Exciting Discoveries!

On Wednesday March 10th, landscapers working on the property of our neighbor to the north uncovered a surprising find, an antique double-barreled pistol. The neighbor immediately called Executive Director, Leslie Buhler about the discovery. The brass flintlock pistol appears to have been manufactured in Belgium probably dating to the late 18th or early 19th Century according to Philip Schreier, senior curator of the National Firearms Museum. The wood handle has rotted over time but the brass is in good condition with beautiful roping and linear details and a distinct oval proof mark.

With the plan for additional digging in the yard, Tudor Place called in an archeologist from Dovetail Cultural Resources Group, Inc. to monitor work. On March 11th, 2010, two pits were dug to the north and south of the entry stairs of the house. The northern site revealed what appears to be an ash pit, both hand and machine made bricks, and an iron hinge complete with screws and wood fragments. To the south of the stairs a square block of schist was discovered and could potentially be a foundation pier for a structure. Surrounding the block were other building materials including a nail, a plaster sample (with both the fine and scratch coats), mortar samples with lime blebs and charcoal inclusions, and an assortment of ceramic fragments.

The reason for our interest in what is unearthed at the house next door is that the lot once was part of the much larger original Tudor Place estate which was the whole city block. Despite all that is known about Tudor Place, there are still many unanswered questions. We have yet to establish the location of slave quarters and service buildings vital to the function of an early Georgetown estate. Historical documentation has not yet revealed information about these features and archaeology may be our only method for discovering this potentially enriching aspect of the site’s history.