Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture

Using detailed comparisons of the archaeological assemblages from 18 early sites in the Chesapeake, this project explores the material conditions of culture contact, plantation development and organization, the rise of slavery, and consumer behavior. Comparable artifact databases have been created for the 18 sites, and analysis of artifact distributions has provided great insight into differences and similarities.

Site Name Keywords
Jordan's Journey (44PG302) • Sandys (44JC802) • Clifts Plantation (44WM33) • Camden (44CE3) • Reverend Buck (44JC568) • Mattapany (18ST390) • Compton (18CV279) • Patuxent Point (18CV271) • King's Reach (18CV83) • Chalkley (18AN711)

Site Type Keywords
Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex • Domestic Structures • House • Settlements • Encampment

Culture Keywords
Historic • Euroamerican • Historic Native American

Investigation Types
Archaeological Overview • Historic Background Research • Data Recovery / Excavation

Material Types
Fauna • Ceramic • Glass • Mineral • Shell • Wood • Metal • Building Materials • Pollen • Macrobotanical

Temporal Keywords
Early 17th century

Geographic Keywords
US (ISO Country Code) • United States of America (Country) • Virginia (State / Territory) • District of Columbia (State / Territory) • North America (Continent) • Chesapeake • Tidewater

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-70 of 70)

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  • Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture, Manual for Comprehensive Artifact Catalog (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Gregory Brown.

    Manual for the use of the comprehensive artifact catalog associated with the Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project. Also linked to the Coding Conventions for the comprehensive artifact catalog.

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Sandys (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Sandys (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Sandys (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Rich Neck (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Rich Neck (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Rich Neck (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Reverend Buck (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Reverend Buck (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Posey (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Posey (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Patuxent Point (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Patuxent Point (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Patuxent Point (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Old Chapel Field (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Old Chapel Field (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Mattapany (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Mattapany (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Mattapany (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from King's Reach (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from King's Reach (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from King's Reach (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Jordan's Journey (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Jordan's Journey (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Homewood's Lot (2004)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Homewood's Lot (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Homewood's Lot (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Compton (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Compton (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Compton (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Clifts Plantation (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Clifts Plantation (2004)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Chaney's Hills (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Chaney's Hills (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Chaney's Hills (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Chalkley (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Chalkley (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Chalkley (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Carter's Grove Site CG-8 (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Carter's Grove Site CG-8 (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Camden (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Camden (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Midden Analysis Charts from Burle's Town Land (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Midden analysis charts produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Burle's Town Land (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Burle's Town Land (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Images from Bennett's Point (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact images produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • Artifact Distribution Maps from Bennett's Point (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Artifact distribution maps produced for the Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture project

  • The Importance of Plow Zone Archaeology (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Julia King.

    In the last 25 years, a number of studies have emerged demonstrating that, while vertical stratigraphy is indeed destroyed by plowing, the horizontal or spatial distribution of materials is affected only minimally. Artifacts recovered from plow zone contexts are usually found close to where they were both used and discarded, with important implications for examining the spatial layout of archaeological sites. Distributions of plow zone artifacts and soil chemicals have been used to identify room...

  • An Analysis of Marked and Decorated White Clay Tobacco Pipes from the Lower Patuxent Drainage (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Katherine D. Cavallo.

    This paper examines the types, quantities, and distributions of marked and decorated white clay tobacco pipes from four 17th century archaeological sites located along the lower Patuxent River in southern Maryland. Although marked pipes often account for a relatively small percentage of total pipe assemblages, important patterns in both their temporal and spatial distribution are clearly evident. For example, even though records indicate that Bristol pipemaker Llewellin Evans was working from...

  • On Living and Dying in the Colonial Chesapeake (2005)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    A group of scholars interested in the daily lives and social and cultural relationships of the inhabitants of the Colonial Chesapeake developed the project A Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Beginning in the fall of 2003 we began collecting information from 18 rural 17th to 18th century archaeological sites in Maryland and Virginia into digital form....

  • A Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture: Project Update (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    In 2003, a consortium of researchers at various institutions undertook the project, ‘A Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture,’ funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. This project is designed to document and interpret the interactions between the multiple groups that made up the Chesapeake society by comparing material culture recovered from various colonial sites in Maryland and Virginia. The...

  • Locally-Made Tobacco Pipes in the Colonial Chesapeake (2005)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text C. Jane Cox. Al Luckenbach. Dave Gadsby. Shawn Sharpe.

    Tobacco pipes made in the colonial Chesapeake are often referred to as “terra-cotta” pipes. Made of local clays, they often exhibit a brown, reddish, earthen color, though they also come in a fascinating array of colors from orange to pink to almost pure white. These New World products have been fascinating Tidewater archaeologists for decades. Who in colonial society most likely produced and used terra-cotta pipes has been an ongoing discussion for over three decades. Theories have...

  • Measuring the Advent of Gentility (2005)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Dennis J. Pogue.

    My own long-term interest has been to trace the process by which English cultural norms were adapted to New World conditions, to provide insight into why that adaptation occurred, and to assess the role of material culture in effecting that change. As such these are the kinds of questions that have been in the air at least since the 1970s, but which require a rich corpus of comparative and regionally representative evidence in order for archaeologists to have any hope of success in answering...

  • Archaeological Indicators of Native American Influences on English Life in the Colonial Chesapeake (2005)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Edward E. Chaney.

    All too often, archaeological studies of the Contact Period, as it occurred in the Chesapeake Bay region, have focused on the European impact on Native American life. The opposite side of this interaction—the effects Indians had on colonial life—has been downplayed. Indian-made artifacts found on colonial sites are often seen as little more than indicators of “trade.” However, a closer examination of the evidence suggests that the Native impact on English settlers was more profound. Using data...

  • Notions of Comfort in the Early Colonial Chesapeake (2005)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Philip Levy. John Coombs. David Muraca.

    In previous papers we have sought to use archaeological data to rethink some of the reigning assumptions about life in colonial Chesapeake, and move toward a new vision of an early colonial Virginia “frontier.” Our work has focused principally on a few sites in the Virginia tidewater and along the upper reaches of the Rappahannock spanning the years between 1640 and 1760. Last year, for example, we used the artifactual and architectural data from a circa 1690 Rappahannock plantation to argue...

  • Digital Technology in Comparative Studies (2005)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Catherine Alston.

    Conducting comparative archaeological studies is a trend that has developed over the past few decades, and with each project the concept and methodologies become more and more robust. In doing such comparative projects, digital technologies are essential for a successful study. Due to a comprehensive database set and the ability to spatially map the material culture recovered at the sites, the project “A Comparative Archaeological Study of Colonial Chesapeake Culture” is proving to be a powerful...

  • An Enigmatic Monarch: The Biography of a Headless, Mold-made, White Pipe Clay Pipe King Recovered in 17th Century Maryland (2007)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Anne Dowling Grulich.

    This article follows a diminutive, headless, seventeenth century pipe clay figurine of a king from its conception in post-medieval Europe through its use, interment, and rebirth three centuries later in southern Maryland, USA. It is not so much the monarch it represents or the historical figure who owned it, but the meanings embodied by the artifact and our role in that process that this biography develops. This battered 300 year old figurine beckons us with its props and its demeanor. ...

  • Archaeological Addendum to the Camden National Historic Landmark, Caroline County, Virginia (1986)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Mary Ellen N. Hodges.

    The Camden National Historic Landmark is located along the south side of the Rappahannock River, approximately two kilometers downriver from the town of Port Royal in Caroline County, Virginia. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places November 17, 1969, Camden was designated a National Historic Landmark November 11, 1971. The 1969 nomination form described the Camden manor house, constructed 1857-1859, as "one of the most complete and best preserved Italianate country houses in...

  • The Camden Site (1969)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Howard MacCord.

    The Camden Site was the site of a single cabin, occupied about 1680 by an Indian family which had come to the site from the Potomac Valley. Assuming that the silver medal found in the site belonged to the occupant, we can identify him as the chief of the Machotick tribe. The styles of tobacco pipes and domestic ceramics were undergoing change from prehistoric wares to the Colono-Indian wares, known to have continued in use well into the 18th Century in Tidewater Virginia. Stone tools were...

  • The "Manner House" Before Stratford (Discovering the Clifts Plantation) (1980)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Fraser Neiman.

    Stratford Hall, located in Westmoreland County, Virginia, was built about 1730 by Thomas Lee, scion of a family which has produced some of the most illustrious individuals in our nation's history. It stands today as one of the most famous mansions of the Colonial period. In contrast, The Clifts Plantation, located a little more than half a mile from the Lees' great brick house, was, until recent archaeological excavations uncovered it, known only to the farmers who for the last two hundred and...

  • Field Archaeology of the Clifts Plantation Site, Westmoreland County, Virginia (1980)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Fraser Neiman.

    Between 1976 and 1979, archaeological investigations were undertaken at The Clifts Plantation Site (.44 WM 33), located at Stratford, Westmoreland County Virginia. The excavation were funded by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. to the Robert E. Lee Memorial Association, and overseen by the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission and the Virginia Research Center for Archaeology. The following report is intended as a foundation for the work that is still to be done. It presents an...

  • Beef, Venison, and Imported Haddock in Colonial Virginia: A Report on the Analysis of Faunal Remains from Jordan's Journey (1996)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Joanne Bowen.

    In 1984, Henry Miller completed his synthesis of dietary patterns in the Chesapeake, beginning with the first years of settlement as the colonists began to establish plantations and following with how dietary patterns changed as the plantation economy evolved. In this very important piece of work, Miller observed that wildlife helped to sustain the colonists through the early years. On the average, wildlife (excepting oysters and crabs) provided up to 30% of all meat consumed. Only later,...

  • Archaeological Excavations at Jordan's Point: Sites 44PG151, 44PG300, 44PG302, 44PG303, 44PG315, 44PG333 (1995)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Tim Morgan. Nicholas M. Luccketti. Beverly Straube. S. Fiona Bessey. Annette Loomis. Charles Hodges.

    This volume is a technical report on the excavations of six archaeological sites at Jordan's Point: 44PG151, 44PG300, 44PG302, 44PG303, 44PG315, and 44PG333. It is the fourth in a series of reports on archaeological investigations at Jordan's Point sponsored primarily by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (VDHR) Threatened Sites Program. The first three volumes were written by the Virginia Commonwealth University Archaeological Research Center (VCU-ARC) on excavations conducted by...

  • Jordan's Journey: A Preliminary Report on the 1992 Excavations at Archaeological Sites 44PG302, 44PG303, and 44PG315 (1993)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Douglas C. McLearen. L. Daniel Mouer. Donna M. Boyd. Douglas W. Owsley. Bertita Compton.

    This report presents technical information and preliminary interpretations of the results of archaeological studies conducted during the period March 1992-October 1993 at three sites on Jordan’s Point, Prince George County, Virginia. The studies were conducted as part of an on-going effort to rescue vital archaeological materials and data threatened by development on the Point. Four sites received considerable attention this year, but one of those — 44PG307 — will be the subject of a separate...

  • Jordan's Journey: A Preliminary Report on Archaeology at Site 44Pg302, Prince George County, Virginia, 1990-1991 (1992)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text L. Daniel Mouer. Douglas C. McLearen. R. Taft Kiser. Christopher P. Egghart. Beverly Binns. Dane Magoon.

    Archaeological site 44Pg302 comprises the remains of the household complex founded by Samuel Jordan, his wife Cicely, her daughters, and their adult male servants. For present purposes, we have estimated the dates of occupation of the site as encompassing the fifteen-year period between ca. 1620 and ca. 1635. In the 1620's, the new settlement of Jordan's Journey was one of the largest English enclaves in what was then referred to as "the upper parts" of James River, and was included within...

  • The Archaeology of Rich Neck Plantation (44WB52): Description of the Features (2003)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text David Muraca. Philip Levy. Leslie McFaden.

    In 1988, two boys found several artifacts while playing on a road construction site that was part of a new housing development. Accompanied by their parents, the boys brought their finds into Colonial Williamsburg’s archaeology laboratory to see if the fragments were important. The curators at the lab are frequently called on to identify recently unearthed objects, most of which turn out to be modern castoffs. Once in a great while, however, someone comes in with an artifact that is an...

  • Interim Report: The Archaeology of Rich Neck Plantation (1999)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Leslie McFaden. Philip Levy. David Muraca. Jennifer Jones.

    This manuscript is presented as an interim report on the archaeological investigation of Rich Neck Plantation (state site 44WB52), in Williamsburg, Virginia. Chapter 1 provides a project background and a brief physical description, including the environs of the site and a list of those responsible for the excavation. Chapter 2 recounts the history of the property. Chapter 3 describes the excavation strategy and summarizes the results from 1993 through 1998. Chapters 4 and 5 present...

  • Archaeological Excavations at 44JC568, The Reverend Richard Buck Site (1999)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Seth Mallios.

    Archaeologists from the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA), excavated archaeological site 44JC568 during the summers of 1996 and 1997. The work in 1996 was conducted from June 17th to July 26th by 13 field school students earning credits from the University of Virginia. In 1997, 18 field school students, again earning credits from the University of Virginia, worked at the site from June 30th to July 25th. Archaeologists named the site after the area’s first...

  • Archaeology of a Seventeenth-Century Houselot at Martin's Hundred, Virginia (2004)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Andrew Edwards.

    In his celebrated 1982 volume on Martin’s Hundred, Ivor Noël Hume wove a fascinating narrative of early seventeenth-century life in Tidewater Virginia, intertwined with archaeological sleuthing, murder, war, and intrigue, reminiscent of an Agatha Christie mystery novel. Unlike most books dealing with archaeological subjects, the reading is engaging, conjuring images of massacre and mayhem at early Martin’s Hundred. The characters Noël Hume portrays—Harwood, Kingston, “Granny”—tend to be like...

  • At the Edge of the Precipice: Frontier Ventures, Jamestown's Hinterlands, and the Archaeology of 44JC802 (2000)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Seth Mallios.

    From 1996-98, archaeologists under the direction of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities’ (APVA) Jamestown Rediscovery project excavated site 44JC802. In the summer of 1996, APVA staff members instructed and supervised work at the site by 13 field-school students enrolled in a University of Virginia (UVa) archaeological field school. A full-time crew of excavators continued digging from November 1997 to August 1998. Field school students, again affiliated with a UVa...