The Blog of Colonial Williamsburg
Until next season….
Early in November archaeologists began wrapping up work at the back of the Armoury lot. It has been a long and challenging field season, culminating in a heavy soaking by hurricane Sandy (and earlier, by some of her lesser-known cousins). The image below, a final photo taken on November 2nd, after the final clean-up, shows some of the fruits of our labors. It should also help you to visualize the site’s layout. …
Many of you have watched the Roving Webcam over the summer, no doubt marveling at the meticulousness of archaeological excavation! Indeed, it is a slow and careful process. Since our start in early June, we have sorted through and excavated an extraordinary number of fencepost holes. The Armoury’s western boundary was, apparently, non-negotiable. Or was it?…
21st century view of the Armoury’s 18th century fenceline.
With the Roving Webcam one casualty of a recent summer storm, it has been difficult to keep tabs on archaeological progress at the south end of the Armoury lot. A new camera is expected to arrive sometime this week. Until then, we offer this update on recent discoveries. …
While our Armoury Blog has necessarily directed attention to the Armoury Project, Meredith and I thought that our readers and followers might share interest in a different but related Colonial Williamsburg project. For those of you who wander the Colonial Williamsburg Blogs, you may already be familiar with our cannon project. While independent of the Armoury project, the long term association will be obvious….
“Roving webcam” viewers may have noticed that they are no longer in the Armoury building! On Wednesday morning this movable camera was relocated to focus on new excavation inside the Mary Stith Shop.
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The long-sought site of the tin shop has been discovered at Anderson’s Armoury. What did it mean for the Revolution, and what does it mean for the reconstruction?
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Back in early March, in a blog entry entitled “Finding the Tinshop,” we laid out our current archaeological puzzle: in which building did the Armoury’s tinsmith work? At the time, we had just begun digging around the “Mary Stith Shop” in the yard next door. You could say that it was Mary Stith herself who suggested that we look here. In her 1813 will, she describes “the house in my yard called the tinshop,” causing us to wonder just how many tinshops were needed on a single block, and whether the shop that she mentioned might once have been part of Anderson’s wartime operation. It was still winter when we began exploring the perimeter of the (reconstructed) shop hoping to find our own version of a smoking gun: snips and clippings of tinned iron and bits of lead solder. …evidence of tin manufacture.
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Recent excavation in the Shop Area.
There are many ways to engage an archaeologist in conversation. “Have you found gold yet?” is a standard opener. This summer’s most creative inquiry: “Is it always this glamorous?” But perhaps the most common question that archaeologists hear…and the easiest way to open a discussion….is “what are you finding?”
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The re-exposed chimney base (top) and brick drain (right) for the Armoury kitchen.
Archaeologists, field school students, summer interns, and a few seasoned volunteers fanned out across the Armoury site in early June with a laundry list of tasks and questions to address before reconstruction begins. As many of you know, it was not an easy summer for outdoor work. Extreme heat and a lack of rain baked the soil…. and archaeologists alike. Nevertheless, the Armoury excavation attracted tremendous visitor attention, and steady progress was made toward ferreting out new information about the property and those who worked here.
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