Local Archaeology and Transatlantic Competitions

Archaeological investigations of several house sites in the upper Potomac and northern Shenandoah region provide additional evidence on the levels of demand and consumption of imported British ceramic goods. “Local Archaeology and Transatlantic Competitions” discusses archaeological investigations of the following household sites that were occupied during the period of 1750 to 1865: the Demory site in Loudoun County, Virginia; the Reiff site in Washington County, Maryland; the Countryside Development site in Loudoun County; the Pohoke and Portici Plantation sites in Prince William County, Virginia; and the Reed Farmstead site in Hardy County, West Virginia. These investigations demonstrate that imported, mass-produced British ceramic wares were readily available to consumers, even at the western-most edges of this backcountry region in the eighteenth century. However, the levels of consumption again appear notably lower than seen in investigations of the Chesapeake Tidewater region from the same period. A number of sites in this backcountry region provide evidence suggesting that residents exercised stylistic preferences related to social group affiliations.

Ethnic Networks and a Cultural Landscape in the Backcountry

Principal influences on consumer preferences in the Potomac and northern Shenandoah region and period included ethnic affiliations and local social networks. “Ethnic Networks and a Cultural Landscape in the Backcountry” addresses the cohesiveness of German immigrant populations in this region. Their use of material culture to convey their group affiliations was evident in a number of ways. For example, those residents employed vernacular architecture traditions in building their houses that included techniques and styles that communicated their shared heritage. Fennell examines a case study of such architectural patterns at the Demory house site in Loudoun County, Virginia, and relate it to larger-scale studies of German-American building traditions in this region and period.