BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va.
An activist group has started an archaeological dig at the former site of two slave dwellings at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield to search for artifacts on the site.
In February, two historic slave dwellings were relocated in Botetourt County to make room for an industrial shell building. People digging at the site said they are optimistic they’ll uncover history before construction begins.
“It’s not like going to Charlottesville and hearing about, you know, their slaves,” said Lisa Farmer, vice president of the Friends of Greenfield Preston Plantation. “This is our own unique spot of history right here.”
The Friends of Greenfield Preston Plantation have been opposed to the relocation of the slave homes and construction on the site. Several archaeologists and volunteers are helping with this dig after artifacts were already found in an initial survey, including ceramic shards and nails, Farmer said.
“It was really exciting to be a part of that – to see things and hold them in your hand that haven’t been touched since the 1750’s,” she said.
“It represents some of the earliest European inhabitation of the area,” said Keith Adams, an archaeologist who is serving as site director for the dig.
The team is digging on one area that might have been a cellar used to store valuables, he said.
“We may well be digging up information about an enslaved population for which there is very little written history,” Adams said.
“There’s good preservation here in that there are features that are in the ground that have materials in them, and they have not been disturbed, amazingly,” said Jack Gary, president of the Council of Virginia Archaeologists.
The county wants to start construction of the shell building soon, Farmer said. Volunteers will be working at the site for two weeks, she added.
The Friends of Greenfield Preston Plantation are still seeking donations to fund the second week of their dig.
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Courtesy of http://www.virginiafirst.com/news/local-news/activists-begin-archaeological-dig-at-former-site-of-slave-dwellings#.V0bg4JBMWgI.facebook