Archaeological Field School in Virginia
Wingos Quarter

Overview

In the late 18th century, Wingos was home to a community of enslaved Africans and African Americans and a white overseer and his family who raised tobacco and subsistence crops. Wingos was part of the larger Poplar Forest plantation owned by Thomas Jefferson. The site sits at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is approximately 30 miles east of Roanoke, Virginia. It is currently a privately-owned cattle farm.

Thomas Jefferson inherited Poplar Forest from his father-in-law, John Wayles, who is believed to have introduced enslaved workers to the property in the 1760s. While Poplar Forest is best known as the site of Jefferson’s retirement retreat, it was also a tobacco and wheat plantation where more than 135 enslaved men, women, and children lived and worked. Previous excavations at Poplar Forest have uncovered the remains of two quarters dating from the late 18th through the first decade of the 19th centuries. The book Hidden Lives, the Archaeology of Slave Life at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest summarizes the results of excavations at one of these quarters.

Excavations at Wingos are part of a long-term study that aims to:

Understand the diverse experiences of enslaved people living at Thomas Jefferson’s plantations in Albemarle and Bedford Counties relating to material culture, family formation and kinship networks, and economic activities. Interpret slavery as an important part of the Jefferson story. Contribute to a growing comparative archaeological database on New World slavery, online at www.daacs.org

During the first summer term of 2008, students will conduct excavations on a hilltop that previous archaeological excavation and historic documents indicate was the location of the Wingos quarter. Our goals will be to locate and document dwellings (size, composition, siting), yard spaces, and artifact assemblages. Our work will provide information for studying subsistence activities (hunting, gardening, gathering), small-scale economic production for market, and consumer behavior within the quarter.

Students will learn basic field and laboratory techniques, and artifact identification. Some joint lectures will be held in conjunction with the nearby Poplar Forest field school, and participants will have the opportunity to tour that site. Other field trips to area historic sites are also scheduled.

The first term summer session will run from June 2- July 3, 2008. The course will provide 5 hours of undergraduate (Anthropology 430) or graduate credit (Anthropology 530).

Tuition and Other Costs

You must be enrolled as a UT student to take this course.

Housing:
Approximate housing cost at Lynchburg College (35 nights): $1021.00*
(*Students will only be billed for the nights they are in the room, so the cost may be somewhat lower if you travel on weekends)

Other Costs:
Class fee: $200 (covers procedures manual, field and lab costs and supplies, and field trip housing and fees)

Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation to Virginia and to and from the site each day. We will carpool for the field trips. Students are also responsible for the cost of all meals and incidental expenses.

Application Procedure

By April 1, send the following information to Dr. Barbara Heath

• Personal information: full name, home address, telephone number and email address
• One page letter stating your reasons for wanting to participate in this class and outlining any prior archaeological experience (although prior experience is not necessary to participate).
• A doctor’s statement showing good physical health.

Students will be notified of acceptance by April 7.

For answers to additional questions please contact Barbara J. Heath, Department of Anthropology, 250 S. Stadium Hall, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37997-0720. 865-974-1098. email bheath2@utk.edu