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Proposed NPS Approval, Archeological Investigation, 2023, George Washington's Boyhood Home NHL
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park » Proposed NPS Approval, Archeological Investigation, 2023, George Washington's Boyhood Home NHL » Document List
The National Park Service (NPS) invites review of and comment on its proposal for a determination of No Historic Properties Adversely Affected for (and thus its proposed approval of) an undertaking planned by the George Washington Foundation, owner of the 75-acre George Washington's Boyhood Home/Ferry Farm National Historic Landmark ("GWBH" in accompanying review documents) in Stafford County, Virginia: an archeological investigation, by the Foundation's Department of Archeology and overseen by an archeologist certified by the NPS Regional Archeologist of, the following three locations, mapped on Fig. 1, p. 3, of "GWBH Scope of Work 2023" in "Document List" link at upper left of this webpage.
a) "FF40"- -area 35 ft. by 30 ft. at the footprint of a farmhouse extant 1914-1994. The Department of Archeology proposes to investigate this to ascertain the extent to which remains of a colonial-era kitchen might have survived the construction of the 1914 farmhouse at its immediate footprint. Documentary evidence attests to some stone remains of a colonial-era structure being discovered by accident in the 19th century and to an unknown extent incorporated into the cellar and foundation of farmhouse upon its construction in 1914. The proposed investigation of FF40 is intended to give the Department of Archaeology, researchers, and interpretive planners a chance to interpret and document the full nature of the foundation of the colonial-era kitchen and cellar and refine its dates. All of the cellar and much of the foundation were filled and covered with sand, and topped with sod following the destruction (by fire) of the farmhouse in 1994, six years prior to the surrounding Ferry Farm property receiving National Historic Landmark designation and the conveyance of a conservation easement to NPS. The Department would also sample the fill of the cellar of the eighteenth-century kitchen, if found, in order to refine the date of its destruction.
b) three-quarters of feature "F321"- -In 2017, archeological monitoring of installation of a new utility line, approved in 2015 following four-step NPS Section-106 review of a broader landscape-rehabilitation, uncovered the edge of an archeological feature—irregular in plan but equivalent to about three 5 ft. x 5 ft. units—containing organic fill and eighteenth-century artifacts (utility line subsequently routed around feature). The Department of Archeology proposes to excavate up 3/4s of the fill of F321 and leave the balance of the fill undisturbed. A portion of a gravel-surfaced, emergency/service parking area, likewise approved during the 2015 landscape-rehabilitation review by NPS and itself situated atop a layer of Geomat, now rests atop F321.
c) an area of 35ft. by 35 ft. of the plowzone of "FF38"- -The Department of Archeology would investigate what it believes is a plowzone that seals F321 and also seals the area (FF38) adjoining. The Department would look in particular for any architectural features (postholes) associated with, but situated outside, F321. The Department would excavate, below the plowzone, those architectural features. The Department proposes to leave two 5ft. units of the plowzone undisturbed. A portion of a gravel-surfaced, emergency/service parking area, likewise approved during the 2015 landscape-rehabilitation review by NPS and situated atop a layer of Geomat, now rests atop FF38 and the suspected plowzone.
Aside from the proposed parameters individual to "a"-"c", above, the proposed work would follow the format of past investigations at Ferry Farm. In order for future generations of archeologists to apply new methods and techniques there, portions of significant, sealed context of all pre-20th century brick or stone foundations remains would be left unexcavated. For sealed contexts, between one quarter and one half of the fill would be left intact depending on the Foundation's archeologists' understanding of the feature. For complex features, they would excavate three quarters of the fill. For features that are easy to interpret, half of the fill would be left unexcavated.
NPS reviews the Foundation's request for approval of the archeological investigation under the terms of the conservation easement that NPS holds for Ferry Farm. The easement makes provision for the George Washington Foundation to propose to NPS "archaeological investigations" at the National Historic Landmark property, for NPS review under the terms of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and consideration of approval. Approved investigations would occur under the direction of a qualified professional archaeologist. The easement incorporates among its provisions pages 44734-44737 of Archeology and Historic Preservation; Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines (Federal Register, September 29, 1983), which stipulate that archaeological documentation, including "observation, directly, through excavation," may be "undertaken as an aid to various treatment activities, including research, interpretation, reconstruction...." Approved investigations, the easement continues, "shall be documented and reported." The easement also describes the right of the NPS to protect in perpetuity the natural, cultural, archeological, ecological, open space and aesthetic features of Ferry Farm, and describes the restrictions of the easement as intended to prevent uses, which if allowed to occur, would have an individual or cumulative adverse effect.
The Foundation's research design for this as with previous archaeological investigations includes the goal of developing a better understanding of the spatial use of the Ferry Farm landscape over the thousands of years of its occupation. In accordance with that research design and also the Preferred Alternative (Alternative "D") for treatment of the overall property—selected through an NPS National Environmental Policy Act/Environment Assessment public/agency/consulting-party review in 2013-2014, and including research on and creation (beginning with NPS public/agency/consulting-party National Historic Preservation Act/Section-106 review in 2015 and 2021) of an interpretive landscape with missing Washington-era landscape features and structures—our proposed archaeological investigation for 2023, below, would emphasize seeking evidence of such features and structures.
For a detailed description by the George Washington Foundation of the proposed archeological investigation, including goals and Research Design; site plan; site photos; location-map; map of Area of Potential Effect; curation/cataloging; reporting; and protocols for avoiding burials, and in the event of discovery of those or funerary objects, see the attached information packet, "GWBH Scope of Work 2023" in "Document List" link at upper left.
As the archeological investigation is planned by the George Washington Foundation, and would be implemented by them, not the NPS, the federal undertaking under review is the NPS's consideration and proposing of a No Historic Properties Adversely Affected finding, and thus its proposed approval of the investigation.
Since the conservation easement requires NPS response to the Foundation's plans and proposals within a limited period of time, this review combines the Section 106 steps of Initiation of Consultation, Identification of Historic Properties, and Assessment of Adverse Effects, as per 36 CFR 800.3(g).
Area of Potential Effect (APE), Identification of Historic Properties: The easement-covered Ferry Farm property is a National Historic Landmark and a cultural landscape, adjoins the Rappahannock River on the east, and encompasses a grouping of archeological sites—all resources documented extensively in the nomination materials for Ferry Farm receiving National Historic Landmark Status in 2000...and also documented in many subsequent reports on file with NPS and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. See map in "GWBH Scope of Work 2023" for mapping of APE.
Proposed NPS Determination of No Historic Properties Adversely Affected: The NPS proposes a determination of No Adverse Effects. That includes (1) to the Rappahannock River, which adjoins the property, and to visual resources of the property, due to the temporary/three-month duration of the proposed archeological investigation; topography and distance that would hide the physical footprints of the investigation from both the Rappahannock River (570 feet west of the western edge of the investigation footprints) and Virginia Route Three; and distance and fencing that would screen the investigation footprints from the nearby facilities that attract and host visitors: the Ferry Farm entrance-road, the Ferry Farm Visitor Center, and the Washington House interpretive structure; and (2) to archeological resources, given that ground disturbance would be limited to the plowzone of FF38 (and with two set-asides left undisturbed in the FF38 plowzone); an area previously disturbed for installation of concrete foundations for a 20th-century farmhouse at FF40; and three-quarters of the feature at F321, with the remaining quarter of that feature also left undisturbed as a set-aside.
Noel Harrison,
Manager of Easements
540-424-0512 (c)
a) "FF40"- -area 35 ft. by 30 ft. at the footprint of a farmhouse extant 1914-1994. The Department of Archeology proposes to investigate this to ascertain the extent to which remains of a colonial-era kitchen might have survived the construction of the 1914 farmhouse at its immediate footprint. Documentary evidence attests to some stone remains of a colonial-era structure being discovered by accident in the 19th century and to an unknown extent incorporated into the cellar and foundation of farmhouse upon its construction in 1914. The proposed investigation of FF40 is intended to give the Department of Archaeology, researchers, and interpretive planners a chance to interpret and document the full nature of the foundation of the colonial-era kitchen and cellar and refine its dates. All of the cellar and much of the foundation were filled and covered with sand, and topped with sod following the destruction (by fire) of the farmhouse in 1994, six years prior to the surrounding Ferry Farm property receiving National Historic Landmark designation and the conveyance of a conservation easement to NPS. The Department would also sample the fill of the cellar of the eighteenth-century kitchen, if found, in order to refine the date of its destruction.
b) three-quarters of feature "F321"- -In 2017, archeological monitoring of installation of a new utility line, approved in 2015 following four-step NPS Section-106 review of a broader landscape-rehabilitation, uncovered the edge of an archeological feature—irregular in plan but equivalent to about three 5 ft. x 5 ft. units—containing organic fill and eighteenth-century artifacts (utility line subsequently routed around feature). The Department of Archeology proposes to excavate up 3/4s of the fill of F321 and leave the balance of the fill undisturbed. A portion of a gravel-surfaced, emergency/service parking area, likewise approved during the 2015 landscape-rehabilitation review by NPS and itself situated atop a layer of Geomat, now rests atop F321.
c) an area of 35ft. by 35 ft. of the plowzone of "FF38"- -The Department of Archeology would investigate what it believes is a plowzone that seals F321 and also seals the area (FF38) adjoining. The Department would look in particular for any architectural features (postholes) associated with, but situated outside, F321. The Department would excavate, below the plowzone, those architectural features. The Department proposes to leave two 5ft. units of the plowzone undisturbed. A portion of a gravel-surfaced, emergency/service parking area, likewise approved during the 2015 landscape-rehabilitation review by NPS and situated atop a layer of Geomat, now rests atop FF38 and the suspected plowzone.
Aside from the proposed parameters individual to "a"-"c", above, the proposed work would follow the format of past investigations at Ferry Farm. In order for future generations of archeologists to apply new methods and techniques there, portions of significant, sealed context of all pre-20th century brick or stone foundations remains would be left unexcavated. For sealed contexts, between one quarter and one half of the fill would be left intact depending on the Foundation's archeologists' understanding of the feature. For complex features, they would excavate three quarters of the fill. For features that are easy to interpret, half of the fill would be left unexcavated.
NPS reviews the Foundation's request for approval of the archeological investigation under the terms of the conservation easement that NPS holds for Ferry Farm. The easement makes provision for the George Washington Foundation to propose to NPS "archaeological investigations" at the National Historic Landmark property, for NPS review under the terms of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and consideration of approval. Approved investigations would occur under the direction of a qualified professional archaeologist. The easement incorporates among its provisions pages 44734-44737 of Archeology and Historic Preservation; Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines (Federal Register, September 29, 1983), which stipulate that archaeological documentation, including "observation, directly, through excavation," may be "undertaken as an aid to various treatment activities, including research, interpretation, reconstruction...." Approved investigations, the easement continues, "shall be documented and reported." The easement also describes the right of the NPS to protect in perpetuity the natural, cultural, archeological, ecological, open space and aesthetic features of Ferry Farm, and describes the restrictions of the easement as intended to prevent uses, which if allowed to occur, would have an individual or cumulative adverse effect.
The Foundation's research design for this as with previous archaeological investigations includes the goal of developing a better understanding of the spatial use of the Ferry Farm landscape over the thousands of years of its occupation. In accordance with that research design and also the Preferred Alternative (Alternative "D") for treatment of the overall property—selected through an NPS National Environmental Policy Act/Environment Assessment public/agency/consulting-party review in 2013-2014, and including research on and creation (beginning with NPS public/agency/consulting-party National Historic Preservation Act/Section-106 review in 2015 and 2021) of an interpretive landscape with missing Washington-era landscape features and structures—our proposed archaeological investigation for 2023, below, would emphasize seeking evidence of such features and structures.
For a detailed description by the George Washington Foundation of the proposed archeological investigation, including goals and Research Design; site plan; site photos; location-map; map of Area of Potential Effect; curation/cataloging; reporting; and protocols for avoiding burials, and in the event of discovery of those or funerary objects, see the attached information packet, "GWBH Scope of Work 2023" in "Document List" link at upper left.
As the archeological investigation is planned by the George Washington Foundation, and would be implemented by them, not the NPS, the federal undertaking under review is the NPS's consideration and proposing of a No Historic Properties Adversely Affected finding, and thus its proposed approval of the investigation.
Since the conservation easement requires NPS response to the Foundation's plans and proposals within a limited period of time, this review combines the Section 106 steps of Initiation of Consultation, Identification of Historic Properties, and Assessment of Adverse Effects, as per 36 CFR 800.3(g).
Area of Potential Effect (APE), Identification of Historic Properties: The easement-covered Ferry Farm property is a National Historic Landmark and a cultural landscape, adjoins the Rappahannock River on the east, and encompasses a grouping of archeological sites—all resources documented extensively in the nomination materials for Ferry Farm receiving National Historic Landmark Status in 2000...and also documented in many subsequent reports on file with NPS and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. See map in "GWBH Scope of Work 2023" for mapping of APE.
Proposed NPS Determination of No Historic Properties Adversely Affected: The NPS proposes a determination of No Adverse Effects. That includes (1) to the Rappahannock River, which adjoins the property, and to visual resources of the property, due to the temporary/three-month duration of the proposed archeological investigation; topography and distance that would hide the physical footprints of the investigation from both the Rappahannock River (570 feet west of the western edge of the investigation footprints) and Virginia Route Three; and distance and fencing that would screen the investigation footprints from the nearby facilities that attract and host visitors: the Ferry Farm entrance-road, the Ferry Farm Visitor Center, and the Washington House interpretive structure; and (2) to archeological resources, given that ground disturbance would be limited to the plowzone of FF38 (and with two set-asides left undisturbed in the FF38 plowzone); an area previously disturbed for installation of concrete foundations for a 20th-century farmhouse at FF40; and three-quarters of the feature at F321, with the remaining quarter of that feature also left undisturbed as a set-aside.
Contact Information
Contact InformationNoel Harrison,
Manager of Easements
540-424-0512 (c)