W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1984 Historical archaeology at Jamestown, Virginia Roni Hinote Polk College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Polk, Roni Hinote, "Historical archaeology at Jamestown, Virginia" (1984). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539625242. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-m82r-gw09 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]. HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY AT JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA A THESIS Presented to Tlie 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 Koni Hinote Polk 1984 Copyright ProQuest Number: 10626469 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10626469 Published by ProQuest LLC (2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQ uest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts sf/fM' k /If Roni Hinote Polk faaIm ian F . Barka Q j m x s . Ciw^c. Anne E. Yentsch] DEDICATION For my husband Harding who listened to hundreds I versions of this thesis before it was ever ivritten nto a preliminary draft. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................... v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ................................. vii ABSTRACT ...............................................viii INTRODUCTION ......................................... 2 CHAPTER X. DEVELOPING ETHICS OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION .............................. 17 Legislative Background ...... 19 Comprehensive Long-range planning . 2k Administrative History ...... 31 CHAPTER XX. EVOLUTION IN RESEARCH DESIGN .... ko The Legacy of Historical Archaeology •••••••••••. kG Learning from the Past to Prepare for the Future........................... :jk CHAPTER III. BREAKING NEW GROUND WITH ETHNOHISTORY ........................... 65 Social History and New Archaeology ......................... 7k A Model of Anglo-Dutch Acculturation and Maritime Trade. 82 CONCLUSIONS .............................................. 106 APPENDICES................................................ 116 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 183 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to express her appreciation to a number of individuals, some of which are associated with specific organizations, whose contributions supported this research. At the College of William and Mary I want to thank Anthropology Professor Norman P. Barka who directed my attention to Professor Pagan's article on Dutch mercan­ tile activities in seventeenth-century Virginia. The author is indebted to Anthropology Professor Anne E. Yentsch for her editorial guidance and introduction to the technique of family reconstitution from historical documents. I also wish to acknowledge the instuction X received from History Professor John E. Selby on the historiography of history. I could not have produced the videotape documentary without the technical assistance of Rik Davis of William and Mary Educational Media Television Services and a minor research grant for videotape from Vice-President George R. Healy's of fice• The author wishes to thank Chief Park Historian James M. Haskett of Colonial National Historical Park for his constructive criticism and for directing my attention to materials pertinent to my research in the CNHP archives. CNHP Curator Susan D. Hanna, Ranger Curt Stallings, and Museum Technician Jim Shea are also appreciated for their assistance in providing access to CNHP1s photo archives. X also wish to thank the Association for the J’reservation of Virginia Antiquities, Eastern National Monuments and Parks Association, and the Jamestown—Yorktown Foundation for their helx? in obtaining materials for use in the videotaped documentary. Words cannot convey the deep admiration and gratitu.de I wish to express to the pax'ticipants in the oral history research on historical archaeology at Jamestown, among them James M. Knight, J. Paul Hudson, Joel L. Shiner, and Kenneth E. Lewis, Jr. I would like to extend special^ special thanks to them all and especially to Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Harrington and to John L. Cotter for their ongoing encouragement and constructive criticism of my thesis research. Last but not least is my grateful thanks to my typist Mary Moore for her patience, indulgence, and preparation of this manuscript. vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1* Winners in the Servant Sweepstakes................ 80 2, Plans of the Ludwell-Statehouse Group ......... 97 3* The State House of Virginia Governors at Jamestown . • • • •••••♦•98 Plan of Structure 1 7 * ............................... 99 5. Plan of Structure 1 2 5 ..............................103 vii ABSTRACT Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the New World is considered by many to be the most significant historic site in the United States, Protected by a stewardship including the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) since 1897* Jamestown became part of Colonial National Historical Park (CNHP) and the responsibility of the National Parle Service (NFS) by Presidential proclamation in 1930* Archaeological investigations have taken place at Jamestown since 1897 under the APVA and later from the 1930s through 1930s on—and—off under the supervision of NPS, A succession of engineers, historians, architects, and archaeologists have contributed a number of significant publications on the seventeenth- century culture of Jamestown, Historical archaeology can be said to have developed at Jamestown, Vii'ginia. It Is unusual that so many of the original researchers at a historic site still exist to augment the story of archaeology there but such is the case with Jamestown, Contained in this written thesis as well as in a videotaped documentary produced in conjunction with it is the oral history of archaeology at Jamestown, This audiovisual presentation is aimed at disseminating the archaeological information to a broadier television auuience, Three primary influences are responsible for the approach taken to interpreting the historic site of Jamestown, first, the ethics of historic preservation and its cor ollary federal legislation which are accountable for protecting cultural resources. Second, the historiographical biases of the past research design which uctermined the archaeological objectives. third, the evolution of anthro­ pological theory which today, combined with the historical method, offers a new approach to interpreting the archae­ ological aata at Jamestown. .in e thnohistori c hypothesis interpreting Jamestown's seventeenth—century culture in light of Anglo—Dutch acculturation due to maritime trade influences may be ta.cen into cons id orati on for future excavations viii HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY AT JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA INTRODUCTION I can still recall the thrill that came the day in 1936 when I picked up my first artifact from the cellar floor of the house I was excavating at Jamestown. There in my hand was not just a non­ descript sherd from a pot that some unknown Indian had used but here was Captain John Smith in the flesh. Well, maybe not John Smith, but at least a person that one could possibly identify and talk about. It was this identification with personalities that impressed me most about this new kind of archaeology. In 1977* at the urging of Stanley South, J, C* Harrington wrote a recollection of his personal experience and involvement in historical archaeology for a prospective publication. The insights this article contains go beyond those of "Jamestown Archaeology in Retrospect" (Harrington, 1984), a formal overview contrib uted to a new book (Orr and Crozierf 1984), The former gave a glimpse of a personality one could identify with while the latter is somewhat like an artifact description The people that brought life to the site of Jamestown have a story to tell first hand. Their story is the topi of this thesis. During the spring of 1982 the curator of Colonial National Historical Pari: (CNHP) in Virginia suggested that I consider the development of historical archaeology at Jamestown for the topic of my master's thesis. A study of CNHP in 1982 prepared by staff members of the National Park Service's Harpers' ferry Regional Center had recommended that: An oral history of the Jamestown . excavations should be taped to record the memories of as many archaeologists . as can be located . If Mr. Harrington and Mr. Cotter discuss their methods and goals during their pioneer digs, the Park will have a much better picture of the information which the collections