A lot of people have told me that they want or wanted to become archaeologists. I always find this flattering. Yours truly was only in my single digits when I declared the same to my family and anyone who would listen. After reading every National Geographic magazine I could get my hands on, ‘excavating’ abandoned … Continue reading Archaeology Is Not For The Faint Of Heart – But We Love It Anyway
history
Colonial Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
We have reached the best time of the year. The summer heat has broken, the leaves are crispy, and the best holiday, Halloween, is coming up quickly. We all know Halloween was not celebrated in Colonial America, but that doesn’t mean we can’t incorporate a bit of Colonial America into Halloween. To celebrate, I have … Continue reading Colonial Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
That’s A Wrap! Ferry Farm’s Dig Season Recap
October just happens to be Virginia Archaeology Month, and what better way to celebrate than to recap this summer’s excavation at George Washington’s Boyhood Home at Ferry Farm. You might remember from our dig preview, that this year’s dig (FF-44) focused on the continued exploration of the 18th-century kitchen site located just northeast of the … Continue reading That’s A Wrap! Ferry Farm’s Dig Season Recap
Behind the Glass at Ferry Farm’s Archaeology Lab
The observer stands behind glass and watches. The one being watched picks up the object with her bare hands turns it carefully to see every angle, then sets it down to record data into her computer. Then she washes her hands, unwraps another object – and eats it! Visitors to George Washington’s Ferry Farm can … Continue reading Behind the Glass at Ferry Farm’s Archaeology Lab
“The Spirit of ’76”: Lafayette’s Visits Fredericksburg on His American Tour
In 1824, the United States was approaching its national jubilee—50 years of independence. President James Monroe, looking to create a wave of patriotism and celebration, invited the last surviving General of the American Revolutionary War, an American hero and icon, to take a grand tour of the country revitalizing the “spirit of 1776.” That American … Continue reading “The Spirit of ’76”: Lafayette’s Visits Fredericksburg on His American Tour
Cowrie Shells: Cultural and Economic Ties in the 18th-Century Atlantic World
Figure 1: Ferry Farm cowries Many readers will undoubtedly recognize these two artifacts (Fig. 1). Known as cowrie shells, these artifacts have become synonymous with slavery and serve as identifiers for the presence of free and enslaved Black individuals in the Americas. Still, the role of cowries in the 18th century goes far beyond that … Continue reading Cowrie Shells: Cultural and Economic Ties in the 18th-Century Atlantic World
Meet the 2024 Field Crew
The dig is in full swing, and we are a little over halfway through our 11-week dig season. Over the past few weeks, we have made lots of new exciting discoveries, and as you may have noticed, added quite a few new faces to our crew. Hosting a field school from the University of South … Continue reading Meet the 2024 Field Crew
2024 Dig Preview!
Spring is in the air. The weather is warming up, flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, and of course the dig season is about to start here at Ferry Farm, George Washington’s Boyhood Home. As part of the 2023 dig season, our team revisited the site of a colonial-era kitchen that had experienced a particularly … Continue reading 2024 Dig Preview!
Stop Collaborate and Listen TD is Back with a Brand New Edition
A quick refresher from part one of the TD marked pipe saga - Clay tobacco pipes with the mark TD are a ubiquitous item at historical archaeology sites dating from the mid-18th through the 20th century. While at one point the mark represented a specific maker, it later became a mark synonymous with clay tobacco … Continue reading Stop Collaborate and Listen TD is Back with a Brand New Edition
You Down with Old TD? Yeah, You Know Me!
TD Marked Tobacco Pipes That Is! Clay tobacco pipes are a hallmark of historical archaeology. Grandma smoked, the enslaved smoked, the elite smoked, children smoked, just about everyone smoked. Smoking was one of America’s favorite pastimes, and there are plenty of pipes left in the archaeological record to prove it. Tobacco pipes were not only … Continue reading You Down with Old TD? Yeah, You Know Me!
Lives & Legacies 