg, the majority of which were outbuildings. Now, the historic district features almost 400 reconstructed buildings, and effectively recreates the hustle and bustle of an eighteenth century capital city with its community of costumed interpreters and tradespeople.

During our morning with Kelly, we learned the important role archaeologists played in reconstructing the capital. After an investment from John D. Rockefeller Jr., Colonial Williamsburg’s team of archaeologists and support staff conducted numerous excavations as they searched for the town’s eighteenth century footprint. The class also learned that in the 85 years since the archaeological digs began, only fifteen to twenty percent of the town has been fully excavated! Considering how complete the town appears today, this really surprised us. Also surprising was how much Colonial Williamsburg’s archaeological approach had evolved as changing project goals and emerging technologies have shaped archaeological techniques and the interpretation of historic structures and artifacts around the museum.

According to our host and the department’s website, the history of Williamsburg excavations can be divided into four major periods. The earliest phase of excavation occurred between 1928 and 1958. During this phase, archaeologists worked to uncover the original footprint of previously lost eighteenth century structures. Interestingly, Kelly informed us that most of the archaeological investigations during this period were conducted differently from what is common today. Early archaeologists relied on a tactic called ‘cross-trenching,’ performed by untrained laborers who dug diagonal trenches across a designated block of land rather than excavating the entire foundation of a structure. Cross-trenching allowed archaeologists to work quickly, but since the trenches dug were only one foot wide, the technique was better suited to uncovering structures with foundations rather than small artifacts. In fact, Kelly explained that during this period, artifacts were often discarded if they were unidentifiable upon first glance. I shudder to think of it!

Cross-trenching an excavation site at the corner of Nassau Street and Duke of Gloucester Street.  Photo courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Luckily, the practice of cross-trenching was halted during the second archaeological phase, which lasted from 1958 to 1982. With a new program director, Ivor Noel Hume, trained in then-current archaeological techniques, the excavation process began to resemble our modern notions of archaeological investigation. Not only did Noel Hume institute the cataloging of all objects found on a site, he introduced the process of stratigraphic excavation.  Stratigraphic excavation helps archaeologists perceive contexts and relationships between objects and the people who left them. The depth at which an object is discovered speaks to its temporal location in history, and the horizontal axis on which it is discovered can reveal the objects relationship to contemporaneous human activities. By creating object constellations, the archaeologist can then determine what type of structures may have existed on a given site. Kelly explained how this process works by showing us some examples of objects found together on various sites.

Kelly Ladd-Kostro (first from left) teaches the class how archaeologists use stratigraphic excavation to reveal and understand object constellations.

For instance: in one collection of objects we saw an iron hoe, red earthenware dishes, a locally potted cooking pipkin, and chamber pot. We correctly guessed that these objects were found on the site of a middle-class family home. The next group of objects Kelly showed us included medicine vials, Chinese export porcelain plates, and French wine bottles. Although contemporaneous to the previous constellation, we knew that these objects would have been much more expensive. Kelly told us that the medicine bottles, in particular, were luxury items. We discovered the objects were connected to the site of one of the town’s wealthiest residents. By using stratigraphic excavation in conjunction with documentary evidence, the museum is thus able to piece together the lives of past residents for later interpretation at appropriate sites.

The archaeological program has passed thorough two more phases since 1982, although they continue to rely on stratigraphic excavation. With the adoption of new techniques, Colonial Williamsburg’s Department of Archaeological Research is able to understand the town in increasingly nuanced ways. For example, digital modeling technology acquired in 2009 has allowed archaeologists to perceive the town with its historically accurate landscape. Eighteenth-century Williamsburg would not have had many trees in the town center as they would have been cut down for fuel and raw material. Archaeologists can also use digital modeling to run simulations on architecture, and town infrastructure.

3-D digital model of the Armory for the Digital Williamsburg Project.  Photo courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

With a new understanding of the ways in which Colonial Williamsburg’s archaeologists reconstruct the town, the class was excited and ready to begin walking through the museum. Looking at the active dig sites around the museum made more sense because we understood what was happening and why. Our visit to the Department of Archaeological Research was the perfect introduction to understanding the town’s interpretative approach, and we gained a new-found respect for the exacting art of archaeological research. Indeed, without the work of skilled archaeologists like those at Colonial Williamsburg, even the study of early American material culture would be different. So the next time you visit Colonial Williamsburg and find yourself enjoying the vibrancy of the historic area and trade shops, be sure to remember the archaeologists who helped make it happen!

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By Kristen Semento, WPAMC Class of 2017

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For many years, the Department of Historic Trades at Colonial Williamsburg has generously hosted Winterthur students as part of a course in pre-industrial craftsmanship.  Over the course of several days, we students work closely with the tradespeople, trying our hands at a wide range of eighteenth century occupations that bring our studies, quite literally, to life.  Every year, we leave with a deeper understanding of the material world.  This post is part of a series that chronicles our visit in March, 2017.