Revisiting Williamsburg’’s First Two Reconstructions: Using 3D Modeling to Reexamine and Reinterpret the Raleigh Tavern and Capitol

Summary

Archaeology in Williamsburg has been ongoing since the restoration and reconstruction of Williamsburg began in the 1920s, although the methods used have certainly evolved over time. While we cannot re-excavate an area destroyed during the reconstruction process, technology can be an effective tool for reassessing and reinterpreting the evidence, including any more recent data that may have surfaced since a site was first excavated and reconstructed. 3D modeling is one effective approach for testing and visualizing archaeological data. In the first phase of developing Virtual Williamsburg, an interactive 3D model of Williamsburg in 1776, we recreated the town’s east end. Two of the sites modeled included the first two buildings reconstructed as part of the restoration: the Raleigh Tavern and the Capitol. This paper will explore how 3D visualization has been used to reexamine and reinterpret these two important sites and brought to light new information about these iconic structures.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Discovering what Counts in Archaeology and Reconstruction: Lessons from Colonial Williamsburg   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-9,07