The Accotink Quarter

Summary

The Accotink Quarter was a circa 1720 to 1769 outlying tobacco plantation quarter site in Fairfax County, Virginia. Intact historic features and artifact deposits indicated the location of an overseer’s house and a dwelling for enslaved laborers. The overseer during the late period of the occupation was identified from store accounts where his purchases of various goods for himself and the quarter were documented. A total of 1,400 colonoware sherds representing a minimum of 197 vessels were recovered at the site. This assemblage appears to be one of the largest and best preserved in Virginia. Research at the Accotink Quarter provided insight into the lives of the enslaved laborers and overseers that occupied the site in the 18th century. Major issues in the archeology of regional slavery including the lifeways and material culture of the enslaved and overseers, ethnicity, agency, and plantation provisioning were re-considered in view of findings at the site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Good Questions Met by Archaeological Revelations   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-35,16