The Rise of the Cedars: 2014-2015 Investigations at the Cox Farm in Georgetown

Summary

In 2014 the District Public Schools began extensive construction and renovation of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, the former Western High School. Portions of the building date to the last decade of the 19th century, the former location of The Cedars residence, the home of the Cox family. The few photographs and descriptions of The Cedars were thought to be all that remained due to the construction of the school.  Stantec and EHT Traceries undertook archaeological and archival investigations prior to the proposed construction, and these investigations exposed an unanticipated wealth of information on the Cox family and their farm, including the eastern foundation of The Cedars, and almost 2,000 artifacts. We examine how the Cox farm and The Cedars reflect the processes and impacts that the post-Civil War prosperity in Washington, D.C. had on the rural character of what once had been the "County of Washington."

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Urban Public Archaeology of the Washington, D.C. Region   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 439