Archaeology of an 18th and 19th Century Homesite of Enslaved Families

Location: The Montpelier Foundation, 13384 Laundry Rd, Montpelier Station, VA 22957, USA

Season: January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025

Session Dates: MARCH LAB EXPEDITION (MARCH 9-14, 2025); APRIL ARCHAEOLOGY AND ARBORISTRY EXPEDITION (APRIL 6-11, 2025), APRIL COOKING AND ARCHAEOLOGY EXPEDITION (APRIL 20-25, 2025); MAY ARCHAEOLOGY AND ORAL HISTORY EXPEDITION (MAY 4-9, 2025), ANNUAL FIELD SCHOOL (MAY 28-JULY 3, 2025), EARLY JULY HIGH SCHOOL EXPEDITION (JULY 13-18, 2025), LATE JULY HIGH SCHOOL EXPEDITION (JULY 27-AUGUST 1, 2025) , MID AUGUST COLLEGIATE ARCHAEOLOGY EXPEDITION (AUGUST 10-15, 2025), SEPTEMBER MASONRY EXPEDITION (SEPTEMBER 7-12, 2025), SEPTEMBER ARCHAEOLOGY AND BLACKSMITHING EXPEDITION (SEPTEMBER 21-26, 2025), EARLY OCTOBER EXCAVATION EXPEDITION (OCTOBER 5-10, 2025), LATE OCTOBER METAL DETECTING AND EXCAVATION EXPEDITION (OCTOBER 19-24, 2025) EQUESTRIAN LANDSCAPE EXPEDITION AND HUNT RACE EXPERIENCE (OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 1, 2025)

Application Deadline: December 31, 2025

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://www.montpelier.org/archaeology

Program Type:
Field School, Volunteer

RPA Certified:
This project is an RPA certified field school

Affiliation:
The Montpelier Foundation

Project Director:
Matthew Reeves

Project Description:

What makes Montpelier a wonderful property for surveys and excavations is its relatively undisturbed condition. All of the sites we excavate have never been plowed–and most were abandoned in the 1840s, leaving the archaeological features in pristine condition.

During the 2025 Expedition Season, we will be working at Walnut Hollow, a site on the property near the famed Temple where metal detector surveys located several structures believed to be homes for enslaved families, that date from the 1780s-1830s. During some of the programs this season, we will also be excavating an 18th-century blacksmith shop located adjacent to the Temple.  Additionally, this year we are offering a number of programs that feature experimental archaeology including cooking, masonry and blacksmithing.  Finally, we will be offering one program that includes a focus on the use of metal detectors for survey work,a second program that includes the gathering of undertold history through an oral history workshop and a final program that explores Montpelier’s equestrian landscape.  We will be working in conjunction and consultation with the Montpelier Descendants Committee during the excavation season.. 

The LEARN Archaeology Expedition program has been operating at Montpelier for a decade-and-a-half, with many of the same attendees returning year after year. That being said, we love to see new faces on our programs! All of the excavation programs give participants actual excavation experience on an archaeological site working side-by-side with trained professional archaeologists. We have a staff of six archaeologists who work with participants both in the lab and in the field, which means you have personal interaction with archaeological staff and this allows you to work on sensitive features, artifacts, and deposits that normally one would not get to handle. You are treated as a member of the research team and we step you through the entire excavation process. While you are here at Montpelier, you will also be engaged in lectures, and take tours of various archaeological sites on the property in an effort to enhance your understanding of the context of the archaeology.

You can learn about our LEARN Archaeology Expeditions at the following link.

https://www.montpelier.org/visit/excavate-archaeology-expedition/

We also host a month-long university archaeology field school. For more information on this, please see our field school web page.

https://www.montpelier.org/events/archaeology-field-school/

For more information about the Field School or any of our programs, please contact us at dig@montpelier.org

Period(s) of Occupation: Colonial and federal period

Notes:
The Montpelier Archaeology Department believes in the democratization of knowledge and focuses extensively on Public and Community Archaeology. We endeavor to make our programs available to all members of the public and regularly have individuals participate from their teens to their nineties including individuals with physical challenges and/or learning challenges. We endeavor to make Montpelier an inviting and engaging learning environment for all who wish to participate and learn about Archaeology. For those who can only participate remotely we offer monthly Lunch and Learn zoom meetings where you can follow our progress and learn more about our upcoming events. If you would like to be included on our mailing list to learn about the Lunch and Learns and any new programs that we offer please drop us a line at dig@montpelier.org

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 2 days

Minimum Age: 12

Experience Required: none. Participants living on the property who are under 18 years old need an accompanying guardian or parent. Participants under the age of 16 need to be accompanied by a guardian or adult.

Room and Board Arrangements:
Email us at dig@montpelier.org for housing options.