Orlando Jones House Archaeological Report, Block 10 Building 16A Lot 16 & 17Originally entitled: "Archaeological Report Areas C, Block 10 (Orlando Jones Property)"

Francis Duke

1939

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library Research Report Series - 1213
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library

Williamsburg, Virginia

1990

ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT
Area C, Block 10 (Orlando Jones Property)
September 7, 1939

Colonial Lots #16 and #17 were treated in an Archaeological Report of H. S. Ragland dated July 13, 1931. Since further excavation in this area was carried out in 1934 and in the spring of 1939, it is possible to make certain additions to the previously available knowledge of these lots.

The first foundation to be uncovered on the north line of Lot #17 appears to have been that of the "Woods Shop" of Mary Stith's will. This foundation was nearly centered on the lot.1 All that is certainly known of its date is that it was built after 17452 and before 1816.3

From the east wall of this foundation projected a mass of brickwork, the purpose of which could not be determined.4 The form was that of two buttresses side by side, with a cross-bar at the end of one of them. The foundation wall between them was of greater thickness than it was on either side.

If this was a ruined chimney, the fireplace must have faced eastward, i.e. outward from the foundation then visible. The opening which might have been a fireplace did not center on that foundation.

All in all it was obvious that there was more in this area than met the eye, and further excavation was undertaken in 1939. Close inspection revealed, in the thickness of the wall, certain cleavages which outlined the back of a chimney. The "buttresses" referred to above were breasts of this chimney. Since the wall had been built partly around the back of the chimney, it was clear that the latter was of an earlier date.

The "cross-bar" at the end of the southern chimney breast was part of a foundation wall. The remainder of this wall had been Page 2 salvaged; but the fill was clearly traceable except for a long stretch on the north side and most of the west end. But the northeast corner was clearly defined and from this the north wall line was determined, while the "cross-bar" of the chimney located the west wall.

The building now outlined measures approximately 16 x 22 feet, and its foundation walls were 14 ½ inches thick. The north face lined with that of the foundation to westward, and was nearly h feet back from the present north property line (which is probably the original one.)

9-inch brick walls, outside the dwelling site on the south, seem to have formed the foundation of a stoop.and steps. The bottom of this brickwork, set on fill, is nearly 2 feet higher than the bottom of the chimney. The top course (16 inches higher still) is of square paving bricks.

The bottom of the chimney foundation is at a level 72 feet below the present sidewalk. The street here was at or near this same lower level, until it was raised about 1720.1

It seems clear that this building had its first floor, rather than a basement, at the lower level, and hence that it was built before the grade was raised. Evidences in support of this proposition are:

  • 1.A basement 7 ½ feet below grade would be considerably deeper than normal.
  • 2.There are no evidences of a basement bulkhead stair, leading downward from the grade established by the deep fill of 1720. Evidences are rather of the reverse, i.e. a stoop with steps 3M to it from the original grade, or from the slight fill2 which probably antedated the raising of the street level.
  • 3.The stoop, however, was probably no more than two or three feet above the grade of its day. Had it risen high enough to give access to an upper storey, it would probably have given evidence of the fact by its plan, and would certainly have had walls thicker than 9 inches.
  • Page 3
  • 4.Orlando Jones' will of 1719 mentions only one house on Lots #16 and #17. The inventory of the same year indicates a house with at least two rooms and a central hall1-- -clearly an impossibility on a foundation of 16 x 22 feet. It is therefore probable that the smaller house had disappeared as early as 1719. If not burned, it may have been pulled down in anticipation of the change of grade.

FLOOR LEVEL

While the first floor was built in relation to the earlier, lower grade, the following evidences indicate that it was raised two or three feet above the ground level on wood joists:

  • 1.The square bricks topping the stoop foundation would be suitable as bed for a sill.
  • 2.No paving was found inside the foundation. 2
  • 3.The "cross-bar" at the end of the south chimney breast, being actually part of the west wall foundation, indicates that this wall crossed in front of the fireplace, and therefore that the hearth level was at least higher than the wall foundation now exposed.3
  • 4.It is likely that the original grade, sloping up across this site from west to east, reached a level at the east wall at least a foot higher than the bottom of the foundation. It would certainly be desirable to hold the floor of living quarters above the level of the highest ground in contact with the walls.

WALL CONSTRUCTION

A 14 ½-inch brick foundation wall almost certainly Page 4 indicates a frame wall above the first-floor joists. A brick wall is ruled out by the following considerations:

A break in the brickwork of at least 1½ inches was usual inside the wall, at the joist bearing level. On the outside, the water-table meant at least as great a setback. The resulting total of 3 inches, subtracted from 14½ inches, leaves 11 inches as the greatest possible thickness, and this in practice means a 9-inch brick wall.

But in dwellings the minimum wall thickness was 13 inches. Hence the minimum foundation wall thickness was 16 inches.

CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY

The foundation represents a house which must have been erected after 16991, and destroyed or burned not later than 1719.2

It cannot be established whether any outbuildings on this site3 belonged to this dwelling during its short life.

Other foundations on Lots #16 and #17 were treated in the Archaeological Report of 1931.

Page 5

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE, BASED ON
REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND RECORD
July 21, 1939

1719Orlando Jones dies, leaving Lots #16 and #17, and a dwelling-house. Inventory of same year gives catalog of rooms. John James Flournoy buys from Mary Jones for £100.
c1720-22Duke of Gloucester Street raised.
1729Joanna. Archer buys from J. J. Flournoy, for £160.
1745Advertisement at Joanna Archer's death lists 2 lots, and dwelling with "Kitchen. Meat-house, Stable, and other convenient Outhouses."
c1790Unknown Draftsman's map shows Lot #16 divided a little more than half way back to Francis Street: front part "Charlton," rear part unassigned. Lot #17 unassigned.
1800Bucktrout map shows, in Lot #16, "Lewis, Charlton" and in Lot #17, "Stith."
1785-1806Mary Stith entered in Land Tax books as owner of 4 of a lot.
1791-1806Edward Charlton entered as owner of 1 of a lot.
1806-1816Mary Stith entered as owner of 2 of a lot.
1816Mary Stith bequeaths, to various slaves, Dwelling house and lot, House in yard called tin shop, House on the main street called Woods shop.
1860Frame house, Lot #16, described by Mr. Charles, probably the Orlando Jones house.
Page 6

SOURCES

  • 1.

    Fragments:

    None of significance were found, with the exception of those in the fill beneath the stoop foundation.

    Fragments have been consigned to the Educational Department.

  • 2.

    Photographs:

    N 6015 Chimney foundation looking north. N 6027 Dwelling foundation looking east.

    Prints may be found in record books in the offices of Williamsburg Restoration, Inc.

  • 3.

    Archaeological Field Notes

    In separate file.

  • 4.

    Archaeological Survey Drawing

    "Block 10", March 17, 1934; revised July 10, 1939.

    A print is filed with the original of the "Ravenscroft" Archaeological Report of September 1, 1939.

  • 5.

    Report of Department of Research and Record, "Orlando Jones House," July 21, 1939.

    A copy is filed with the original of this report.

  • 6.

    Architectural Report on the Orlando Jones property, August 17, 1939.

    A copy is enclosed with the original of this report.

  • 7.

    Archaeological Report of A. S. Ragland, July 13, 1939.

    Not now available.

    Archaeological material on Block #10 is assembled under three headings:

    • a."Dr. Carter's Brick House"
    • b."Ravenscroft"
    • c.The present "Orlando Jones Property."

F. D.

Footnotes

^1 The colonial lot lines in this block can be closely approximated, if not exactly determined, by measuring east and west from present street lines in units of 82½ feet.
^2 Only one dwelling on Lots #16 and #17 is mentioned in the advertisement of 1745. There is a considerable amount of evidence to identify this dwelling with the foundation on the northwest corner of Lot #16.
^3 Date of Mary Stith's will.
^4 See Photographs N 6015, N 6027.
^1 For details see Archaeological Report on the Virginia Gazette Printing Office (August 15, 1939), p. 2.
^2 The fill under the stoop foundation contained fragments (such as clay pipe-stems) of an early period. This fill may easily have been deposited before the street level was raised.
^1 This was probably the house at the northwest corner of Lot #16. (Vide supra., p. 1, note 2.)
^2 A single square paving brick was found but this was the same size as those of the stoop foundation, from which it had probably been displaced. Its position and level had no relationship with foundation walls, etc.
^3 See Photograph N 6027.
^1 This was the year of Bland's survey, in the course of which Duke of Gloucester Street was first laid out. The house is built in strict relationship to the street line - parallel with it, and nearly 4 feet back from it.
^2 Since Jones' will of that year mentions only one house on this property, and that was not this house.
^3 Kitchen foundations were disclosed by the excavation of 1934., directly behind this site.