Topic ID #16294 - posted 2/6/2012 8:44 AM

Montpelier Archaeology Field Schools (Virginia, USA) 2012



MATrickett

Montpelier in Orange, VA, is the lifelong home of James Madison, Jr., fourth present of the United States and acknowledged by his peers as the "Father of the Constitution."  While Madison's service to his country would frequently take him from his beloved Montpelier, he would return following his retirement from the Continental Congress, and during his service as Secretary of State under Thomas Jefferson would frequently return to Montpelier during the "malarial months" of summer.  Finally, after two terms of service as president, Madison, Jr. retired to a much-changed Montpelier where he would become known as the "Old Sage of Montpelier."  For the next two decades, visitors would be drawn to Montpelier not only to visit Madison, but to enjoy the famous hospitality of Dolley Madison, the first First Lady.
On Constitution Day, 2008, James Madison's Montpelier celebrated the exterior restoration of the house and announced the "Presidential Detective Story," a program of research that would aim to not only restore the furnishings of the interior of the mansion but look at Madison in the context of 19th-century planter society--as man, planter, and slave owner.  The surveys and excavations over the past three years have expanded our understanding of slavery and plantation life at Montpelier, identifying numerous slave quarters across the property (many of which were occupied by Confederate cavalry during the Civil War).  Most recently, excavations have focused on the domestic slave quarters of the South Yard, the principal stable of the 18th-19th century, and the "Stable Quarter," a home for slaves skilled in carpentry, brick-laying, horse-tending and other skills vital to the operation of a plantation.  
In 2010/2011, the Montpelier Archaeology Department secured a three-year NEH grant to study the enslaved population of the plantation by contrasting the lives of three different communities of slaves whose experience may shed light not only on slavery at Montpelier but also of slavery in Virginia as a whole.  The research focuses around three well preserved and distinct locations: 
  • The South Yard, or the location of the homes for the enslaved domestic servants.  Excavations in the 1990s, and more recently in 2008 and 2011, have revealed structural evidence for three pier-raised, timber-frame duplex structures for six households, a detached kitchen, and two ground-sunk smokehouses.  Substantial quantities of material goods were recovered from this complex of buildings, and the structures themselves contained masonry chimneys and glazed windows.
  • The Field Slave Quarters of the Tobacco Barn Quarter. Initial survey of this area revealed a quantifiable difference between access to material goods recovered, seemingly substantiating the stereotype perpetuated by 18th/19th-century planters that domestic slaves had a higher quality of life (something that historians have show is not the case).  Structures are likely to be log cabins with stick-and-mud chimneys, little or no glazed windows, and clay floors.
  • The Stable Quarter Complex, a liminal area divided by boundaries both physical (fence lines) and conceptual (organization of work and living areas) that lies between the South yard and the Field Slave Quarters.  Survey has revealed that although the material cultural remains are similar to those of the South Yard, the structures themselves are more similar to those presumed in the Tobacco Barn Quarter.
By contrasting the purportedly polar opposites of domestic and field slave domiciles with those of the liminal Stable Quarter Complex, we hope to develop and understanding of the informal trading networks, the organization of domestic work to support the needs of individual households, and the means by which privacy within the home place could be created outside of the pervasive influence and surveillance of plantation owners.

The 2012 Field Season
In 2012, the Montpelier Archaeology Department will return to the South Yard domestic slave quarters to further develop our understanding of this community of African Americans.  Prior to the excavation season, multidisciplinary survey techniques (archaeological, geophysical, metal detecting) have revealed the location of domestic sites and associated yards.  During the excavation season one or more of these sites will be examined to identify architectural (hearths, post holes, sills), cultural features (sub-floor pits, trash pits, yards), and associated material remains that allow us to reconstruct the lifeways of the field laborers within the context of the broader Montpelier community.
The Program
Two separate field school programs are run through James Madison’s Montpelier: 
  • James Madison University: May 15 - June 15, 2012
  • SUNY Plattsburgh: July 1 - July 27, 2012
Each program is accredited through the sponsoring institution (see below) and shares the same syllabus.

The field program itself is comprised of four weeks of excavation coupled with time spent in the laboratory learning fundamental techniques in post-excavation analysis. Each week of the field program is coupled with a thematic series of lectures designed to highlight specific methodological issues:
  • Week 1. 18th and 19th century artifacts—identification, chronology, and status.
  • Week 2. Stratigraphy and Soils—the use and identification of archaeological strata to determine site chronology and depositional history.
  • Week 3. Site Stratum—methodological techniques for analyzing and interpreting site function.
  • Week 4. The Archaeological Assemblage—interpreting an archaeological site from the perspective of the assemblage.
Each week is associated with a brief “weekly project” that aims to reinforce the application of the technique and, along with assessment of field and laboratory performance, provides the primary assessment of the field school. 

A summary of the JMU field school is provided, below: 
  • Credits: 4 or 5.
  • Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Lectures and site visits are in addition to this.
  • Principal Contact: mreeves {at} montpelier {dot} org
  • JMU Faculty: Professor Clarence Geier (Faculty Instructor), Dr. Matthew Reeves, Dr. Mark A. Trickett.
For the SUNY Plattsburgh field school:
  • Credits 6.
  • Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Lectures and site visits are in addition to this.
  • Principal Contact: mreeves {at} montpelier {dot} org
  • SUNY Plattsburgh Faculty: Professor James Armstrong, Dr. Matthew Reeves (Faculty Instructor).
Tuition costs for both field schools are TBA, but are estimated at this juncture to be approximately $1,400.

Accommodation
Field school participants are accommodated in a refurbished 19th-century house set in several acres of private land.  Arlington house has two full kitchens and set of kitchen supplies and applies, though students are required to provide their own meals.  Accommodation is "dormitory style" and includes 8 bedrooms and 5 full bathrooms.
Additional facilities include a high-efficiency washer/dryer, satellite television, and wired satellite internet (please note that there is a Fair Use Policy enforced by the ISP).  An emergency telephone line is included, allowing incoming and outgoing (local only) calls, so students wishing to make long-distance calls with the phone will need a calling card.  Cell reception is patchy.
Cost: $350 for the duration of the field school, which includes an archaeological equipment kit.  There is an additional $50 housing fee that is refunded if fair wear/tear damage is reported, but a proportion will be remaindered if damage is unreported.
Internships
We maintain an active intern program for students who have successfully completed an archaeological field school, most commonly the Montpelier field school.  Paid internships are offered on a limited and competitive basis and are based on both field school performance and assessment by the archaeological staff.  Unpaid internships are also offered.
All applicants for internships should provide a cover letter and up-to-date resume to Dr. Reeves, preferably before the field school.

Montpelier Archaeology Expeditions & Excursions (1-2 week programs)
For students, volunteers, and individuals wishing to have a brief introduction to archaeology, Montpelier offers the Archaeology Expedition programs.  For more information on the Expedition programs please see: http://montpelier.org/expeditions.





Next topic: "When to apply to jobs?"
Previous topic: "Flint Mining Settlement - Field School"
Looking for something else? Show recent posts in Discussion
(c)1996-2011, archaeologyfieldwork.com

Visit our Employment Network websites: archaeologyfieldwork.com - architecturalhistoryjobs.com - cooloutdoorjobs.com - environmentaljobresource.com - geojobsonline.com - museumjobsonline.com - paleojobs.com - sciencegeekjobs.com

For information on advertising on this website, contact webmaster@archaeologyfieldwork.com