Archeological Excavations at the Robinson House

Archaeologists screening for artifacts at Robinson House NPS

Archeological excavations at the Robinson House site were performed in 1995 and 1996 and focused around and within the existing house foundations and in the outlying yard areas. Excavations uncovered the base and a portion of the hearth to the 1840s Robinson house chimney, located a few feet to the west of the existing 1926 foundations. This find provides the first documented evidence of the 1840s structure. In addition, archeologists located a Civil War era barn, a possible root cellar, foundations to an unidentified outbuilding, and the remains of an ice house, later used as a trash pit by the family.

Archeologists uncovered chimney remains from the 1840s Robinson structure NPS

A "bird's-eye" plan view map of chimney remains of the Robinson structure NPS

Photograph of area of the Robinson's ice house/trash pit during excavations. NPS

The Robinson family used an icehouse to preserve goods before indoor refrigeration was available. Ice from Bull Run was brought to the farm, packed in straw to keep it from thawing, and then put in the icehouse to keep perishables cool. Excavations of the Robinson icehouse show that the family used the area as a trash-pit during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries after they purchased an indoor refrigeration element (like an icebox). This photo shows the area of the icehouse/trash pit during excavations.

Part of a series of articles titled
African American Households.

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The Robinson House - Historical Background

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The Nash Site

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