The
large scale excavation and analysis of Site B has been ongoing since 2004.
Often dubbed the “mystery” site due to its complexity and lack of easily
explained features, this archaeological site has begun to shed light on a large,
but little understood area of Thomas Jefferson’s plantation. In 1812 Jefferson
constructed a 61-acre enclosure surrounding the main house, referred to as the
curtilage. This space housed many of the buildings and activities needed to run
the plantation as well as created a core area for the house and associated
ornamental plantings. Orchards, gardens, plant nurseries, stables, barns, and
slave quarters populated the space surrounding the house and its ornamental
grounds. Light industry such as spinning and weaving would also have been
located within this enclosure. Jefferson, and his few visitors, arriving by
one of three roads would have crossed through this space as a transitional zone
between the larger agrarian landscape, with its fields of wheat and tobacco, and
the true ornamental grounds surrounding the main house.
As important as the curtilage was to the functioning of the plantation, the locations of the many activities and buildings once occupying this space are still unknown.”
 |
 |
Looking northwest across the southeast quadrant of the curtilage |
Aerial view of Site B |
The excavations at Site B have focused on only one small area within the southeast quadrant of the
61 acre curtilage. Located at the edge of the ornamental core, our excavations have revealed a
complex area that has undergone numerous landscape modifications and intense use. The 98, 5x5 ft
squares excavated across an approximately 7000 square foot area have revealed a variety of different
features and large numbers of early 19th century artifacts. Features such as a large gully filled
with ceramics and charcoal, a stone-lined drain, charcoal filled root stains, and piles of unmortared
brick are still not fully understood, but may relate to one of the horticultural activities associated
with the curtilage. Based on the results of the ceramic minimum vessel count and crossmending
analysis, a connection has been made between the deposits at Site B and several ornamental planting
features that directly surround the main house. Is it possible that Site B was the location of the
ornamental plant nursery Jefferson refers to in several documents? Was trash, along with animal
manure, hearth sweepings, and other residential debris collected and brought here to enrich soils
that were used to start and nurture Jefferson’s many trees and shrubs? Pulling together the different
threads of evidence gathered from the historic documents and our own analysis of the ceramics,
features, and other artifacts has begun to point in that direction.
One thing that has
been realized from the very beginning is that much of the “trash” deposited here can give us new insights
into life at Poplar Forest. The types of ceramics used, architectural details of buildings long
demolished, and even clothing styles and traditional African American practices of the enslaved community
are being illuminated by the material found at Site B. Explore the different pages presented here to get
an idea of the types of data and evidence we are using to piece together Site B and this area of
Jefferson’s curtilage. Analysis and excavation will continue over the next several years, testing the
ideas presented here. In particular a recent grant awarded by the Institute for Museum and Library
Services will provide us the ability to conduct specialized analyses at Site B including geomorphological,
geochemical, and pollen studies of the soils. As the results of these studies are interpreted we will
include them here.
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
This exhibit and the information contained within were made possible by the support of the Richard Gwathmey and Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust, Lisa Young of Alexandria Conservation Services, Ltd, and the dedicated volunteers of Poplar Forest.
|
