St. Francis Xavier Church Hall - 21370 Newtowne Neck Rd.
Archaeologists Aaron Levinthal and Sarah Janesko will share discoveries from the homes of the enslaved community who lived on the Jesuit’s Newtowne Plantation between the late 17th century through the mid-19th century.
Archaeologists found thousands of artifacts associated with the home sites of enslaved African Americans. The refuse pits, filled with clay tobacco pipe stems, oyster shells, and even charred tobacco seeds, are revealing what life was like for a community who left few written records. The presentation will reflect on how the Jesuits used the landscape, including the locations of slave quarters, the types of crops grown, and the animals raised on the plantation. Some of the more interesting discoveries include a palisade found by remote sensing, and Native American pottery sherds suggesting close relationships and interactions among everyone living on Newtowne Neck.
Artifacts will be on display after the presentation!