University Field Schools
Artist's impression of the South Yard Complex at James Madison's Montpelier.
Montpelier has hosted field schools for two decades, with James Madison University field school starting in 1987, and SUNY Potsdam field school in 2002 (now the Montpelier Archaeology Field School). While linked to two specific colleges, the Montpelier Archaeology Field School has been attended by students from the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Mary Washington, SUNY Potsdam, and Sweetbriar.
The dates for the 2008 field schools are:
- James Madison University: May 12 to June 12, 2008.
- Montpelier Archaeology Field School: July 1 to July 25, 2008 (accredited through SUNY Potsdam).
This year, we will be opening units in the "South Yard" of the mansion where the Madison's domestic slave quarters were located. The homes of these slaves were razed in the 1850s and it was not until 2002 with the discovery of an insurance map allowed us to understand the full extent of this complex — two smokehouses and three duplexes. Combined with archaeology carried out on the detached brick kitchen and one of the duplexes in the 1990s, we have conjectural ideas of what this area looked like.
During the summer of 2008, we will be testing these ideas to reveal the full extent of the yards by excavating the chimney bases, trash deposits, yard features, and work surfaces. Back in the laboratory, students will help wash and sort artifacts, float soil samples for botanical remains, and enter data into a computer database.
During the field school, students stay in our intern house, Arlington House — Please contact on the link, left, for more information on the intern house.
More information on the field school curriculum will be available shortly. In the interim, for more information please contact Dr. Matthew Reeves using the Montpelier contact form, selecting "Archaeology" as the contact department, or call (540) 672-2728 x160.
The SUNY Potsdam 2006 Archaeology field school and Montpelier Archaeology Department staff standing outside the front of the mansion after a month of excavation and learning.