James Madison’s Montpelier

Archaeology at the Stable Quarter–Part 1

The archaeologists have been hard at work excavating one of the Montpelier slave quarters.  After a month-long field school and three expedition programs, we have a lot to show!  The Stable Quarter is located between the South Yard (quarters for house slaves) and the Montpelier Visitor Center.  We believe the slaves who call this site home worked in either the Madisons’ Stable (recently uncovered this summer) or the adjacent formal garden. 

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! Continue Reading…

Archaeology Team Digs and Finds…

For the past two months there has been a flurry of activity behind Montpelier’s Visitor Center. This area hasn’t exactly been clutter-free either. Every day, visitors have seen tents, flags, and archaeologists making exciting discoveries about the Madisons’ stables.

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.

Field School Students Dig for Historic Treasure and Experience

It’s the most frequently asked question at the beginning of the school year: “What did you do on your summer vacation?” When they return to their colleges and universities this fall, 25 students will say, “I dug in the dirt and I get to put it on my resume.” These students live on the historic grounds of James Madison’s Montpelier where they dig side-by-side with professional archaeologists to find the lost Madison Stable Quarter.

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

Digging out from Winter

The snow is almost gone and we have even had a few days in the 40s. Clear ground and improved weather can mean only one thing: it’s almost time for archaeology season to begin!

The archaeology teams has spent most of the cold winter days in the lab cataloging and analyzing artifacts from last spring. But cabin fever has set in and they’re ready  to get their trowels out and start uncovering more Madison history.

Archaeologists using using a remote sensing device to locate sites (click for more detail)

Sound like a cool job? It is, but why should the archaeologists have all of the fun? You can join the team for a week. Throughout the week, team members get actual excavation experience on an archaeological site. They work side-by-side Montpelier’s eight professional archaeologists in the lab and the field. This personal interaction  allows you to work on sensitive features, artifacts, and deposits that normally one would not get to handle.

The program runs seven days and six nights. Two accommodations options are available. Those who participate through the Expeditions program stay in Arlington House at Montpelier. Excursions participants stay in a local inn of their choice.

This season the archaeology team will explore the Madisons’ Stable Quarter Complex. We know where the stable is because of an 1837 insurance plat.  Archaeologists also located a slave quarter in this area in the 1990s and conducted an initial study of this site. This season, the team will return to this area to learn more about this part of the estate.

This will be a busy and exciting season. We hope lots of people join us to learn more about Montpelier and the finer points of archaeology!  To learn how you can join the archaeologists, please click here to explore our archaeology programs page.

The Case of the Missing Posts at Willow Gate

Location of excavations that revealed Madison-era post holes for entry gate (please click on image to enlarge)

In between snow storms, the Montpelier Archaeology Department completed the Willow Gate excavations. We knew about a Madison-era gate present in this locale from a description by John H.B. Latrobe following his 1832 visit to Montpelier.  He described a high red gate hung upon white posts. During Madison’s day, such gates served a practical purpose to keep animals out of the grounds.  The gate also distinguished the formal environs of the mansion from the larger working plantation.

Over the past two months we searched for the Madison-era gateposts at the bottom of the hill, in front of the mansion.  In the end, we found three generations of 19th century post holes at Willow Gate. Through a deductive process we dated each  post to determine which are the remains of the Madison-era post.    Continue Reading…

Archaeology of the North Kitchen Site….The Final Word With A Few Pleasant Surprises

Expedition members at the North Kitchen site

After six months of excavation that included two university field schools and seven Expedition programs, most of the puzzle pieces have fallen into place, and we can now share the final outcome of our endeavors.  With careful analysis, the tangled web of 50 different soil layers and 53 features yielded some interesting and significant results.

Results of the North Kitchen project include identification of intact 19th-century deposits, including those related to the Madison kitchen and surrounding landscape.  Especially significant deposits include features that represent previous locations of kitchen piers.  Archaeological evidence suggests the north, detached kitchen was initially constructed in 1797, 57 feet from the mansion.  This distance is 100 ft from the center-line of the 1797 mansion, just as the earlier south detached kitchen had been constructed 100 feet from the center-line of the 1763 mansion.

Image demonstrating basic results of the investigations

When the mansion’s north wing was constructed in 1809, the kitchen was relocated 16 feet to the north, moving the kitchen away from the wing and bringing it into balance with the south detached kitchen; both kitchens were now 38 feet from their respective wings.  This 38-ft distance from the mansion to the north kitchen is depicted on an 1837 insurance map, and the corresponding archaeological evidence confirms this.

Continue Reading…

History in your hands

Have you ever wondered what happens to artifacts once they come out of the ground? Now you have the chance to learn first-hand through Montpelier’s Ceramics Workshop, January 24-29. The ceramics workshop is the complement to Montpelier’s popular Expedition program that brings people to Montpelier to excavate during the spring, summer, and fall.

Participants will practice the three steps of artifact analysis-cataloguing, labeling, and assembling-under the guidance of Montpelier’s staff archaeologists. There will be three work stations set up to help participants get valuable hands-on experience in each of the steps throughout the week.

They will also engage in several lectures and get a behind-the –scenes look at the role ceramics play in “A Presidential Detective Story: Rediscovering the Furnishings and Décor of James and Dolley Madison.” Many of the ceramics that are reassembled will be displayed in the mansion. Continue Reading…

Archaeologists Identify New Structure in the North West Yard

When it comes to archaeology, it’s never easy—every day your assumptions are challenged as you unearth each new piece of evidence, be it a small sherd of porcelain or a wall foundation. Of course, that is part of what draws people to the profession and volunteers to the Archaeology Expeditions and Archaeology Excursions. Each day tells a new story. If you had visited Montpelier earlier in the year, or read the previous post on the North West Yard, the archaeologists would have told you that they were looking for a midden (trash dump), tree planting holes for the Pine Allée, and the landscape wall that defined the edge of Madison, Sr.’s formal yard.

That was yesterday. Today, we have a different story.
Continue Reading…

A Window into the Northwest Yard Excavation

Since September, the Archaeology Team has been excavating in mansion’s Northwest Yard. This excavation began in hopes of finding artifacts from an 18th-century trash deposit and locating the planting holes from the pine trees that were planted in the 1810s, as part of Mr. Madison’s Pine Allée that led to the Temple. Already, the team has uncovered an exciting new world of Montpelier 18th-century landscape!

18th-century brick wall at the mansion

Just before the mansion restoration, a survey around the perimeter of the mansion revealed a brick wall and a rich trash deposit. This led Montpelier’s archaeologists to believe the mansion was surrounded by a brick landscape wall that separated the work areas of the 18th-century mansion grounds from the more formal areas around the house. The trash deposit was located on the north side of the wall, outside the formal grounds that surrounded the mansion. Excavations determined these walls were removed during the 1808-1812 renovations that James and Dolley arranged prior to their retirement from the White House. Removal of the 18th-century landscape wall made way for the Pine Allée. The landscape in this area was raised by about a foot by spreading rubble from the renovations. Continue Reading…