James Madison's Montpelier We The People Spring 2013 | Page 16

We The People Exploring the 16 Arc American History of Dig in: Class participants and staff archaeologists work to uncover the mysteries at the Tobacco Barn Quarter in the field below the Visitor Center. James Madison’s Montpelier is a dynamic destination. The landscape has the power to intellectually transport visitors into the late 18th and early 19th century, helping illuminate an “Arc of American History” dating back nearly 300 years. The Tobacco Barn Quarter is a perfect example, bearing evidence of smoke curing trenches and iron parts of a threshing machine. It is also a history that is in perpetual evolution, thanks to a constant process of discovery and interpretation. This process is advanced by a team of professional archaeologists, methodically excavating deposits to reveal the landscape as it once was – and recreate the living and working conditions of the enslaved individuals who labored at Montpelier and made the plantation their home.