Want to see "in real life" the 18th century ceramic fruit dish we wrote about last August? You can see it and the matching sherds excavated by archaeologists on your next visit to George Washington's Ferry Farm. The dish sits inside the Ferry Farm visitor center in a museum display case now dedicated to Lives & Legacies. In this … Continue reading Lives & Legacies: The Exhibit
Creamware
Glue: The Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Found
As an archaeologist, I am often asked “What is the coolest thing you’ve ever found?” The answer is complicated. Although I’ve unearthed 10,000 year old Paleoindian hearths, elaborate porcelains, coins, long lost jewelry, and ancient stone tools, I say that the coolest thing I’ve ever found is …. glue. This proclamation always elicits questioning looks … Continue reading Glue: The Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Found
In Search of Mary’s Mug
Archaeologists are always trying to link artifacts with the actual people who lived at the sites we study. As such, we get very excited when we find artifacts with people’s names on them. It makes our job easy, right? So, imagine our elation when a small creamware cup bearing the words “A Present For Mary” … Continue reading In Search of Mary’s Mug
The Science of History: Experimental Archaeology & Colonial Cheese Glue
Archaeologists sometimes recreate technology from the past to understand how people lived. This is called experimental archaeology. When archaeologists at George Washington's Ferry Farm found glue residue on sherds of Mary Washington's china, they developed ways to recreate this glue. This video explains the glue making process and what recreating the glues revealed about Mary. … Continue reading The Science of History: Experimental Archaeology & Colonial Cheese Glue
Lives & Legacies 