Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

^{See drawing Block 30, Area B}

Submitted herewith is an archaeological drawing, showing foundations recently, uncovered at the above described site.

Foundation "A 1" is undoubtedly the foundation of a colonial house, for the Frenchman's Map of 1786 shows a
large building exactly on the site.

The Presbyterian Church, which was pulled down & removed with its foundations a few months ago, was built over foundation "A 1". Apparently the original house had no basement and was built on pillars, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, and perhaps others which have disappeared. The basement, found by excavating over four feet of fill ( largely brick debris), appears to have been excavated after the original house was built, for walls 8, 9, 10 and 11, are distinctly of a different period, are not bonded with the original pillars, are built inside them (partially underpinning them) and tight against the irregular banks of the basement excavation.

Certainly, it would have been very strange to have built the pillars after the basement walls, partially on them and partially on the ground. Fragments of Basement steps 2 were found at No. 12.

How long the house on foundation "A 1" had been standing when the Frenchman plotted it on his map in 1786 is problematical. According to a deed found in York County Court House by the Research Department, a house probably was built on the site by John Holloway between 1720 and 1722. According to other deeds and records and items in the Old Virginia Gazette (see Research Department Files and Mrs. Bullock's report on Elkanah Deane or Carter House dated August 24, 1931.) a house was standing on the site in 1759, when William Carter bought the property from the estate of John Robinson; in 1767, when it was mortgaged to James and John Carter; in 1768, when William Carter advertized for sale "The Dwelling House in Palace Street with four lots of ground, well enclosed and in good repair, where the subscriber now lives-- etc."; in 1771, when John Carter advertised it for rent or sale; in 1772, when Elkanah Deane bought it with four lots of land and outbuildings; in 1774 and 1775, when he advertized that he carried on his coach making business at that location; in 1776 when notice was published that William Holladay was carrying on the coach and chair making business at Deane's old shop; and in 1786, when the Frenchman plotted the building on his map.

There is no mention in any of those records that the house was burned or was pulled down, so it is entirely possible that the same house (perhaps altered and improved) stood on the old foundations, marked "A 1" on the drawing, during the period 3 1720 or 1722-1786.

Foundation "A 2" is modern. Dr. Foster who lives next door told me that the recently removed Presbyterian Church first stood there and was moved to the corner site.

Foundation "A 3", although it is not shown on the Frenchman's Map, appears to be very Old. The large chimney foundation indicates that the building which stood there was a colonial Kitchen, probably a frame one as the walls are only 9" wide. It was probably contemporary with the house at "A 1", as the chimney faces towards it, and it is logically located to serve that residence.

At "A 4" old walls Nos. 13, 14 and 15 and what appears to be a chimney foundation No. 16 have been found.

The bricks are colonial in color and the mortar is oyster shell, but the brickwork does not appear to be as old as that in foundations "A 1" and "A 3". Consequently, I have hatched the walls to indicate a later period. Buildings at "A 1" and "A 3" may have been built as early as 1722 or 1750. It is possible that Deane built an outbuilding at "A 4" about 1772 or 1773 and used it in his coach making business. Dr. Foster told me that a very old story and a half frame house located approximately at this site burned in 1899.

Foundation "A 5" is built of old bricks reused and modern bricks including bats, laid with oyster shell mortar, so the building that once stood there was probably built about 50 or 60 years ago.

The fragments of foundations found at "A 7" are modern.

The old walls and chimney foundation found at "B 1" apparently are the remains of a colonial outbuilding for the Frenchman's Map shows one at that location, and the bricks are laid in English bond with oyster shell mortar. Some brass headed tacks similar to those used on saddles & harness were found in uncovering foundation "B 1" so it is possible that the building that stood there was one that Deane built between 1772 and 1776, and used in his coach making and harness business. It was built of brick for a large part of the fallen west wall was found at 20. The brickwork in fallen wall 20 matches exactly that in walls 17 and 19. The bond is English and the mortar oyster shell.

The brickwork found at "B 2" apparently is old and contemporary with that at "B 1". It resembles the foundation of an entrance but no foundations of a building were found adjacent to it. The whole of the area indicated on the plat plan was excavated and no other old foundations found.

At the North West corner of Palace Green and Prince George Street, the Frenchman's Map shows a large house and five outbuildings on a large lot, enclosed by a wall or fence. According to dimensions scaled from the map, the whole of the Colonial lot has been excavated, and only two of the buildings "A 1" and "B 1" shown by the Frenchman found. However, the other outbuildings may be found by digging in Dr. Foster's lot, for the Frenchman's Map is about 100 feet too short by scale north and south. About 50 feet has been dropped between the Wythe House and the South line of Prince George Street. The Frenchman shows the Wythe House on the Corner. It is actually about 50 feet South of Prince George Street and the 5 Wythe Kitchen foundation is between the House and the Corner. The other 50 ^{About 40} feet apparently has been dropped out of the Deane property. According to the Waddill survey the distance from the colonial North line of Prince George Street to the Colonial South line of Scotland Street is 429.00 feet. The Bucktrout map shows that the dividing line between the Colonial Scotland Street lots and the Colonial Prince George Street lots was midway between the two Streets.

Then, the lots were 214.5 feet (13 poles) deep. The Northern half (the Saunders-Dinwiddie end of the block) apparently is plotted correctly on the Frenchman's Map, for it scales about 215 feet. However, the Southern half, the Deane end of the block, scales only 175 feet. Therefore, all three outbuildings shown by the Frenchman along the north line of the lot should have been plotted about 40 feet further north.

The sites thus located on the ground fall on the property occupied by Dr. Foster, where no digging has been done.

The debris excavated in uncovering the old foundations on the Deane lot has been screened. All objects and articles found have been turned over to Mr. Rutherfoord Goodwin. Photographs have been made of the foundations.