Archaeology at Montpelier

Glass seal from a wine bottle recovered from the kitchen cellar at Mount Pleasant.

One year after Montpelier's acquisition by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1984, archaeological surveys began on the 2,650-acre property. The results of these surveys indicated the rich history that lay beneath the soil at Montpelier. Not only are there sites relating to the occupation of the Madison-era plantation, but those relating to Native Americans, freed African Americans, rural industry, and 19th- and 20th-century sites of homes and work areas. Since that time, close to 100 prehistoric and historic sites have been identified and recorded, and a half dozen have been the focus of intensive archaeological investigation.

One of the most important contributions that archaeology has made to the interpretation of Montpelier was to determine how the landscape has changed since the Madisons first acquired the property in 1723. This research has produced exciting finds that offer insight into the lives of the Madison family, the enslaved African Americans who worked on the estate, and the post-Madison occupation of the property by freed slaves and Civil War soldiers.

Since the 1987 survey, many additional areas of Montpelier have been surveyed in conjunction with construction, research projects, and more than 15 years of archaeological field schools. Any activities that have the potential to disturb archaeological sites on the property are closely monitored or tested prior to construction. This work has the combined benefit of ensuring that no sites will be disturbed during our tenure on the property, allowing us to gather new information on how people have used the landscape at Montpelier.

The Montpelier Archaeology Department has focused on five major sites:

Map of Montpelier showing locations of sites within the historic core.
[Click picture for larger image.]

In all of these excavations, archaeologists have been able to piece together enough evidence to reconstruct their layout and occupational history, and develop an idea of the living conditions from the material culture.  Excavations at all of these sites have substantially improved the picture available from documentary records alone. 

More information for many of these archaeological sites can be obtained from the Technical Reports section of the website as downloadable PDF.

For more information on our current excavations and recent finds, please visit the Montpelier Archaeology Department's 'Blog: The Latest Dirt.