The slave quarters were not, in spite of frequent claims made by CW  
and the onsite interpreters, a reconstruction. They were a  
representational recreation of a slave quarters. The only physical  
evidence found at the site was a series of pits. Generally  
interpreted as the storage pits often found in front of fireplaces.

One of the buildings is a copy of a building from another plantation  
about 50 miles away. If you look at the rest, had they been on site  
they would have left pretty obvious archaeological remains. One would  
have had a foundation trench, or robbed out brick wall. After all it  
was a brick building. Another was built on massive pilings, which  
would have shown up during an excavation as a series of parallel post  
holes. None of this was found when the site was excavated.

While I viewed the whole as a very worthwhile educational tool, that  
it was all too often presented incorrectly as the Carter's Grove  
slave quarters was regrettable. For those who knew the truth it  
detracted from the message. As I'm sure it did for those who later  
discovered that they had been "lied" to, albeit in a good cause.

James Brothers, RPA
[log in to unmask]



On Jan 5, 2007, at 16:10, Jurretta Heckscher wrote:

> Dear colleagues:
>
> Since I don't believe it's been mentioned yet on this list, let me  
> post the regrettable news that the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation  
> is selling Carter's Grove.  Although the Foundation is under  
> financial stress and doubtless considers this a necessary step,  
> those interested in the fullest exploration of Virginia's history  
> can only view it with deep dismay.  Not only a beautiful and  
> historic property, Carter's Grove represented an unparalleled  
> opportunity to anchor all that Colonial Williamsburg offers in the  
> historical realities of the plantation world through research,  
> education, and imaginative public presentation--an opportunity that  
> had excitingly begun to be realized in the uniquely well-informed  
> reconstruction of the plantation's eighteenth-century slave dwellings.
>
> This sale represents an immense loss to the potential for broad- 
> based historical understanding.
>
> --Jurretta J. Heckscher
>
> From http://www.history.org/foundation/press_release/ 
> displayPressRelease.cfm?pressReleaseId=655:
>
> December 8, 2006
> Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to Proceed
> with Protected Sale of Carter's Grove
>
> Foundation Consulting with Leading Preservation Organizations
> To Assure Protection of the Property’s Resources
>
> Standards for Preservation of Carter’s Grove Will Serve
> as a Model for Historic Preservation Community
>
> WILLIAMSBURG, VA—The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation will assure  
> the preservation of Carter’s Grove Plantation by offering it for  
> sale on a fully protected basis. Under this concept restrictions  
> would be implemented for the long-term protection of the site’s  
> historic, architectural, visual, archeological and environmental  
> resources.
>
> The restrictions will prohibit residential and commercial  
> development of the property. The Foundation anticipates retaining  
> rights to use pasturelands in support of its rare breeds program.  
> Importantly, any sale of the Carter’s Grove property will include a  
> ‘right of first offer’ back to the Foundation, should the purchaser  
> seek to resell the property.
>
> The Foundation will consult with the National Trust for Historic  
> Preservation, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and  
> other preservation organizations on the content of the restrictions.
>
> “Our guiding principle in evaluating the future of Carter’s Grove  
> has been the preservation of this important property,” said Colin  
> Campbell, president and chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg  
> Foundation. “A fully protected sale addresses Colonial  
> Williamsburg’s stewardship responsibilities while strengthening the  
> Foundation’s focus on the Historic Area and our central program of  
> citizenship education.”
>
> Over the last several years, the Foundation has engaged in  
> discussions with parties known to have an interest in historic  
> properties and explored options to transfer the property to an  
> entity that would own and operate it under specific conditions. The  
> Foundation also retained this year the services of D.R. Horne &  
> Company, specialists in developing strategies for the protection of  
> historic properties and environmental resources, to evaluate the  
> property and propose options for disposition or reuse. Following an  
> extensive assessment and consideration of a range of alternatives,  
> the firm recommended the sale of the property to a private buyer in  
> a fully protected context that includes appropriate restrictions.
>
> “Our decision was guided by a thorough evaluation of Carter’s  
> Grove’s relevance to Colonial Williamsburg’s interpretive focus.  
> Our mission is to tell the story of citizenship and becoming  
> America in the 18th century,” said Campbell. “This is best  
> accomplished in the Historic Area, where we present and interpret  
> Revolutionary War-era Williamsburg. Carter’s Grove, with its  
> multiple stories to tell, does not support this strategic focus.”
>
> As this process moves forward, Colonial Williamsburg will be adding  
> to the body of knowledge of property-protection techniques. “The  
> Foundation will work with partners, including national and local  
> organizations, governments and land trusts, to implement the best  
> current practices,” said Campbell. “We believe that the standards  
> for preservation of Carter’s Grove will serve as a model for others  
> in the historic preservation community.”
>
> The Sealantic Fund, a former Rockefeller philanthropy, conveyed the  
> Carter’s Grove property to Colonial Williamsburg in 1969. Located  
> along the James River eight miles southeast of Williamsburg, the  
> property includes Carter’s Grove Mansion, the Wolstenholme Towne  
> site, the Winthrop Rockefeller Archaeology Museum and the first  
> slave quarters reconstructed by the Foundation. The Foundation’s  
> archeological collection, including artifacts related to the  
> Carter’s Grove site, will be displayed in significant new  
> exhibition space in an expanded Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
>
> In a related development, and pursuant to long-standing legal  
> agreements dating back more than three decades between the Colonial  
> Williamsburg Foundation and Anheuser-Busch, Incorporated, ownership  
> of a portion of the Country Road has transferred to Busch  
> Properties, Inc. The Country Road is a one-lane road extending from  
> South England Street in the City of Williamsburg to Ron Springs  
> Road in James City County. Colonial Williamsburg retains ownership  
> of the road from South England Street to Mounts Bay Road. Busch  
> Properties takes ownership of the road extending east from Mounts  
> Bay Road to the Grove Creek Bridge.
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the  
> instructions
> at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html


To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html