Location: Orange, Virginia, United States

Season Dates: April 7, 2013 - November 1, 2013
Session Dates: Session #1-April 7-13; Session #2-April 21-27; Session #3-April 28-May 4; Session #4-August 4-10; Session #5-August 11-17 Session #6-August 18-24 Session #7-August 25-31 Session #8-September 8-14; Session #9-September 22-28 (alumni); Session #10-October 6-12 (alumni); Session #11-October 20-28
Application Deadline: December 20, 2013

Website: http://www.montpelier.org/research-and-collections/archaeology/archaeology-progr...

Flyer:

Program Type
Field school
Volunteer

Affiliation: Montpelier Foundation

Project Director: Matthew Reeves, Director of Archaeology

Project Description

Over the next three years, the Montpelier Foundationwill be conducting archaeological investigations of various households that were part of the early 19th-century (1810s – 1830s) enslaved community at Montpelier.   Three different living areas for the enslaved community have been identified in Montpelier’s 1,250-acre historic core that in the early 19th century was called the Home Quarter:  1) The South Yard - the quarters for house slaves who resided within the formal grounds of the mansion, 2) The Stable quarter - a set of quarters associated with the operations of the mansion household which appear to have included those enslaved individuals working as gardeners or in the stables and 3) The Field quarter - the quarters for field slaves located in the heart of the working complex for the Home Quarter.
During the 2012 field season, we will be excavating the Quarters for field Slaves located in the Madison Farm Complex.  During the 2011 excavations, archaeology team members will be looking for and excavating the yards and structures of the slave quarters, and discovering a myriad of ceramics, glasswares, and other objects used and owned by the slave community at Montpelier.
The Archaeology Expedition program has been operating at Montpelier for a decade-and-a-half, with many of the same volunteers returning year after year. We are, however, keen to add new faces to the program. All of the scheduled programs are designed to give participants actual excavation experience on an archaeological site working side-by-side with trained professional archaeologists. We have a staff of seven archaeologists who work with participants both in the lab and in the field, which means you have personal interaction with archaeological staff and this allows you to work on sensitive features, artifacts, and deposits that normally one would not get to handle. You are treated as a member of the research team and we step you through the entire excavation process. While you are here at Montpelier, you will be engaged in lectures, take tours of various archaeological sites on the property, and of course get a tour of the mansion.
We also host two month-long university archaeology field schools.  For more information on these, please see our field school web page.
For project updates please see our archaeology blog.
For more information contact Matthew Reeves at mreeves@montpelier.org

Period(s) of Occupation: Colonial and federal period

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 1 week

Minimum Age: 16

Experience Required: none

Room and Board Arrangements

Participants in the Montpelier Archaeology Expedition program stay at Arlington House, an antebellum home located on the estate's historic grounds. At Arlington House, Expedition Members have access to two kitchens and laundry facilities set within a large home featuring a dining room, living room, screen porch and eight large bedrooms and five full bathrooms. Sleeping facilities are dormitory style with two rooms reserved to accommodate couples. Participants will be responsible for preparing all of their meals.
(for pictures of Arlington House see: http://montpelier.org/archaeologyprograms/expeditions)

Cost: $700 for the 1-week expedition programs

Academic Credit
Name of institution offering credit: State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Number of credits offered: 1-6
Tuition: $200 per credit

Contact Information
Matthew Reeves
PO Box 67
Montpelier Station, va 22957
USA
mreeves@montpelier.org
Phone: 540-672-2728 x160
Fax: 540-301-2843

Recommended Bibliography

1. An Introduction to Archaeology at James Madison’s Montpelier

http://montpelier.org/explore/archaeology/reports/archaeology_intro.pdf

1. A Brief Landscape History of Montpelier.

http://montpelier.org/explore/archaeology/media/pdf/Brief_Landscape_History.pdf

1. Field Methods at Montpelier.

http://montpelier.org/explore/archaeology/reports/field_methods_guide.pdf

1. Laboratory Guide.

http://montpelier.org/explore/archaeology/media/pdf/arch_lab_guide.pdf

1. Guide to Recording Archaeology Deposits.

http://montpelier.org/explore/archaeology/reports/stratguide_1.5.pdf