Archaeological and Historical Investigations at Foscue Plantation : Identifying the Structure in the Vault Field

Abstract

During the 2007 Craven Community College archaeological field school, a dense concentration of brick was discovered at the Vault Field site (31JN112**) on Foscue Plantation in eastern North Carolina. This feature was determined to be a chimney fall during the 2008 field school. The structure associated with the chimney fall continued to be excavated through 2012, with the 2011 and 2012 field schools being co-directed by the author. The goal of these excavations was to determine the identity of the structure in the Vault Field. The hypothesis tested for this thesis was that the structure was Simon Foscue, Jr.'s original house as mentioned in two deeds dated 1801 and 1803. Historic deeds and maps revealed that the structure in the Vault Field was not Simon Foscue, Jr.'s 1803 home. The parcel on which the 1803 home was located was sold in 1810, and the parcel on which the Vault Field site is located was not purchased until 1811. Archaeological and historical research were used to evaluate the likelihood that the structure in the Vault Field was a detached kitchen, slave quarter, overseer's house, or a Foscue family dwelling. Archaeological research revealed that the house was likely on the Vault Field land before the Foscue family owned it, but that it continued to be utilized during their occupation of the land. It was concluded that the structure was most likely used as a residence by various members of the Foscue family.