Montpelier archaeologists and James Madison University Field School students originally discovered this slave quarter back in 1992.  We returned to the site this past spring to define its exact size and location. Then at the end of June, we began to excavate the site.  What we have found so far has blown us away!

Overhead shot of Stable Quarter site showing location of hearth and borrow pits (click image to enlarge).

We began our first task: to relocate all the old excavation units placed at the site in the 1990s. This was no easy task.  Twenty years obscured the units’ exact location. It became a dig within a dig!  We finally located the units and began to decipher some of the features the previous archaeologists had located– especially the pit features that were full of hearth ash that mystified the archaeologists back in the 1990s.  A wonderful brick feature just outside of the old 1990s units put these features in perspective.

We also located an incredible find of an area of brick pavement that measures 9 feet by 4 feet.  This brick pad turns out to be the hearth for the slave quarter based on the brick and stone having evidence for burning and the fire crazing of the brick. Given that the hearth is at grade, the quarter likely had a clay floor, not a wooden floor set on joists (as found in the south yard–quarters for field slaves).

The hearth also highlighted another notably absent feature of the quarter which is no evidence for a brick or stone chimney base such as found in the South Yard.  This absence of a masonry base suggests this structure had a stick and mud chimney–a common chimney for 18th and early 19th century slave quarters.  The design for a stick and mud chimney is much as it sounds–sticks stacked to make the flue and then plenty of clay used to line the interior to reduce the risk of fire.  Such chimneys were typically associated with log structures–and the absence of any piers or foundations for our structure suggests it was built of log with the base log set right on the ground.

Exposed profile of deposits found in the borrow pit (click image to enlarge).

All of these structural features (stick and mud chimney and log structure) needed lots of clay to create–and this brought us back to the pit features found by archaeologists back in the 1990s.  We have a hunch that these pits began life as borrow pits or pits used to obtain clay for daubing the log structure and lining the wood chimney.  After these pits were used for their clay, they became trash pits where the ash from the hearth was deposited.  What is wonderful about the hearth ash is it is loaded with the remains of slave households food remains–animal bone, charred seeds, and lots of ceramics!  This provides archaeologists with a literal treasure trove of information about slave diet and insight into their daily life. In addition to the food remains, we are also finding burnt clay in the ash deposits which support the idea of a clay-lined chimney (the fire from the hearth would bake the clay and then rain storms would wash loosened clay into the hearth).

We still have much to discover at the Stable Quarter site and will be continuing our excavations into October.  We have found many more features (similar to the borrow pits) that await excavation.  In addition, all the artifacts are being washed and examined at the lab and we are just beginning to assess the finds from the borrow pits.  These finds have much to reveal about the sequence of events for the construction and use of the site–so stay tuned!

More importantly, we still have slots available for our week-long expedition programs in October–so please sign up for an experience of a life-time excavating at this exciting and important site!

The hours leading up the party evaporate. Before you know it, you’re right in the middle of this celebration you planned and anticipated for months. Suddenly, it’s over. Just a few short hours flew by in an instant. You feel just the slightest bit of a letdown, even though your plans turned out perfectly.

This is exactly how we feel about Constitution Day. We spend months planning the perfect day to commemorate the Constitution’s signing. We receive delighted visitors for hours. Then it’s all over in what seems like a matter of minutes. Another Constitution Day came and went, but we feel just slightest twinge of sadness, knowing it’s all over until next year.

We are happy to announce that we discovered a way to fix the letdown problem. Instead of Constitution Day, we’ll celebrate Constitution Month! That will never end, right?

Constitution Month kicked off this week with our brand-new house tours. Now when guests come to Montpelier they get to know James and Dolley on the mansion’s first floor. They see the new Dining Room Wallpaper. They also see some beautiful period furnishings that the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation generously loaned us to help visitors picture how the home looked in the Madison era. We’re biased, but it really looks stunning!

Then, visitors can go upstairs to get an insider’s view of the “Presidential Detective Story,” the world-wide search for the Madisons’ furnishings. Have you ever wondered how we know if something belonged to the Madisons? The self-guided tour shows visitors how this process works. Don’t forget to spend a few minutes in the Second Floor Library, where James Madison envisioned the Constitution. Gaze out the windows at the same Blue Ridge Mountains he saw from that room 223 years ago.

To celebrate Constitution Month, “James” and “Dolley” will continue to come home on the weekends. Guests can meet Dolley on September 4, 11, & 18. James will be home on September 5, 12, & 19.

Runners can rediscover James Madison and rekindle their passion for the Constitution while traversing a challenging racecourse on the grounds of the storied presidential estate in the 5K Constitution Run. Three separate races will include the 5K “Constitution Run” for adults, 1K “Dolley’s Dash” for children ages 5–10, and a 1K “Dogathon” for dogs and their owners. The Run will take place rain or shine on September 12. The races will begin at 8:00 a.m.

Constitution Month will hit a crescendo on Constitution Day, September 17. Visitors will see a dialogue between “James Madison” and his best friend, “Thomas Jefferson.” The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps (now on its “Spirit of America” tour) will set the tone for the day. We’re also thrilled that some of our favorite costumed interpreters from McLean High School’s “Project Enlightenment” will join the festivities. Everyone will have the chance to “sign” the Constitution in Mr. Madison’s Temple too. Did we mention that admission will be free all day?

The celebration won’t end with Constitution Day. The Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier will host its annual Claude Moore Lecture on September 21 at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. This year, a panel will discuss the newly released results of the Center’s national survey, The State of the Constitution: What Americans Know. Montpelier President Michael C. Quinn, NPR Senior News Analyst Cokie Roberts, University of Baltimore School of Law Constitutional Scholar Michael Meyerson, and Center for Civic Education Executive Director Chuck Quigley will sit on the panel. The Lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m.

There, a whole month of activities to celebrate the signing of the Constitution. Now we won’t have to feel the letdown…until October 1. We’ll worry about that in October, though. For now, it’s time to celebrate. Thank you, Mr. Madison!

Then you actually dig into the project. Moving furniture, taping doorframes, laying drop cloths, and dusting. The project could be hours old before the brush even touches the wall. A whole house in one morning, flag football and grilling in the afternoon? You’ll be lucky to finish three rooms in time for Sunday’s 4:00 p.m. NFL kickoff and takeout.

The lesson: home improvement takes time. The Dining Room wallpaper installer, Patrick Shields, arrived at Montpelier last week. We expect the whole process to take approximately ten days. Patrick will hang the wallpaper almost the same way an installer would have during the Madisons’ time.

Anyone who has worked on their own walls knows it’s much easier to paint than wallpaper. But as complicated as wallpapering is now, it took even more time and skill two centuries ago.

During the Madisons’ time, wallpaper was applied with wheat paste glue (sometimes hide glue), but moisture corroded these natural glues over time. Patrick will attach the Dining Room wallpaper with a modern clear adhesive based on traditional wheat paste.

A protective sealant will be applied to the plaster first, followed by an acid-free paper liner. The liner will be installed horizontally, while the finish paper will be hung vertically.

Each roll of the ground paper must be carefully trimmed to fit together side by side, overlapping on one edge so the paper on the right sits on top of a plain bit of the paper on the left. The trimming of the paper and border, both with fancy, carved edges, requires careful work and takes considerable time. The border is applied over the ground paper, right at the ceiling.

Because Montpelier’s walls and ceilings were plastered by hand, the installer will need to make several adjustments, panel-to-panel, and border piece-to-border piece. For example, on the south wall from east to west, there is a two-inch difference in ceiling height!

Anyone who has undertaken a lengthy home improvement project can appreciate all of the detail that goes into this wallpapering process. It’s never as quick or as easy as it sounds. For now, we’re happy to report that wallpapering in the Dining Room is underway.

Want more? Last Friday’s Daily Progress featured a great front page story that details the installation. You can also check out our Facebook page and YouTube channel for more play-by-play!

That urgent sense of waiting for an important package has captivated the Montpelier staff recently. By now, you have probably read all about our curatorial team’s efforts to carefully choose the most appropriate wallpaper for the Madisons’ Dining Room. Curators spent months consulting leading historic wallpaper experts and examining period samples that were known to exist during the time the Madisons would have originally purchased their wallpaper.

Courtesy Adelphi Paper Hangings, LLC

Once the curatorial team settled on a pattern, they placed the order with Adelphi Paper Hangings, which specializes in historic reproduction wallpaper. Fulfillment of the order was anything but simple. The technicians at Adelphi used carved wooden blocks to hand-stamp the paper layer by layer, to create the finished product you can see in our previous posts.

Once the curators placed the order, the waiting began. Excitement swelled all over Montpelier. Staff members and guests constantly wanted to know when the wallpaper would arrive. Even in the age of tracking numbers, there was a glimmer of hope that the tracking system was wrong and the paper would magically arrive a few days early.

The wallpaper finally arrived last week in an unassuming, brown shipping box, but Christmas morning-levels of excitement enveloped our staff. Thankfully the box arrived in our curatorial department. Since curators handle some of the world’s most fragile objects, they are trained to be disciplined and methodical, unlike the crazed shopping maven who has just taken delivery on an iPhone 4. So one of our curators carefully opened the box, to reveal the wonderful drapery patterned wallpaper.

Montpelier's curatorial team examines the wallpaper as it arrives from Adelphi. Left to right: Grant Quertermous, Cheryl Brush, Lynne Dakin Hastings. Courtesy of The Montpelier Foundation.

And now a new countdown begins: the installation. The technician will arrive at Montpelier on Monday, August 16, to begin installing the wallpaper and its dramatic border. Visitors will actually see the installation during their tours. In fact, we’re going to give away commemorative wallpaper samples as paper becomes available!

We expect this process to take about ten days. Once the installation gets rolling, we will post photos and updates on the blog. Stay tuned!

Sneakers: check
Water bottle: check
Comfy shorts & tee: check
iPod: check
A copy of the Constitution: ?

Wait, a copy of the Constitution? Of course! If you’re going to race in the Constitution Run at Montpelier, why wouldn’t you be uber-prepared and bring along a copy of the Constitution?!

We’re inviting runners of all ages to come to Montpelier on September 12 to be a part of this first-ever event. The Constitution Run will be a 5K. There will also be special races for kids and dogs too. Kids ages 5–10 (and their parents) can race in Dolley’s Dash, a 1K designed for little track stars of all skill levels. Dogs and their owners can trot together in the 1K Dogathon. We have a feeling we might hear “heel” a lot during this race…

This is also the perfect time of year to come to Montpelier. September 12 is just five days before the anniversary of the Constitution’s ratification (September 17, 1787). It was at Montpelier that James Madison conceived the very ideals that became the foundation for the Constitution.

The course will definitely be challenging. Montpelier is actually located in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which means it’s also beautiful and peaceful.

Okay, you don’t have to have a copy of the Constitution in your hand to cross the finish line (which will have a magnificent mansion view, by the way). But, we do recommend comfortable clothing, appropriate footwear, and plenty of water. Also, runners should arrive by 7:30 a.m. on race day.

Our staff sponsors and friends have been hard at work planning this race. We’re very pleased to have the support of our neighbors the Holiday Inn Express-Orange as the event title sponsor. In addition, the race is supported by the Charlottesville Running Company, and the Dogathon is sponsored by the Orange-Madison Cooperative.

Registration fees are $20 in advance for adults or $25 onsite. Kids and dogs can register for $10 at any time. You can register on the Montpelier website.

Now, stop reading and start training. You have a race to run!

One of the great things about a trail like this is it allows us to see very distinct types of plants and their growth patterns . For example, the field of sunny yellow Black Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), seeded in the summer of 2009, is now home to partridge pea, milkweed, Appalachian beard tongue, showy tick trefoil, wild bergamot, blazing star, and blue asters nestled among native grasses (big and little bluestem as well as indiangrass).

Photo by The Montpelier Foundation

The wildlife meadow is still in its infant stages, but it is already showing a lot of progress. Our staff has noted that it is quickly becoming a popular source of food and shelter for birds, insects, and other animals at Montpelier.

We will continue to post updates on the Demonstration Forest Trail’s progress. The next time you are here, be sure to take a walk on the trail. We guarantee you’ll never have the same walk or see the same things twice!

If you are interested in developing your own wildlife meadow, contact your local branch of the Natural Resources Conservation Service or your local Virginia extension service.

Before we tell you, we want to provide some context for the choice. Remember that, as we mentioned in the last post on this topic, tastes in interior décor were different in the early 19th century. Period aesthetics showed a preference for strong colors, often combined in way foreign to twenty-first-century eyes. Patterns were popular, and there was little hesitation in using a different design for the carpet, wallpaper, curtains, and upholstery in the same room.

We know that when President Madison died in 1836 there were 36 engravings on the Dining Room walls. Today we would be loathe to hang so many prints on a highly patterned wallpaper. Not so in the early nineteenth century. Our team of experts believe that showing that aesthetic is important in creating the visual feel of this period room. They chose the circa 1815 paper with the green and buff pattern imitating draped fabric and originally made by the Philadelphia firm of Virchaux.

Another factor in the paper’s selection was its French-inspired design. The many ads for “Paper Hangings” in the National Intelligencer reveal that the local market followed the period predilection for fashionable French wallpaper patterns. Drapery papers frequently appear in the ads. Among the most popular papers available in the Washington region were those imported from France or produced by Philadelphia paper makers adapting French designs. A number of these paper makers were French émigrés like Henri Virchaux.

Virchaux wallpaper and frieze

Interestingly, what we know about James and Dolley Madison’s wallpaper acquisitions suggest that like so many others, they were selecting French-made or French-inspired papers. The fragmentary survivals of two papers purported to have been hung in the Madison White House appear to be French. And, the wallpapers the Madisons purchased for The Seven Buildings, the executive residence after the White House was burned, came from an Alexandria, Virginia merchant whose stock of papers highlighted designs imported from France or “in the French taste” from Philadelphia.

What’s exciting about the Virchaux paper is that the designers and manufacturers, Henri Virchaux and Joseph Ramee, submitted a number of their designs for patent protection; the samples sent with their application are preserved in the collection of the Library of Congress. Having been archived since their submission the designs and colors survive in pristine condition.

Our reproduction will be block printed by Adelphi Paper Hangings, a company based in Sharon Springs, New York. Adelphi not only reproduces documented eighteenth- and nineteenth- century wallpaper patterns, but they do so using historically accurate methods and materials, including pasting individual sheets of paper together to form rolls and block printing the designs. The drapery paper and its accompanying border will also be installed using traditional techniques. Visitors will be able to watch the installation during tours later this year.

How do the archaeologists even know where to dig? Thankfully we have a copy of an 1837 insurance map which shows the stable in this area. Once the team had a general idea of where to look, archaeologists used metal detectors and remote sensing to pinpoint the stable location. This wasn’t just an afternoon activity. The archaeologists conducted months of metal detector surveys.

Horse shoe recovered from Stable area (please click on image to enlarge)

Horse shoe nail recovered from Stable area (please click on image to enlarge).

These surveys showed where to find clusters of artifacts– horseshoe nails, horseshoes, tools, architectural hardware, saddle parts, and carriage hardware.  Excavation units placed in the location of these artifact concentrations have shown a concentration of cobble that might represent the reinforced floor for the stable or work areas around the stable complex. Good news: these concentrations proved the team was on the right track.

The mystery doesn’t end with the concentrations of artifacts. The cobble concentrations show this was a very active equestrian area.  The broken horseshoes and worn horseshoe nails show animals were often in this area.  Had the team found whole horseshoe nails, this would mean horses were re-shoed in this area.

So far, the archaeologists haven’t found any structural features that we can tie directly to the stable of any of its outbuildings (a carpenter’s shop, for example).  But, the team did find several large post holes which might be related to outbuildings in this area. Post holes are a big deal in archaeology. They show the outline of where a structure once stood. The archaeology team once spent an entire summer looking for the post holes that showed where the original Madison fence in front of the mansion once stood.

Iron bench dog (clamp) recovered from stable area (please click on image to enlarge)

Fragment of cross cut saw recovered from Stable/Craft area

bolt for door lock recovered from Stable Area (please click to enlarge image)

So, what else did the archaeologists find? The archaeology of the site behind the Visitor Center points to this area being used for many things. It’s likely that horses lived in stables and craft activities (carpentry and other tasks) took place here. The team found furniture hardware, which means the Madisons’ furnishings were here at one time. There were several paddocks, which suggests there might have been stores (storage areas) located in this area as well.

All in all, our surveys indicate the area between the Visitor Center and the South Yard was a very busy place– with most activity being concentrated on the hill directly behind the Visitor Center. The archaeology team is now  excavating the slave quarter just down the hill from the stable closer to the mansion.

The fun isn’t just for the archaeologists. There is still time to join the team for a week.  Click here to check out the archaeology excavation programs to learn how you can come dig at Montpelier.

Photo by Jen Fariello

Guests may call on Mr. and Mrs. Madison in the mansion’s south wing. “Dolley Madison’s Salon” will be held on Saturdays from 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Mrs. Madison, in full costume, will chat with guests about her husband’s role in crafting the Constitution. She became an expert on this subject during his retirement, when she helped James organize his papers from the Constitutional Convention.

“President James Madison” will be at home on Sundays, 12:00 Noon–5:00 p.m. and at leisure to receive visitors during the afternoon. Now, in the summer of 1810, “Mr. Madison” will be engaged in his oversight of the farm, while also attending to his duties as president while at Montpelier. He will discuss present concerns in 1810 as president, his work in drafting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, his early life, and other topics of interest and concern to his guests. Visitors are encouraged to introduce themselves and should feel free to ask him questions; he has always enjoyed entertaining guests at Montpelier.

Summer is the perfect time to get to know James and Dolley Madison at their beloved home. The Madisons entertained extensively during their retirement at Montpelier. Sometimes they had as many as 25 overnight guests. Dolley’s hospitality was legendary and set the tone for future first ladies.

Dolley Madison once said, “I am less worried here [at Montpelier] with a hundred visitors than with twenty-five in Washington.”

These weekend appearances will give visitors of all ages the opportunity to step back in time and experience some of that hospitality and learn about James and Dolley and their impact on our young nation more than 220 years ago.

This isn’t a typical classroom or internship. It teaches students basic archaeology skills and they dig right alongside our staff members.

This summer Montpelier’s archaeology team is excavating the Stable Quarter complex, which encompassed the stables, a blacksmith’s shop, and slave quarters. It is located between the Visitor Center and the Madison mansion. So far the team has found objects related to the stables including horseshoes, saddle frames, and bits. By the end of the summer, Montpelier hopes to outline the exact location of the stable and all of its outbuildings.

This is an exciting time for these students to be at Montpelier. Right now, our whole staff is focused on the Presidential Detective Story, which is a search for James and Dolley Madison’s furnishings. Sometimes the students find things in the ground that were in James and Dolley’s house nearly two centuries ago.

Students live in a dormitory-style house on the Montpelier grounds for four weeks. Most receive academic credit through an exchange program with James Madison University and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. The 25 students come from several colleges and universities from around the country, including Carleton College (Northfield, Minn.), Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant, Mich.), Georgia State University (Atlanta, Ga.), James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Va.), Millersville University (Millersville, Pa.), Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind.), the State University of New York at Oswego (Oswego, N.Y.), Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (Slippery Rock, Pa.), the University of Tennessee Knoxville (Knoxville, Tenn.), and West Virginia Wesleyan (Buckhannon, W.V.). Several students will remain at Montpelier as summer interns when the program ends.

Jealous? Archaeology field school isn’t just for college students. Montpelier also offers a variety of field schools and workshops for the general public throughout the year. In July the archaeology team will begin to excavate a 19th century slave quarter near the mansion. So sign up so you can brag to your friends about your summer vacation.