"Near the Governor's": Patterns of Development of Three Properties Along Williamsburg's Palace and Nicholson Streets in the Eighteenth Century
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W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1990 "Near the Governor's": Patterns of Development of Three Properties along Williamsburg's Palace and Nicholson Streets in the Eighteenth Century Patricia Merle Samford College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Geography Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Samford, Patricia Merle, ""Near the Governor's": Patterns of Development of Three Properties along Williamsburg's Palace and Nicholson Streets in the Eighteenth Century" (1990). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539625584. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-4cdr-c030 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "NEAR THE GOVERNOR’S": PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENT OF THREE PROPERTIES ALONG WILLIAMSBURG’S PALACE AND NICHOLSON STREETS IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Anthropology The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Patricia Samford 1990 APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 0 ^ Patricia Samfcfrd Approved, January 1990 { t u t * . ( I J k k t & s Rita Wright Q Norman Barka Marley R. Brown III TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... vi List of T ables.............................................................................................................. vii List of Figures ....................................................................................................... viii Abstract .................................................................................................................x Chapter I. Introduction ......................................................................................... 2 Study A re a ............................................................................... 2 Study G o a ls ............................................................................. 4 Theoretical Framework.......................................................... 5 Research Design .................................................................. 10 Limitations of the D ata ............................................... 12 The Documentary Sources ...........................................16 The Archaeological Sources........................................ 18 Summary .......................................................................19 Chapter II. A Brief History of Williamsburg ...................................................... 21 Chapter III. Expected Trends Concerning the Development of Williamsburg and Block 29 35 Physical G row th.................................................................... 35 Social and Economic Patterning ........................................40 Chapter IV. The Archaeology of Block 29 ...........................................................47 Brush-Everard Property ...................................................... 48 St. George Tucker Property .......................................... 51 Grissell Hay Property...........................................................54 Chapter V. Results: Initial Development of Williamsburg, 1700-1730 ............ 56 Lots 170-174 Archibald Blair Household, 1716-1733 . 57 The Archibald Blair H ouse ........................................ 60 Blair Outbuildings & G ard en s ................................... 64 Archibald Blair Trash P its .......................................... 66 Summary .......................................................................70 Lots 163, 164, 169 -William Levingston Period 1716-1723 .............................................................................. 72 William Levingston H ouse .......................................... 72 First Theatre in America .............................................75 Summary .......................................................................80 Lots 165 & 166 -John Brush Occupation 1717-1727 . 82 John Brush House ...................................................... 82 John Brush Privy .............................................87 iii The Ravine Deposits.....................................................90 Sum m ary .......................................................................94 Overall Summary of the Early Residents of Block 29 . 98 Chapter VI. Results: Williamsburg as the Colony’s Leading Urban Center, 1731-1750 103 Lots 163, 164, & 169 George Gilmer Household, 1735-1757 .......................................................................... 103 The Gilmer H ouse .................................................. 105 The Gilmer Trash Pits ........................................... 106 Sum m ary .................................................................. 109 Lots 165 & 166 Occupants between 1727-1749 ............. 112 Thomas Barbar & Elizabeth Russell ................... 112 William Dering Household .................................... 114 Sum m ary .................................................................. 117 Lots 170-174, John Blair ? Household and John Randolph, 1731-1763 118 Overall Summary of the Second Round of Occupants on Block 29 119 Chapter VII. Results: Williamsburg in the Prewar and War Years, 1751-1780 123 Lots 165, 166 & 172, Thomas Everard Household, 1752/6-1781 ....................................................................... 123 Renovations during Everard’s T en u re ................... 128 Everard Ravine Deposits ......................................... 132 Sum m ary .................................................................. 137 Lots 170, 171, 173, 174 .................................................... 139 Dr. Peter Hay Household ...................................... 139 Peter Hay Trash Pit ................................................ 139 Grissell Hay Household ......................................... 142 Grissell Hay Trash P it............................................. 142 Summary .................................................................. 145 Lots 163, 164 & 169, Residents between 1757-1788 ........................................................................... 146 Tarpley & Knox and John Tazewell ..................... 146 Overall Summary for the Prewar and War Period, 1751-1780 .............................................................. 149 Chapter VII. Results: Williamsburg after the Removal of the Capital, 1781-1810........................................................................... 153 Lots 165, 166 & 172, Residents between 1781-1819........................................................................... 153 Lots 170, 171, 173, 174, Residents between 1788-1818 ........................................................................... 154 James Henderson .................................................... 158 Lots 163, 164 & 169, St. George Tucker Household, 1788-1827 ........................................ 162 The St. George Tucker H ouse ..................................163 The Tucker Outbuildings ........................................... 166 Sum m ary .....................................................................168 Overall Summary of Block 29 in the late 18th Century ....................................................................... 170 Chapter IX. Conclusions ..................................................................................... 174 Physical G row th...................................................................175 Social and Economic Patterning ...................................... 184 Bibliography ..................................................................................... 194 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As with any project of this size, there are a number of people who contributed to the completion of this research. I would like to thank my committee chairman, Dr. Rita Wright, for the intellectual and moral support which she provided throughout the duration of this project. Dr. Marley Brown and Dr. Norman Barka, also members of my committee, provided guidance and insightful comments. Special thanks are in order to my husband, David Muraca, for his patience, encouragement, and technical assistance. Virginia Brown and Kim Wagner are responsible for the report illustrations, and Tamera Mams provided advice about photographic reproduction, as well as doing some of the legwork involved with final report production. Various members of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Department of Archaeological Research provided moral support, as well as editorial assistance. They were Ann Smart Martin, Meredith Moodey, George Miller, and William Pittman. I would also like to thank Cathy Hellier, Linda Rowe, and Julie Richter of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Research Department, for assistance with the York County files. LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Archaeological Assemblages Used in Study ....................................48 2. Conditions of Buildings on Lots 165, 166 and 1 7 2 ...........................50 3. Conditions