Nelson County, VA – Archaeologists have recovered a lost colonial community in Nelson County. Cabellsville was the Amherst County seat in the 16th century, and then later became a part of Nelson County.
Nelson County, VA – Archaeologists have recovered a lost colonial community in Nelson County. Cabellsville was the Amherst County seat in the 16th century, and then later became a part of Nelson County.For a while all that was left of Cabellsville were folk tales passed on to one generation after another. But now archaeologists are bringing this town back to life.. piece by piece.
If the trees on the Clements’ farm could talk, they might tell you about a young and curious Lauren Anderson gardening with her grandmother. “We’d probably be in the yard picking flowers” said Anderson.
They might tell you about the previous owner of that Nelson County property. “Elizabeth Wells, I try to picture what it was like her being here”. But if you listen really carefully they might let you in on a little secret. “There was a community here and it needs to be known. It’s calling out to me to be found” said Anderson.
For centuries folks in Amherst and Nelson County would pass down stories of the lost village of Cabellsville, a village that archaeologists have now uncovered in Anderson’s own backyard. “You could characterize this as a jackpot” said Archaeologist Keith Adams.
Adams says this painting of an oral depiction of what the Cabellsville courthouse might’ve looked like is the only image they have of the colonial town. But on the ground they’ve found so much more, they even found the old county jail.
“Architectural materials, nails, bricks and mortar were the largest amount of anything” said Adams.
But they say these discoveries are just the tip of the iceberg for them. “This is Cabellsville, and I can only imagine when they had a community here how much they enjoyed it. It’s beautiful” said Anderson.
Keith Adams says they don’t have an end date yet. He says finishing up this project will all come down to funding.
But what would help them immensely is if anyone had a photo of the old Cabellsville courthouse before the last standing property burned down.
Article courtesy of WSET
http://www.wset.com/story/29762075/archaeologist-dig-up-lost-colonial-town-in-nelson-county