December 2011, Daily News

History in the Wells

Fri, Dec 16, 2011

James Fort, Virginia, 1607. For years, it was thought that the remains of the historic Fort first established by English colonists in 1607 had been long washed away into the James river as the water line gradually shifted and cut its way through the plot thought to be its location. But preliminary survey excavations conducted by Dr. William Kelso (now Director of Research and Interpretation for the Preservation Virginia Jamestown Rediscovery project) beginning in 1994 in the area that once was old 17th century Jamestown, and continuing excavations since then, have produced hundreds of thousands of artifacts and other evidence for an overwhelming case to the contrary. James Fort and the early Jamestown footprint had been found. And it was in no small measure due, at least in part, to discoveries made deep inside earthy constructions most of us would consider rather mundane. To archaeologists, however, they can be gold mines.

We are talking about wells. And at the Jamestown excavations, there were wells.

Consider, for example, the discoveries made in recent years during excavation of an early 17th century well located inside what was identified as the northern corner of the James Fort. Here, archaeologists retrieved artifacts that included a halberd, Scottish pistol, a leather 17th century style shoe, a nearly intact hammer, a rapier hilt, iron pike head, a lead plaque reading "Yames Towne", and two mostly whole Bartman jugs, ceramic pieces common to the time period. Many of the finds, such as the wooden shoe and halberd, were made at least in part of organic material such as leather and wood. They were preserved in remarkable condition, almost as if they had been tossed into the well yesterday. Found beneath the water table and thus submerged for more than 400 years, the anaerobic environment ensured their preservation in "like new" condition. Most sensational was the recovery of the halberd. Half of the wooden staff was found intact, still attached to its blade by languets, or metal straps. Halberds were used as parade weapons and held by attending body guards for high-ranking individuals during the early 17th century. This particular halberd featured the heads of two griffins on its blade, a prominent feature of the De La Warr family crest. It was Sir Thomas West, the Baron De La Warr, who arrived at Jamestown on June 10, 1610. Archaeologists suggest that this halberd was carried by one of his attending body guards. (See video below)  

But as sensational as the discovery of the halberd might be, it is the sum total of the less glamorous finds, including animal bones, leaves, seeds, and even insects, that have given archaeologists valuable insight about the conditions and environment in which these early colonists and their Native American counterparts lived. No less significant is the confirming archaeological evidence presented in support of the written record: In another excavation, for example, Jamestown archaeologists retrieved horse bones from another well at the site, dated to the early 17th century. Finding horse bones was unusual enough, but the fact that they showed butchery marks said something more. It is known from historical documentation that during the winter of 1609-1610 the early Jamestown colonists suffered starvation that some historians suggested was initiated by the local Native American Powhatan Confederacy, designed to drive the colonists out of their lands. Archaeological evidence testified that they were driven ultimately to burn their own structures for firewood and to eat their own domesticated animals - cats, dogs, horses - and even each other. Only a few of the 500 colonists survived that winter. The colony nearly met its end. Given the date of the well and the tell-tale butchery marks on the horse bones in this well, archaeologists had discovered additional probable evidence of, if not the Starving Time itself, the desperation that the early colonists faced.

Excavating a well at the Jamestown site often requires an approach that differs markedly from that of conventional surface methods. Care is taken to ensure that the inner walls of a well do not collapse in upon the excavator, sometimes requiring the placement or construction of structural supports within the well to ensure the integrity of the walls as archaeologists dig down. Particularly as excavators have reached below the water table, they have employed a method of wall construction not unlike what the early colonists used in order to maintain the water and mud at bay while excavating. While excavating one well, for example, they hammered vertical fence pickets into the ground and then nailed horizontal wooden planks into them, a technique similar to one used by the colonists to construct that very same well in 1611. And in a well dated to 1609, archaeologists recovered a well-preserved wooden barrel at a depth of about eleven feet. Given the depth in relationship to the water table, it is clear that the colonists used the barrel as a lining for the well to keep the earthen walls from collapsing and cutting off access to the water. Two intact wooden boards were also found that may have been used by the colonists to support themselves as they continued to construct the well in the unstable conditions below the water table. 

The most recent well excavation, just completed, produced artifacts dated to the mid-17th century from a well located in the southwest corner of James Fort's 1608 church, the church where Pocahontas and John Rolfe were married (see video below). Although located within the church area, it was determined that the well was most likely constructed decades after the church had been demolished. Finds included, among other things, human teeth, beads, pipe fragments that included a decorated pipe bowl, a portion of a crucible, leather shoe fragments, a pewter spoon bearing a maker's mark, animal bones, an axe head, and a hoe blade stamped with a maker's mark. Contents of the well are being  processed and analyzed. Some of the finds could possibly be exhibited to the public at the new Jamestown site "Archaerium", the museum that houses select artifacts for public view and education.

More information about the discoveries at the Jamestown site, including recent and archived news, can be found at the Jamestown Rediscovery Website.  

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The Jamestown archaeological site, showing the reconstructed palisade of the 1607 James Fort and, beyond, a reconstructed structure based on archaeological findings at the site and historical documents. Courtesy Rolf Müller, Wikimedia Commons.

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