One skeleton on the Virginia Institute of Marine Science
campus was buried shallow, oriented east to west. The other nearby skeleton was buried a little deeper, oriented north to south.
Five years ago, the skeletons were unearthed during archaeological excavations at VIMS, where the remnants of a once bustling colonial port village called Gloucester Town now rests beneath the modern college campus and research center.
The skeletons intrigued archaeologists, who wondered about the age, gender and other questions associated with the remains. They got some answers two weeks ago when a report from the Smithsonian Institution landed on the desk of Lyle Torp at the Ottery Group, the firm that conducted the dig and analyzed the artifacts at VIMS. The report concluded the remains were very likely female servants in their 20s, one from Africa and the other European. The remains were dated to the mid-1600s.
"They were right off the boat," Torp said. "There's only a handful of skeletal remains that are that early."
The significance of the find is highlighted by the fact that beads from the African woman's remains are now in a Smithsonian exhibit called "Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake," Torp said.
The skeletons were unearthed in an area where workers installed outfall pipes for a seawater research lab. The Ottery Group's archaeological work was conducted to fulfill a requirement for property owned by the state that's to be evaluated for historical significance prior to development.
All told, the months of digging produced a staggering 150,000 artifacts. In addition to brick cellars, 18th century wine bottles, stamped pipe stems and other reminders of the colonial village, the dig yielded a remarkable and rare Revolutionary War-era field kitchen. The only other ones like it have been discovered at Valley Forge.
Animal bones found near the field kitchen weren't weathered, Torp said.
"Which means they cleaned up after themselves fairly quickly," he said.
The VIMS site is rare for the fact that several major time periods are covered. Torp likened the site to a time capsule. Those historical periods include colonial and Revolutionary War eras as well as the Civil War period.
"There's a surprising number of intact features underground," Torp said. "Anywhere you dig, you find features of integrity."
The report of the excavation and ensuing scrutiny of the artifacts is far more extensive than any previous digs and research at the VIMS campus, said Ron Herzick, facilities manager. Herzick is reviewing the Ottery Group's findings that are contained in a draft report.
The draft report is being reviewed by VIMS and state officials, as well as peers in the archaeological field. Torp said he expects it will be another six months before the final report is issued.
While the Gloucester Town location is overshadowed by Yorktown, Williamsburg and Jamestown, Torp said the site is considered one of the top archaeological features in the state.
"It really is quite an important site and has quite a bit of research potential," Torp said. "There's so many aspects of the project that will pique someone's interest somewhere. There's just so much research potential there. It's just phenomenal."
The seawater lab was built atop the dig area.
The artifacts belong to VIMS, said Randy Jones, of the state Department of Historic Resources, but could be made available for public viewing at a local museum in the future.
Source: Daily Press