Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

Submitted herewith is a drawing showing the foundations of ^{the Nightingale House and foundations of} outbuildings recently uncovered by excavations on the Nightingale Lot.

The original foundation, walls of the Nightingale House are shown at "A" on the drawing in plan and excavation. Basement window opening No. 6 is original and unchanged in size. The sill has been removed, but the space it occupied has not been patched with brickwork, so the size of the sill is shown. All other basement window openings have been enlarged as showing on the drawing. Door opening No. 1 is not original, and No. 7 has been changed, but the location of the West side of the opening is indicated by fragments of retaining wall bonded into and forming a corner with the main rear wall of the house.

Three entrances or front porches to the house apparently existed at different periods. Part of the bottom piece of weather boarding under the front door has been cut out for a space 3' 10 3/8" long, and below this space the 2 brickwork is painted white. This white paint on the foundations wall is apparently the earliest coat, and suggest that an entrance was located there at an early period. Wall No. 4 appears to be the remains of the foundation of this entrance. The color of the paint on both on the foundation walls and the front of the house, clearly show the location of a later porch, the location of the steps being well outlined. Wall at No. 3 appears to be a part of the following of this porch. It in turn, was later enlarged, or superceded by the porch which was recently removed.

The bottom weather board on the front elevation shows clearly the location of these two porches. (See front elevation).

There are two old outbuildings, a smoke house and a dairy house still standing in rear of the Nightingale House. Neither have any brick foundations under them. At "C" a foundation was found on which the Dairy House will fit; and at "D" another was found on which the smoke house will fit. Both of these foundations "C" and "D" are built of old bricks largely bats, apparently with no attempt at bond.

AT "E" an old chimney foundation was found. Its size suggests the Kitchen. The east and west walls of this outbuilding have disappeared but the foundations of much of the north wall remains, 30 feeT north of the chimney.

Mr. Charles, in his "Recollections of Williamsburg", mentions an outbuilding on the Nightingale lot.

"In the yard of this old home, on the site of the present 'tin shop' 3 there was a very well preserved dutch roof house, with end to the street and door on the west side. A picket fence ran from the main building to a partition fence on the east side, with a gate to the back yard and also a gate to the little yard in front of the law office (in the main dwelling)."

The tin shop mentioned by Mr. Charles stood between foundations "E" and "A" (the Nightingale House), about 30' west of "E".

The "dutch roof house" evidently stood on foundations "E", for the end is to the street and the door could easily have been on the west side, as Mr. Charles remembered it.

Foundation at "F" appears to be of a later period than "E". Brick pillars at "B" also appear to be not very old. Perhaps a shed adjacent to the "Dairy" stood here at one time.

Herbert S. Ragland
In charge of Archaeological Excavations.

HSR/vbl