ArchaeoBlog

Portions of slave quarters related to the former L’Hermitage plantation in Maryland (now the Monocacy National Battlefield) were recently uncovered.  An archaeological project involving remote sensing and limited exacavation is being used to determine the full extent of these cultural materials.  This former plantation is unusal because of the sheer size of the slave population — up to 90 slaves lived there at a time (with slave populations living at the site from 1794-1827).

Six students from four universities count themselves fortunate to be working on the largest known slave habitation site in the mid-Atlantic region at Monocacy National Battlefield in Frederick.  (Ike Wilson, Fredericknewspost.com)

This site is already protected, as it is on National Park Service land — the plantation became the site of a U.S. Civil War battle in 1864, a miliatary engagement credited with saving Washington D.C.

Montpelier begins slave site excavation

At James Madison’s house, Montpelier, archaeologists are unearthing the undisturbed remains of slave dwellings.

The actual dwellings of house, stable, garden and field slaves were abandoned abruptly in about 1840. But the sites on which they had stood were never dug up again, leaving a trove for researchers.

“We’ve just got an incredible playground for archaeologists to work in,” said Matthew Reeves, director of archaeology at Montpelier.

Temple University archaeologists unearth African American historical site

A group of Temple University archaeology students and volunteers is excavating what they believe is an important African-American historical site.

They say an entire village is buried near Rancocas Creek in Westampton Township outside Mount Holly, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Not much there, but it links to a longer article with a photo stream.

Archaeologists Dig Up Remains at Unmarked South Bibb Cemetery

The Georgia Department of Transportation and a team of archaeologists say they may be closer to understanding the history of a 19th century burial ground in South Bibb County.

GDOT first discovered the unmarked cemetery near Airport South Drive in April 2008, while finalizing plans to expand Sardis Church Road from east of Skipper Road to U.S. Highway 129. To complete the road project, officials with the Department of Transportation say the cemetery has to be moved.

Now, mortuary archaeologists say they’ve discovered the remains of 101 people at the site.

There’s a video of the story and also a link to the project’s web site. That’s a great idea, I wish more of these projects would have web sites for them.

Thousands of pieces of slave pottery found in SC

An archaeological dig has uncovered thousands of pieces of slave pottery and other artifacts at an industrial site on the South Carolina coast.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports that archeologists digging at the Berkeley County site found 58,000 pieces of colonoware, a handmade pottery crafted by slaves. Officials say it is one of the largest concentrations ever found in the country.

Other artifacts include bone buttons, silver coins, pipe stems and porcelain doll heads.

I was going to make a joke about enslaved ceramic vessels, but I shall not.

Archaeologists dig Westampton

After what was deemed a successful dig in October, archaeologists will resume their task of unearthing a freed slave settlement called Timbuctoo.

David Orr, a professor of anthropology at Temple University, announced last week that the team of archaeologists that found several artifacts predating the Civil War will return to the township for two months next summer to continue its work.

The 4.5-acre site off Rancocas Road and Church Street is believed to have been a settlement for freed slaves, a haven for fugitive slaves and possibly a stop along the Underground Railroad during the 1800s.

World’s largest slave graveyard uncovered on St Helena Island

Archaeologists have uncovered one of the largest slave graveyards anywhere in the world on the tiny island of St Helena.

According to a report in the Times, the bones of some 10,000 young Africans lie buried in the rocky valleys of this isolated British territory in the South Atlantic, victims of the ruthless trade that Britain dominated in the 18th century but fought to suppress after the abolition of slavery.

A team of British archaeologists uncovered the first graves last year after preparation had begun to build an access road to the site of the planned new airport on StHelena.

The bodies, many of them children, were discovered where they had been buried after being brought to St Helena between 1840 and 1874 by Royal Navy patrols hunting the slavers.

Archaeology course unlocks “silent history” of the slave trade in West Africa

Taught by assistant professor of anthropology J. Cameron Monroe, the class opened a door that led Baker-Rabe to West Africa, where she spent seven weeks this past summer as part of UCSC’s first undergraduate archaeological expedition to Benin.

Under Monroe’s leadership, Baker-Rabe and seven other undergraduates spent nearly two months unearthing beads, bits of pottery, and other artifacts that yield clues to the everyday lives of Africans during the 18th and 19th centuries. Galvanized by the experience, she now plans to apply to graduate school and pursue a Ph.D. in archaeology.

I believe this is the first time I’ve heard of archaeology done on the slave trade at that end; usually it’s in the US.

Students seek lost colony

Archaeologists and students renewed the quest Thursday to find an 18th-century community of ex- slaves believed to have lived along the Manatee River.

The archaeological dig began early Thursday at 2nd Avenue East and 14th Street East in Bradenton.

Seems to me I’ve heard of this before but not where.

Archaeology in Bradford County: Digging for history at French Azilum

French Azilum was originally a settlement for a group of French exiles who settled there in the 1790s, according to the French Azilum Web site. Many had fled France during the time of the French Revolution, and according to legend, some of the settlers had built a house for Marie Antoinette to settle in if she left France.

However looking for evidence of a house built for Antoinette is only a side issue for Costura, she said.

“She never made it here, so it becomes more of a ‘what if,’” she said, adding that there are no records saying it’s true, and that it’s only a local legend.

Pretty good article. I wonder f ‘Azilum’ is a form of ‘asylum’.