Uncovering an Unusual Feature: Contextualizing Coan Hall’s Site 3

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Current Research on Virginia Plantations: Reexamining Historic Landscapes" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Coan Hall is a 17th-century multicomponent site along the Coan River in Northumberland County, Virginia. John Mottrom and members of his household were the first English colonists in the area, moving into the homelands of the Sekakawon. By the time of Mottrom’s death in 1655, a manor house, plantation store, brewhouse, and quarter stood on the property. Mottrom also held court in his house as county justice. Starting in 2016, an area dubbed “Site 3” was excavated northeast of the plantation core by archaeologists from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Further excavation has since revealed a large feature, extending approximately 15 feet north-south and at least 30 feet east-west. This feature contains both Indigenous- and European-made artifacts dating to the 17th century, including hundreds of tobacco pipe fragments. Although excavations are ongoing, this paper attempts to contextualize Site 3 within the larger site area.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Current Research on Virginia Plantations: Reexamining Historic Landscapes   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology