Peripheral Middling Plantations: The Late Antebellum Period at James Madison's Montpelier

Summary

The Arlington, Dr. Madison, and Bloomfield plantations were constructed in the early 19th century, surrounding James Madison's Montpelier in Orange County, Virginia. While these plantations are peripheral to the Madison property history, comparing these middling plantations is important to a holistic understanding of the late antebellum landscape in Virginia. Arlington House acts as an essential resource to the public archaeology initiatives of the institution by providing housing for the public programs. The goal of this paper is to reconstruct the history of Arlington House and the adjacent plantations through an analysis of archaeological, historical, and oral records. Comparing these plantations will provide participants of Montpelier's public archaeology programs, as well as the general public, with acces to the history of Arlington House and its neighboring plantations as they fit into the larger late antebellum landscape. This will act to further the public engagement initiatives at Montpelier.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Narratives Not Forgotten: New Directions in Plantation Archaeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 541