Archaeologists in Virginia find colonial-era garden, clues about slaves who tended it

August 24, 2024 3:00 AM
By Associated Press



This image shows a preliminary rendering for the reconstructed garden of John Custis IV at Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum in Virginia. (Rieley & Associates Landscape Architects via AP)

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA —
Archaeologists in Virginia are uncovering one of colonial America's most lavish displays of opulence: an ornamental garden where a wealthy politician and enslaved gardeners grew exotic plants from around the world.

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The garden in Williamsburg belonged to John Custis IV, a tobacco plantation owner who served in Virginia's colonial legislature. He is perhaps best known as the first father-in-law of Martha Washington. She married future U.S. President George Washington after Custis' son Daniel died.

Historians also have been intrigued by the elder Custis' botanical adventures, which were well-documented in letters and later in books. And yet this excavation is as much about the people who cultivated the land as it is about Custis.

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"We have to wonder if we're seeing traditions that are non-European," Gary said. "Are they West African traditions? We need to do more research. But it's features like those that make us continue to try and understand the enslaved people who were in this space."

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