The students of the 2008 field school gathered Sunday night to introduce ourselves, to get our first glimpse of Thomas Jefferson’s historic home, and to meet the fine archaeology staff of Poplar Forest, led by Director Jack Gary.

On Monday we were given a crash course on the history of the house and its respective owners, along with the modifications made to the house by the many families who called this serene place home over the two hundred years since Jefferson acquired the property. The orientation continued with an overview of the main techniques and methods of excavation employed by the staff at Poplar Forest. During the introduction we were informed that our main area of focus this summer would be a section on the grid labeled “Site B,” a section of land just two thousand feet east of the main house. Site B is situated just outside of the ten acre core of the property, yet within a sixty-one acre of land which Jefferson named “the curtilage.” This site is especially interesting because it could accomplish a great many things at once – help us verify the location of fence posts that divided Jefferson’s planned 10 acre core from the curtilage, provide a cache of trash from a nearby antebellum cabin that may have been tossed just over the fence, or possibly locate a nursery or stable that Jefferson wrote about but has yet to be found.

The majority of the week has been spent at Site B learning the basics of excavation practice, soil types, and site etiquette, along with how to operate a digital surveying device called a “total station.” This “total station” enables us to link our excavation units with an artificial grid that overlays the entire Poplar Forest property. Our teachers have continued to stress the importance of documenting our sites’ locations, elevations, and everything that goes on during the excavation for the benefit of future archaeologists.

Thursday gave us an opportunity to practice our excavation techniques through a day spent at nearby Wingos, now a privately-owned piece of property that was once part of Jefferson’s original holdings and that may have been the location of eighteenth century slave quarters.

Back at Poplar Forest, we came to the week’s end having just begun by removing the initial layers of earth, and meticulously screening every fragment of soil raised by our trowels. So far we have unearthed nails, various forms of ceramics and glass, brick, and even a toy plane. We hope next week will reveal evidence that will enable us to better understand what was going on here in Jefferson’s time.