Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 249: Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology

In Short

This collection of three archaeological reports details excavations in Gloucester and James City counties, Virginia, alongside a historical investigation into an 18th-century Yorktown pottery operation. By examining everything from rotted cellar floorboards and discarded clay tobacco pipes to the probate inventories of wealthy merchants, the book bridges the gap between physical remnants and colonial records. It is a foundational document for historical archaeology, demonstrating how small, seemingly insignificant household objects—when placed in their proper stratigraphic context—can reveal the economic struggles and daily lives of early American settlers.

The Story

The narrative arc of these reports begins with the urgent necessity of rescue archaeology. The researchers face a landscape where the march of time, modern development, and bulldozers threaten to erase the physical record of the colonial past. The first two sections document excavations at Clay Bank and Tutter’s Neck. In both instances, the authors arrive at sites damaged by prior land clearing or construction. They do not attempt total site clearance, which is often unfeasible, but rather employ a surgical approach—carefully trenching across foundations to capture the stratigraphic narrative before it is lost forever. They uncover domestic refuse pits, remnants of kitchens, and building foundations, treating a broken wine bottle or a rusted saw blade as a primary historical document.

The investigation transitions from the soil to the archive in the final section, which centers on the mysterious "Poor Potter" of Yorktown. Here, the story shifts to the intersection of personal ambition and imperial policy. Historical records, such as probate inventories and reports from royal governors, paint a picture of a man named William Rogers who defied the British Board of Trade’s efforts to suppress colonial manufacturing. By cross-referencing these documents with the physical evidence of stoneware mugs, bowls, and kiln waste recovered from the site, the authors reconstruct the scale and eventual decline of his operation.

The arc concludes not with a finality of discovery, but with a sense of ongoing inquiry. The authors openly acknowledge the gaps in their findings—missing court records, destroyed topsoil, and the limitations of current technology. They leave these sites in a state of stabilized memory, often marking them for future generations of archaeologists who may return with better tools and fresher eyes. The book concludes by validating the "Poor Potter" not merely as a failed businessman, but as a representative of a broader colonial resistance—an individual caught between the domestic desire for self-sufficiency and the rigid, suffocating economic demands of the British Crown. The final pages shift from the site reports to the broader historical context of these artifacts, ensuring that the reader understands the pots, pipes, and tools as pieces of a larger, defiant colonial puzzle.

How It Unfolds

The rescue mission begins The authors introduce the sites as fragile, threatened landscapes where recent construction has already caused irreversible damage. They establish that the primary goal is to extract as much historical data as possible before the remaining evidence is lost to modern land use or environmental decay.

The process of excavation The reports detail the meticulous, incremental process of stripping away layers of fill and documenting post holes, charred wood, and structural remains. They emphasize the importance of stratigraphy, noting that the depth at which an object is found is just as critical to its meaning as the object itself.

The analysis of refuse Each section shifts focus to the "trash" left behind by past inhabitants, such as oyster shells, broken ceramics, and tobacco pipes. By studying the wear patterns on these items, the authors piece together the daily habits and economic status of those who lived in these structures.

The documentary connection The book moves from the field into the colonial archives, linking the physical artifacts to specific historical figures like the merchant-potter William Rogers. The narrative shows how a court order or a will can provide the context necessary to understand why a specific kiln or dwelling existed.

Reflections on the colonial economy The concluding analysis steps back to address the larger picture of British colonial policy and the systemic efforts to stifle local industry. The findings suggest that the site's history is a microcosm of the tension between colonial autonomy and imperial control.

The People

The central figures are not only the historical actors, but the archaeologists themselves—Ivor Noël Hume and C. Malcolm Watkins. Noël Hume acts as the observant, methodical detective in the field, guiding the reader through the physical complexities of soil strata and the subtle differences in clay-pipe bowls. He possesses an expert’s eye for detail, noticing when a pottery handle’s shape suggests a "miserable" or "stubby" quality, indicating the work of an unskilled apprentice.

In the final section, C. Malcolm Watkins takes the lead to investigate William Rogers. Rogers emerges as a complex, ambitious figure—a man of "great affluence" who operated a business that the British authorities viewed with suspicion. Through the records of his estate, we see him not as a "poor potter," but as a man who owned enslaved people, operated a fleet of ships, and possessed a "neat picture of King Charles the Second." His story is contested by the Royal Governor, Gooch, who dismisses the business as a failure, contrasting with the archaeological evidence of a thriving pottery workshop. These people are defined by what they left behind: Rogers by his pots and legal disputes, and the archaeologists by their rigorous, disciplined interpretation of the debris left in the wake of his life.

In Its Own Voice

"Regardless of these limitations it was possible to obtain full details of the surviving remains of both the dwelling and its associated kitchen, as well as recovering a number of informative groups of domestic artifacts from trash pits under and around the latter structure."

This passage highlights the author's focus on extracting maximum historical value from site fragments.

"The poor potter is Dead, and the business of making potts & panns, is of little advantage to his Family, and as little Damage to the Trade of our Mother Country."

This quote from a 1741 colonial report encapsulates the condescending attitude of British officials toward American industry.

"It should be noted that whereas the colonial artifacts that have been excavated from Marlborough and Rosewell provide a useful range of household items... the Tutter's Neck material belongs only to the first 40 years of that century, with the emphasis largely upon the first decade."

The authors explain the chronological significance of specific excavation sites in Virginia.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an argument for the evidentiary power of mundane objects. It asks how we can reconstruct a society when its official records are incomplete, destroyed, or intentionally misleading. The book treats the ground beneath our feet as a library of sorts, where broken shards and rusted tools are the pages. It explores the tension between the official narrative of the British Empire—which sought to keep colonies economically infantile—and the gritty, industrious reality of colonial life. The central question is whether history is best found in the grand decrees of governors or in the discarded, everyday items of the people who actually built and inhabited the American frontier.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the slow, methodical process of discovery will find this book deeply rewarding. It offers a rare, "behind-the-scenes" look at the birth of modern historical archaeology, showing how much labor and intellectual rigor goes into turning a handful of dirt into a coherent historical argument. There is a distinct, quiet pleasure in watching the authors solve a mystery, such as identifying the "bird bottles" that were once dismissed as trash, only to find them mortared into an old chimney as housing for martins.

However, the reader must be prepared for the technical nature of the text. It is a scientific bulletin, not a popular history; the prose is dry, precise, and heavily focused on stratigraphic detail and artifact classification. The writing reflects the attitudes of its 1968 publication date, particularly in its clinical, detached approach to the human lives (including the enslaved people mentioned in the inventories) who appear only as names and statistics in a list of household goods. If you are interested in the material culture of early Virginia and are willing to engage with the patient, unglamorous work of field research, this book provides an essential and grounding experience that stays with you, changing the way you look at the landscape of the past.