In this fifth and final week of the field school many of us find ourselves torn between the desire to return to our hometowns and complete the work we have set out to do over a month ago. With the coming and going of each day we remained eager to discover all we could in the short amount of time left to us in the field. However, this past week has also been a time of consolidating what we know about Site B from the artifacts and features found in several of the units, the assigned readings, as well as through our experiences in the lab.

Week four concluded with the opening of three new units on the southern end of Site B. Two of the units were excavated in the hopes of discovering either a third post hole, helping to explain the layout of a fence which may have extended along the edge of the site, or the direction of what appears to be a builder’s trench, the discovery of which would provide clarification on the size and shape of the structure we believe once stood there. It is for this purpose the third unit comes down directly atop the trench as well. From the artifact rich soil we have found a number of fascinating objects including, large sherds of pottery, a thimble, buttons, and bullet. While such finds reinvigorate the search, we remain little closer to conclusively answering whether Site B had in fact been the location of Jefferson’s stables. Frustrating, though such uncertainty may be, we find ourselves growing and thinking as archaeologists might; evaluating what we know, reassessing old hypotheses, and brainstorming the next best step to be taken in the field and lab.

Aside from our time spent in the field, our concluding week here at Poplar Forest has been spent reconsidering what we have learned from our weekly readings and applying that knowledge to other aspects of archaeology. Primarily we have discussed ethics as they apply within the field of archaeology, what work is presently being conducted in historical archaeology, as well as school and career options down the road. Our discussions have focused, specifically, upon cultural resource management (CRM), an ever expanding area of archaeology in which developmental companies hire out archaeologists to perform historical research and excavation of sites upon which roads, buildings, etc. are to be constructed. Thus, we fittingly conclude our time here at Jefferson’s retirement retreat on the fourth of July, working with the public and explaining to visitors all we have learned from our experiences so that they too might gain a better understanding of archaeology’s importance and the significance of discovering and preserving some of our nation’s most cherished history.