Whose Midden is it Anyway? : Exploring the Origins of the Southwest Yard Midden at James Madison's Montpelier

Summary

During the 2014 field season, the Montpelier Archaeology Department sampled an area known as the Southwest Yard. A large midden containing approximately 14,300 individual faunal elements and fragments was found. The Southwest Yard is located in close proximity to the domestic enslaved living and working area known as the South Yard, suggesting the midden could belong to the enslaved community. Within the South Yard, however, is an 18th century kitchen known as the South Kitchen. I will look at the ceramic cross-mends between the South Yard and the Southwest Yard to identify whether the midden is associated with the enslaved community or the South Kitchen, as well as explore the landscape between these sites to understand how the midden was formed. This paper is part of a larger project which will examine the faunal remains at Montpelier.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Space and Place in the African Diaspora: Assessing Household Context within a Virginia Plantation   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 914