Archaeology & Landscape Restoration
Current Excavations
Poplar Forest’s Department of Archaeology and Landscapes has recently launched a multi-year investigation of a brick building known as the 1857 Slave Dwelling. This triplex is the only standing quarter for enslaved workers from the plantation era at Poplar Forest. As we work to research and restore this important structure, we will collaborate with our African American Advisory Group as well as restoration craftsmen, architects, engineers, other experts and community members to more fully illuminate the lives of those who lived and labored at Poplar Forest in the 19th century and beyond.
Currently, Poplar Forest’s archaeologists are completing the first phase of excavations for the 1857 Slave Dwelling Restoration project. This phase supports long-term stabilization of the structure and involves two components. First, archaeologists are digging around the building’s footprint, extending approximately 5 ft. outwards from the building’s base, to carefully assess this area of impact prior to stabilization. Our team is also excavating a line of 5×5 ft. units extending east from the southeast corner of the dwelling in advance of a new drainage line. With the 2023 and 2024 summer field school students and interns, archaeologists uncovered exciting artifacts and dozens of archaeological features, or stains in the dirt that represent postholes, plantings, or other evidence of past activity, spanning from the period before Jefferson’s retreat to modern times.
To date, almost 30,000 artifacts have been uncovered as part of these excavations. These discoveries, both small and large – from buttons and beads to bricks and broken plates – tell parts of an emerging story of the dwelling’s past African American residents, who lived in the building before the Civil War and during the decades following emancipation. Among the building materials, tools, animal bones, marbles and other children’s toys, tobacco pipes, eating and cooking implements, and other finds, we have found a number of other unique artifacts that offer a special window into the lives of the dwelling’s residents, including an unbroken slate tablet, writing utensils, and fragments from leather shoes. Artifact cataloging and analysis, curation, and conservation are underway, and will continue for the duration of the project.
Since the start of the project, we have worked in collaboration with our African American Advisory Group as we continue and develop our research, engagement, restoration, and interpretive plans. Our seasonal public archaeology days, including one held in conjunction with Poplar Forest’s autumn Roots and Reconnection festival, has offered community members and Poplar Forest archaeologists important opportunities to learn from each other and uncover parts of the past together. In addition, our archaeology team has shared research on the 1857 Slave Dwelling at Poplar Forest, locally, and beyond. Local school groups and other community originations have visited the excavations, and we regularly share findings from the 1857 Slave Dwelling with visitors and at community events year-round.
We will continue fieldwork and lab work in support of this project throughout the year. You can keep up with the latest research by following us on Facebook (Poplar Forest Archaeology) and Instagram (@pfarchaeology). Our Archaeology Blog also features in-depth posts from archaeology staff and field school students.
We also provide an update on our work in the field, lab, archives, and community in the “Culture of the Earth” section of Poplar Forest’s monthly e-Newsletter. Finally, you can visit us in the field Monday-Friday or join us for one of our many tours, lectures, or public dig days.
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