Proposed Final Report: Drummond/Harris Site, Governor’s Land, Virginia
It has been over 50 years since the c. 1648–1820 Drummond/Harris Site (44JC0043) was included in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the 2,000-acre Governor’s Land Archaeological District (1973). The district designation was intended to draw attention to this historically significant area, which was then threatened by development. To commemorate the 50 year milestone and demonstrate why the Drummond/Harris Site warrants continued protection, it is proposed that the numerous completed specialized studies be brought together in a comprehensive final archaeological report. Drawing upon the original researchers’ expertise, this effort will integrate existing research with field notes, draft field maps, artifact catalogs, detailed artifact drawings, and photographs to synthesize an extraordinary body of information about the site’s archaeological features and material culture.
Copies of most field notes, maps, and artifact catalogs are already in hand. The Governor’s Land archaeological collections, housed in approximately 500 archival boxes and 11 Study Collection cabinets, are held at nearby repositories associated with Jamestown-Yorktown and Jamestown Settlement, placing them within convenient reach of the project researchers. The Drummond/Harris Site documentation alone includes at least 2.5 linear feet of field notes and artifact catalogs, as well as a flat-file map cabinet.
Financial support is sought by the original Principal Investigator, Alain C. Outlaw, and the original Curator, Merry A. Outlaw, to complete the ongoing draft final report on the Drummond/Harris Site near Jamestown in James City County, Virginia. Since extensive excavations began in 1975, more than 120 research projects in the Chesapeake region have drawn upon the Governor’s Land archaeological data. Yet, these investigations have proceeded without the benefit of a published comprehensive report providing the essential archaeological context for their work. Instead, researchers have relied upon extensive unpublished records, portions of an unfinished draft report, and the institutional knowledge of the original investigators. Completing and publishing this report will make this important body of research accessible, organized, and available for future generations of scholars.
The completed report will benefit historians, architectural historians, archaeologists, and museum curators internationally. It will also enhance the interpretation of the Governor’s Land archaeological collections for the thousands of visitors to the nearby Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation galleries, where more than 100 objects recovered from Governor’s Land are displayed. These artifacts can be understood more fully when connected to the archaeological sites, features, and historical contexts from which they originated, including the Drummond/Harris Site itself, located within walking distance of the galleries.
