Unearthing a Slave Community

Location: Orange, VA, US

Season: February 1, 2020 to November 17, 2020

Session Dates: One week sessions: WEEK LONG PROGRAMS Lab Analysis Program February 16-21 High School Excavation Program July 12-17 Teacher Excavation Program July 26-31 Excavation Program August 30-September 4 Alumni Excavation Program September 13-18 Excavation Program October 4-9 Reconstruction Program October 18-23 Metal Detecting Program November 8-13 THREE-DAY PROGRAMS Woods Exploration March 26-28 STP Survey April 2-4 Excavation Program April 16-19 Wine & Archaeology May 1-3 Excavation Program May 14-16 Excavation Program July 9-11 Fiber and Fashion October 1-3 One-month field school: Montpelier Archaeology Field School: May 28 — June 29, 2020

Application Deadline: December 1, 2020

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: http://www.montpelier.org/dig

Program Type:
Volunteer

RPA Certified:
This project is an RPA certified field school

Affiliation:
Montpelier Foundation--James Madison's Montpelier

Project Director:
Matthew Reeves, Director of Archaeology

Project Description:

Over the next several years, we will be examining a number of different archaeological sites. What makes Montpelier a wonderful property for surveys and excavations is its relative undisturbed condition. All of the sites we excavate have never been plowed–and most were abandoned in the 1840s, leaving the archaeological features in pristine condition.

We will be excavating a 1810s overseer’s house site that was part of the ealry 19th century farm complex at the Madison plantation.  These projects are part of a larger effort to interpret and reconstruct the lives of the enslavec community so it can be accessed by visitors.

The LEARN 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.

You can learn about all of our LEARN Archaeology Expeditions at the following link.

We also host two month-long university archaeology field schools.  For more information on these, please see our field school web page.

For more information contact Matthew Reeves at dig@montpelier.org

Period(s) of Occupation: Colonial and federal period

Notes:
Historical archaeology excavation at slave quarter sites. Participants live on historic Montpelier grounds.

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 1 week and 3 day

Minimum Age: 12

Experience Required: none. Participants living on the property who are under 18 yo need an accompanying guardian or parent. Participants under the age of 16 need to be accompanied by a guardian or adult.

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.   Cost: $850 for the 1-week expedition programs (housing is an additional $250 for the week) $600 for field schools (includes housing)

Academic Credit:
1 credits offered by James Madison University State University of New York Plattsburgh. Tuition is $200 per credit .