Under parking lot a Williamsburg surprise
Archaeologists probing beneath the surface of a Merchants Square parking lot have discovered evidence of a rare 17th-century building that dates back to a little understood colonial outpost that preceded the town's founding in 1699.
Located under the SunTrust Bank parking lot at the corner of Prince George and Henry streets, the 40-foot-long post-in-ground structure is one of only a handful of buildings known from the days of Middle Plantation, which was established in 1633. It could provide important new clues about the apparently substantial but elusive settlement, which has puzzled scholars for years.
"We rarely find any evidence of Middle Plantation. There are no maps that tell us how the property was laid out before the capital moved here and the town was renamed Williamsburg," Colonial Williamsburg archaeologist Mark Kostro said.
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Located under the SunTrust Bank parking lot at the corner of Prince George and Henry streets, the 40-foot-long post-in-ground structure is one of only a handful of buildings known from the days of Middle Plantation, which was established in 1633. It could provide important new clues about the apparently substantial but elusive settlement, which has puzzled scholars for years.
"We rarely find any evidence of Middle Plantation. There are no maps that tell us how the property was laid out before the capital moved here and the town was renamed Williamsburg," Colonial Williamsburg archaeologist Mark Kostro said.