by gwffoundation | Mar 19, 2025 | Archaeology, Behind the Scenes, Ferry Farm, George Washington's Ferry Farm, Lives & Legacies
Archaeology is trash. There, I said it. Before you call Mr. Jones and have me thrown in a pit of snakes, let me explain. Generally speaking, archaeology focuses on understanding the past through the items that people left behind, i.e., their trash. Most of the...
by gwffoundation | Sep 11, 2023 | Archaeology, Colonial Grossology, Daily Life in the 1700s, Historic Kenmore, Lives & Legacies, Natural History
A pest is a broad term for any organism that spreads disease, causes destruction, or is generally a nuisance. In the 21st century, we still constantly battle pests from squirrels who chew through your internet cables or spiders who set up house in the high corner of...
by gwffoundation | Oct 23, 2021 | Lives & Legacies
Looking back in time, people’s personal hygiene, fashion choices, medical treatments, and more can seem disgusting. When confronted with gross practices, our first reaction can be to dismiss our ancestors as primitive, ignorant, or just silly. Before such judgments,...
by gwffoundation | Jun 27, 2019 | Archaeology, Historic Kenmore, Lives & Legacies
Editor’s Note: Looking back in time, people’s personal hygiene, fashion choices, medical treatments, and more sometimes look, at the very least, bizarre, if not outright disgusting. When confronted with these weird or gross practices, our first reaction can be to...
by gwffoundation | May 24, 2019 | Archaeology, Foodways, George Washington's Ferry Farm, Historic Kenmore, Lives & Legacies
On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, Dave Muraca, Director of Archaeology at The George Washington Foundation, presented “The Social Role of Garbage in Colonial Virginia,” the final talk in this year’s annual lecture series. Dave presented three case studies in...