Current Interpretations at the "Cemetery" Site at Old Colchester Park and Preserve
Author(s): Erica A. D'Elia
Year: 2016
Summary
The Old Colchester Park and Preserve (OCPP), located in southern Fairfax County along the Occoquan River, was acquired by the Fairfax County Park Authority in 2006. The nearly 145 acres of preserved parkland includes numerous prehistoric and historic sites spanning 10,000 years of human occupation. Prominent among these sites is the colonial tobacco port town of Colchester, ca. 1754-1830. Current excavations are focused on the site immediately adjacent to the cemetery, located about half a mile from downtown Colchester, where archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a brick building foundation. The foundation’s location and morphology have puzzled the research team and several theories as to its function have been proposed including a church, domestic structure, and industrial building. In this paper, I will discuss the artifacts recovered from this site and analyze them in the context of current theories regarding the building’s purpose.
Cite this Record
Current Interpretations at the "Cemetery" Site at Old Colchester Park and Preserve. Erica A. D'Elia. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Washington, D.C. 2016 ( tDAR id: 434756)
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Keywords
General
Colonial
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Port-town
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Virginia
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Temporal Keywords
Colonial
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 633