9 research outputs found
Rebuilding along the Rappahannock: The Methodologies of Urban Archaeological Survey in Fredericksburg and Beyond
**I can definitely do an abstract if the other articles in the Fredericksburg volume have one!*
Left Out in the Cold: Archaeology of the Sentry Box Ice House and the Ice Business in Fredericksburg, Virginia
non
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Archaeology, architecture, and Alexander Spotswood: redefining the Georgian worldview at the Enchanted Castle, Germanna, Orange County, Virginia
textOne of the major concerns surrounding the use of the Georgian Worldview has
been the oversight of the concept of agency within elite materiality. This dissertation
examines the colonial mansion of Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood at
Germanna, colloquially known as the Enchanted Castle. The home was built in 1718
and destroyed by fire in the 1750s. It is believed to be one of the first privately-owned
colonial mansions to be constructed in the Georgian style. Through a detailed analysis
of the archaeology and architecture of the mansion remains, this work illustrates that the
tenants of Georgian ideologyâindividuality, control, and balanceâwere achieved not
solely through the use of rigid symmetry in appearance and style, but through the
construction process itself.
The Enchanted Castle, built into the side of a knoll on the edge of the Virginia
frontier, was capacious, elaborately designed, and ornately decorated. By separating
himself from the native-born elites, both physically and stylistically, Spotswood
showcased his superior knowledge on English style and materiality and expressed
himself as an individual. The complex, a nine part Palladian plan, was constructed using
a unique combination of locally-procured materials: brick, schist, slate, sandstone,
timber, and iron for nails. Although the building was not completely symmetrical,
Spotswood designed a home that had the potential for balance, but symmetry and
control were presented in the construction techniques and stylistic details. The
construction methods he used at Germanna, as well as the design and style of the
numerous other building projects he directed in the colony, helped to usher in the
Georgian style that became so prevalent throughout the colony in the eighteenth
century.Anthropolog
Household Chores and Household Choices : Theorizing the Domestic Sphere in Historical Archaelogy
xvi + 312 hlm., 23.5 cm